Time For A Change!

I'm a small woman - only 5'4".  And I'm small boned.  I like this about myself actually - I don't mind being 'tiny'.  Even my feet are tiny, which usually means my size is available when it comes to shoes  :)

My problem right now is that I've let myself gain weight over the past year.  So much weight that I'm muffin topping over my jeans big time.  I had to buy 2 new pairs in a bigger size to get me thru.  I don't like this - at all!  

Here is a recent family pic.  (I'm the short one on the right ;)) I know, I know - I'm not huge or anything, but I'm certainly not happy with so much extra flab!  Looking a little pear shaped for sure, and I need to lose about 20-25 lbs.

(We just got our family photos done for the first time in years - I absolutely love this one, so casual and modern!)

I have a friend who did the 17 Day Diet, by Dr. Mike Mereno, with some great results in the first cycle.  I thought I'd check it out so I looked it up.  Then I thought about if for a couple of weeks.  Finally, I just ordered it, and the accompanying cookbook.

Over the past couple of nights I've read thru them and I'm pretty excited.  I think this is going to be doable.  After major cutbacks in the first 'cleansing' cycle, items are added back in during the next cycles to get you to a diet that's healthy and satisfying.  This one doesn't feel overwhelming right at the start.  And it's really about change in eating habits, not food deprivation, and I know that's what this body of mine needs!

Let's see how the first 17 days go!  I'll be reporting back for sure...

How about you, any changes going on, diet or otherwise?  Fill me in!

(Links are below for both books, on Amazon, as well as a freezer meal cookbook that I will take advantage of for feeding the rest of the family during my 17 day cycles (although I do plan on having the family follow the 17 day plan at least 3 dinners a week).  LOTS of great recipes are in the Fix, Freeze, Feast book!)

Food Friendly Friday - Week 5

I can't believe it's that time of the week already! Time is flying by lately, and I think it's due to this working full-time thing.

And having a menu this past week was kind of a waste of that precious time, really. Things were good until Tuesday, and then there was no way I was making the corn and ham chowder like I was supposed to (Monday was a holiday, so Tuesday was 4 days packed into 1 at work, that equalled wore out!)...ham sandwiches it was instead. Thursday was supposed to be roast beef, but was roast chicken instead, due to a stop at Costco last weekend and some major meat purchases! Whole raw chicken is expensive here (go figure - it's cheaper to buy a deli rotisserie chicken) so I rarely roast my own, but it was a good deal at Costco so we changed it up a bit - and boy was it yummy! That affected today, which was supposed to be roast beef sandwiches, and then chicken fried rice instead, due to the leftover chicken, but in the end I didn't get home from work until 6 and had a humongous headache.  Thankfully my daughter had brought home some Gus' Pizza Dry Garlic Ribs from Hinton (our old home town, which is 45 minutes away from us), so I just put out some homemade pickles and salsa with veggies and dip to go with the ribs for supper instead.  If you are ever in Hinton, you HAVE TO stop for their ribs - all their food is good, but the ribs are one of a kind.  Anyway, not a very good week for following the plan!

On to a new week though, and a promise (to myself at least) to do better next week! I want to go off of what is in the house this week, and hopefully not have a very big grocery bill. Shouldn't be too hard, we are well stocked right now :)

Q

Saturday - (kids) - Costco Lasagna - always handy to have in the freezer! I didn't want to use it up so soon, but my boy requested it - how can I say no? :)

Sunday - (kids) - Company's Coming Hamburger Soup - this is my all-time favorite soup, I don't even change the recipe.

Monday - (no kids next 4 days) - BBQ Pork Tenderloin - one of my man's favorites is pork tenderloin. He always throws together these super flavorful marinades for it and then cues it up for us. We usually have potatoes, onions, carrots, butter and various spices in tinfoil, also cooked on the barbie - easy clean-up!

Tuesday - Chicken Burgers and oven baked French Fries - there are a few burgers left in the freezer we have to use up.

Whatever Wednesday

Thursday - BBQ Beef Tenderloin Kabobs with salad - again, the man will be creating a flavorful marinade and will be in charge of the cookin'...my kind of night!

Friday - (kids) - most likely takeout. My daughter graduates from high school on Saturday (CONGRATULATIONS SWEETIE!!!), so my mom will be here from PEI (yay!), and my little sister, who lives in Hinton, will be here too. I think there will be too much excitement to cook!

Grad reminds me...I special ordered a cake from a gal - in Hinton (I know, there appears to be a theme here - I have to be there tomorrow for my son's soccer too!) I hope to feature her after grad is over, she does an amazing job decorating the most fabulous cakes!  I gave her free reign on this one, with the only stipulation being that we wanted a topsy-turvy cake - I can't wait to see what she creates!

I hope you have a wonderful, sunny weekend, it's been rainy and gloomy around here. How is your spring weather?

- Marsha -

Food Friendly Friday - Week 4

Yes!!  I planned my menu, AND - I'm here to blog about it.  It may not be a big thing to you (and that's perfectly ok), but it's a good thing for me :)  

This past week flew by, I can't believe it's Friday already!  I was able to figure out before bed every night what we were going to eat the next day, so things weren't too hectic food-wise.  

One night we had Subway, but had a good excuse...Our province has been hit by devastating wildfires, with whole communities and towns being evacuated from their homes.  Specifically, many homes in the town of Slave Lake have been destroyed.  374 homes actually, according to CBC News, and 52 damaged.  

You might ask 'what does that have to do with you, you are 4 hours away'.  Well, we had a garage full of household items that were destined for a garage sale.  We had dishes, sheets, towels, backpacks, toys, hair care items, a microwave, and a bed with a brand new mattress.  Some people from work got together and arranged for a local drop off location for donations so that a trip to the evacuation areas could be made, and since these were all perfectly good items, we decided to donate them instead of doing the garage sale thing.  So, that night we grabbed Subway so we could organize, correctly pack and get the items to the drop-off location - we deserved the break - and it's somewhat healthy :)  The main point being though that the Slave Lake victims really need those items, so I'm really pleased we were able to help in some capacity.  My heart goes out to the families whose lives have been affected by this devastating event.

If you are at all interested in helping the Slave Lake victims, I found a good list of options on the Global Edmonton site.  This was dated May 19, so the specifics items required may have changed, but it also includes options for cash donations.  And thanks so much.

Now, on to next week's menu.  Nothing too fancy going on here at all.  I'm still not quite used to having lost the extra couple hours after work, so supper has to be simple :)  We won't be home for supper Saturday night (Kid Rock - here we come!), so I'll start with...

Sunday (no kids) - Snack food - (nachos and homemade salsa, variety of homemade pickles, veggies and dip).

Holiday Monday (no kids) - Shephard's Pie - fried hamburger with a can of mushroom soup layered in a pan, with corn and mashed potatoes over top, bake - so easy but we haven't had this in so long!

Tuesday (no kids) - Corn & Ham Chowder - I got a free issue of Food Network Magazine and this looked pretty tasty (and I still have ham in the freezer from Easter)...I'll let you know how it turns out.

Whatever Wednesday (no kids) - two big meals in a row with only two of us here means lots of leftovers!

Thursday (kids) - Slow Cooker Roast Beef - with McCain Purely Potatoes (have you tried these? - they are great in a pinch!), carrots and gravy.

Friday (kids) - Roast Beef Sandwiches - gotta use up that leftover roast beef!  With veggies and dip too.

And that's it!  Nothing too crazy.  I wouldn't mind getting some baking done at some point too - but that's asking for a lot!

Have a great weekend!

- Marsha - 

Food Friendly Friday - Week 3 (NOT!)

I'm sorry that I didn't get to this this week, and not just for you (I don't have many followers actually - hint, hint if you are reading this!), but for myself also.  I know it's going to be tough on this household to not have a plan.

Here's the thing.  I started full time at work last week, and come Thursday, I just did not have the energy or motivation to plan - for anything.  No menu, no grocery list - nothing.  I was just beat, let me tell you.

It wasn't really the hours at work that were hard, it was the not getting to bed (or to sleep, rather) that was the issue.  I would go to bed on time (10 - 10:30pm), and tired as I was I just couldn't fall asleep.  I would lay there thinking of what I would have to do at work in the morning, or of which DIY project I wanted to tackle next and how I would accomplish it.  My mind just isn't used to shutting down until around 11:30 or midnight really.

I used to work 8:30am to 3pm Monday to Friday with no lunch break - I just ate while I worked.  Now I work 7:30am to 4:30pm with a 1 hour lunch.  I do enjoy the break - it's great to clear your mind that's for sure, especially since I started full time because I've taken on a bit more work (temporarily) on a daily basis.  The downside is that it is about a 10 minute drive to and from work, and with the cost of gas right now ($1.27.9/L), it really hits the pocket book.  I will be opting to stay at work during the lunch hour for 2 - 3 days per week due to mainly this fact, and the extra mileage it puts on my little Equinox.  I'll just pack a lunch like I used to, and then go for walks now that the weather is nice.  I can use my new snowshoes when the nasty winter hits again.

Anyway, I'll try to be better at the menu plans - as I said, this helps me too.  This week should be interesting - I'll try to at least plan one meal a night in advance and let you know how I fare next Friday when I post the next week's menu - I promise!

Food Friendly Friday - Week 2

Ok, folks, this weeks menu is really nothing to write about, but since I want to get in the habit, I'll post it anyway.

I'm all by myself for Saturday, Sunday and Monday, so there is no plan for those days.  My man is out of town for work, and kids aren't back until Monday night soooo, why make it hard on myself?  I'll just eat what and when I want!

Tuesday (kids for next 4 days) - Pita Pizzas - no link or recipe for this one!  Just put some pizza sauce, meat and cheese on a pita, bake at around 400F until cheese is melted.  Easy and tasty!

Wednesday - I can't justify having Whatever Wednesday when I really haven't had to cook yet this week, so we are having spaghetti.  Again, no link and no recipe.  I cheat and just add a jar of our favorite sauce to a pound of browned hamburger (with onions and garlic of course!).  We ALWAYS have angel hair pasta with our sauce, and we will have garlic bread of some sort too.

Thursday - Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes - Again, no link or recipe.  I throw boneless pork chops, onions and garlic in the slow cooker with a can of mushroom soup over top and voila!  Serve with mashed potatoes and the gravy from the cooker.  YUM!

Friday - Dinner out - since it's just me and the kids, and it's Friday, I thought it would be nice if I took them out for supper this night - you know, spend some 'quality' time with my almost grown ups.

Saturday - Slow and Easy Barbecued Ribs - I know we just had pork 2 days ago, but my man will be home for supper for the first time in a week and he has been bugging me to try this recipe.  It's from the Pillsbury Slow Cooker Recipes cook book.  I haven't tried it yet, but if it turns out good I'll do a whole post on the recipe.

Which reminds me of last week.  We tried some new stuff, but we weren't too thrilled.  The Ham and Parmesan Potatoes might have been good if someone had not thrown away my fresh parmesan cheese without me knowing.  We won't be trying it again with the cheese though - not worth it.  The Shaker Tomato soup was actually good, but of course onions and celery didn't go over well with my picky daughter.  I would maybe make this again, but probably not - tomato soup on it's own is just as good with less effort.  And as for the Spicy Goulash - didn't make it.  Was going to do that yesterday, but the kids complained it was too much new stuff so I did the chicken burgers we were supposed to have tonight instead.  I don't have a plan for tonight, but my man will be heading out of town, so we will probably just grab take-out.  I don't feel too bad about that, it's been a while since we had take-out.  Plus, it's Friday - why not!

If anyone out there did try the Spicy Goulash, or is going to, please let me know if you liked it - I would like to put this one back on the menu to try eventually!

Have a great weekend - I hope the sun is shining wherever you are.  

Happy Mother's Day!

Food Friendly Friday - Week 1

(haha - pretty cheesy title right!)

A lot of blogs have a 'Menu Plan Monday', and they all have great recipes and weekly menus to check out (some are listed on the right :)), and I do check them out and use them, but for my blogging purposes, I will post on Friday (because I plan on Thursday and shop on Saturday). Hence the cheesy title...gotta name it something!

A little background on our family food habits...the main point being that our (my) two kids are only with us 4 days out of 8, so it really plays a part on what will be eaten that night. Also, our 17 year old starts work at 5 generally and will just eat before us. Some nights are VERY laid back as far as meal prep goes, with only 2 or 3 of us to cook for, although that doesn't stop us from going all out if we feel like it!

Another thing is that we have whatever nights. Lately I've been scheduling this for Wednesday's, which makes for a nice break in the middle of the work week. Basically we all have whatever we want that is in the house. Leftovers, canned soup, cereal, sandwich, cheese and crackers...see, whatever! It's supposed to be a good way to eat up the leftovers, and can be, but we are picky about which leftovers we like, so I'm slack on that. I try not to succumb to takeout on this night based on principal...what principal I'm not exactly sure!

Lastly, we are far from perfect in the food category. Although I find it extremely helpful to plan our week's worth of dinners ahead of time, there are times when takeout is just too convenient. For the most part, it's lack of motivation that causes the need for convenience, but that's where having a plan is all the motivation I need to cook a healthy, home cooked meal most nights, so that's why I bother to plan in the first place. But I don't beat myself up either if I skip the plan one night every couple of weeks.

Okay, on to my first weekly menu post (yay!!!) 

(I'm trying some new recipes this week, hope they turn out!):

Saturday - (no kids today and tomorrow)- (shopping day) - Whole cooked chicken from the deli and buns - believe it or not, it's generally cheaper to buy a whole cooked chicken over a raw one at my grocery store, so that's usually the way we go. We usually have it in chunks on tray buns with miracle whip.

Sunday - Chicken Stir Fry - (using leftover chicken from Saturday) - I just sauté whatever vegetables I have in EVOO and then toss in the cooked chicken, some sort of stir fry sauce and some Epicure stir fry spices and serve with rice.  Easy Peasy!

Monday (kids for 4 days) - *Slow Cooker Ham and Parmesan Potatoes* - *new recipe* - I try to do slow cooker meals on Mondays 'cause it's a hectic day at work :)  Here's a link to the recipe (oh, and the links do work now!):

http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpothamrecipes/r/bl99c2.htm

Tuesday - *Shaker Village Tomato Soup* and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches - *new recipe* - a twist on an old standby.  Again, the link:

http://eatathomecooks.com/2009/01/shaker-village-tomato-soup.html

Whatever Wednesday

Thursday - *Slow Cooker Spicy Goulash* - *new recipe - follow link* - I have my own goulash recipe that I will post some day, but this sounds good. I will be swapping the ground turkey for ground beef.

http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/2011/04/spicy-goulash.html

Friday - (no kids) - Chicken Burgers and Taters - not the best meal, but what the heck, when all white meat breaded burgers go on sale, you buy them! And I bake them of course, same with the frozen taters :)

Thoughts on Week 2's menu:

There is still ground beef, ham and pork chops in the freezer, so I'll be trying to use those up. Maybe a second try on a newly found recipe and also a couple of tried and true's to make up for all the new stuff this week!

Do you plan your meals? Post a comment and let me know!

Pssst, Amazon has some great calendars to help you plan. I've seen this one being used by a few bloggers out there..

Happy cooking, and have a great weekend!

Blogging...A Learning Curve

Last Thursday night I sat down and drafted my first menu plan post. Well, where is it you ask? It's still sitting there in the drafts folder, that's where it is. Why, you ask? Sitting here now, I'm not sure to be honest.

It was a fine post....up until I wanted to personalize the name of the link I wanted to embed. It wasn't good enough for me to just be able to link you directly to a recipe on the Kraft Canada site, but I wanted that link to show as just the recipe name to you, not as the whole address. You know, when you click on the word 'here' and it takes you to wherever you are supposed to be directed to?

WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME??? I completely gave up because I couldn't make it "perfect"! I searched around and I think I found the directions on how to do it, but the language was so foreign to me I'm still not sure I was reading the right instructions! I was defeated. I thought - maybe I'm not cut out for this...this is a lot of technical stuff I just don't get! And trust me, I'm decently knowledgeable on both the inside and outside of a computer! But this language I didn't know had me feeling on the dumb side and I've avoided the blog since then.

Today I came on just to rant a bit and say I was giving up, and when I went to bold a word I noticed the link button. I was even excited to see it. In my drive for perfection, I actually forgot that I could still helpfully direct you to where I wanted you to go, which was the whole point to begin with! Who cares if it isn't exactly what I wanted? I can't believe I gave up so easily!

There are a slew of pretty blogs out there, fantastically designed blogs actually, and I will say the women (and men, I know you're out there too) who are designing them are talented. But just because my blog isn't as fancy as theirs, it doesn't mean I should give up. Doing what I am able is enough.  I will carry on with the tools I have, and hopefully expand on them...no pressure though :)  I'll change the colors up here just to add interest and to at least feel a little bit better about myself in knowing I can do that at least ;)

And to impress you with what is a new skill to me (perfect or not), here are a couple of links to a some tasty dishes we had for supper last week...

I hope it's ok for me to link you to a blog recipe. I'm not up on the blog etiquette, but I know it's a good thing to give credit where credit is due, and this blogger deserves credit for her quick and tasty Creamy Potato Soup:

http://eatathomecooks.com/2011/01/creamy-potato-soup.html

And this was a fun take on meatloaf...the potatoes were sooo yummy:

http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/potato-topped-mini-meatloaves-119147.aspx

**ARGH!!  As you can see, my linking skills still need some honing (not so impressive!) - I guess you will have to copy the address and paste it into the address bar if you want to view these recipes.  If you need help with that, please let me know and I'd be more than willing to assist, although I'm sure the help is not required :) **ok, now they work :)  not sure what I did different this time, but I'll take it!

RENOS UPDATE - the tile backsplash in the kitchen was started yesterday...buuuuut, they didn't order enough tile. And go figure, the grout color was wrong. Another delay. Other than that, the new sectional and chairs were delivered and that is it. No word from the cabinet 

maker in a while...maybe tomorrow? Pics to come soon....

Oh - happy Hump Day tomorrow!