Breakfast was good. 134 calories for the eggs, 69 calories for the bread and 20 calories for the grapefruit for a total of 223 calories for breakfast.

Actually, all this turned out to be was my normal glorified scrambled eggs. I just decided not to bake it in the oven as the recipe called for. I used 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg, 1/4 cup cubed ham, 1/2 cup broccoli. 1 2mall tomato and 1/4 cup diced red onion. I sauteed all of the vegetables except the tomato, added the ham after the veggies were almost done. About 5 minutes. after adding the ham, I poured the beaten eggs over the top and mixed together. When the eggs ere done, I sprinkled a little Weight Watchers cheese added diced tomatoes and enjoyed the feast! I added a slice of whole wheat bread and 1/2 of a grapefruit. It was a great breakfast.

This was lunch. It is hard to measure my veggies on the salad. As most of them don't really add many calories, I just counted the crab. It is imitation crab and 1/2 cup is 100 calories. The green olives are 25 calories each. I ate one and did not like it so gave the rest of them to Ron. The dressing was non fat. I don't remember what kind it was.

It was good, but I am not really in a salad mood yet so this did not 'fill the spot' for me today. I think maybe because it is so cold outside (snowy) and a cold salad was too cold.

Dinner was nothing special. Some of my grandchildren came over and so I ended up just throwing something together. Nothing that was low fat I fear. I did go to a baby shower and a birthday party today and I did not eat any of the goodies. So that is good.

Sunday's Menu will is up in the air right now. Church is at 9, and then my family is coming over for dinner and I will be cooking when I get home from church. Then we will have a baby blessing (my new grandson) and then I will be going to a choir practice for the temple choir. I don't know how I will have time to take care of my dietary needs tomorrow. This is really program to eat sensibly so I will have to see how I do in the 'real world' and 'real family' situation.

Drum Roll Please...............

OK, today is the big weigh in for me. As of this morning, I weigh 186. I have lost 5 pounds and 5 inches. Not bad. I can live with that.
In the last 2 days, I have had a lot of left overs to eat and with temple day yesterday, I did not have time to cook anything. So today, I will cook.
On the menu is:

Breakfast: Broccoli, Ham & Cheese Fritata
Lunch:Crab Salad
Dinner: Mexican Pork with Rice

I will be back with pictures tonight. Ü

On the Menu for Thursday-

Breakfast: Crepes (I made the extra batter into the crepes this morning and froze them. I wanted to test the 'leftovers' out and see how they taste.
Lunch: Taco Rice Casserole
Dinner: Left over Ham & Bean Soup

This Ham & Bean Soup was Sooooo Good! and only 208 calories per 1 1/2 cup serving.

This is some of the best soup that I have ever made. I soaked 16 ounces of Northern Great Beans this morning until noon and then put them in a pot with a ham bone that I had left over from Christmas Dinner. I cooked them all afternoon needing to add water about 3 times until about 4:00. When the beans were done, I removed the bone, and took off the ham and added about 2 cups more of the leftover ham. (I had it frozen since Christmas). Anyway, I added 1 cup of chopped green onions and 1 clove of crushed garlic. It was so good. I was going to add white onions, but I found some chopped green onions that Jennifer had chopped for me. I have never added green onions to soup before, but I will do it again and make it a permanent part of this recipe. Did I mention that it was good? Ron loved it too.!

The bread turned out good too. I just used my regular bread recipe exchanging whole wheat flour for the white flour and honey for the sugar.

Whole Wheat Bread - 120 calories per serving (each loaf sliced into 10 pieces)

2 cups warm water

4 1/2 -5 cups flour

2 TB instant yeast

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup instant dry milk

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1. Mix warm water and 1 cup flour in mixing bowl.

2.Add egg, powdered milk, salt and honey. Mix well.

3. Add yeast and the rest of the flour. Mix until not sticky.

4. let rise until double in size

5. make into 2 loaves of bread, put into bread pans sprayed with Pam

The Enchilada Casserole was great for lunch.

Maybe I am more hungry this afternoon, but the microwaved Enchilada Casserole was GREAT! Let me know if you want the recipe. I think I will make it again.

3 Crepes at 42 calories each and Fresh Fruit Topping at 20 Calories per serving. Total Calories for a good filling breakfast....186. I can live with!

The Crepes were very good and easy to do. I will make this again.....very soon actually as I do have left over batter. With only 2 of us it is hard to eat all of the food in only 1 or 2 sittings. I tried to persuade a friend of mine to come this morning, but I asked to late. She was already eating. Ron said that he is not a Crepe fan and that it just tasted like a lot of fruit. But I thought mine tasted yummy!

Again, the recipe is from 'Recipe's to Lower Your Fat Thermostat'. That is one of the 2 recipe books that I took with me to Bear Lake to plan my meals for the week.
Here are the recipes for the crepes and fresh fruit sauce:
CREPES (page 332) I halved this recipe this morning.
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg yolk

1. Beat egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks. Set aside.
2. Whisk remaining ingredients together. Fold in egg whites.
3. If there is time, allow batter to sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours before cooking. (I did not have time to do this)
4. Heat a non-stick skillet. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into the pan. Tilt to thinly coat pan.*
When cooked on one side, carefully peel the crepe from pan and turn over. Cook on second side and remove from pan.
5. Place squares of waxed paper between finished crepes to prevent sticking together. Cover to keep warm.
6. Fill these with yogurt, fresh fruit or other low fat fillings.
7. Hint: Crepes may be prepared a day ahead and frozen with waxed paper between each crepe. This will save time when you need to use them. Allow them to thaw at room temperature. Use as you would freshly made crepes.

Yield: 14 6" crepes 42 calories per crepe

*My batter was so thick that it did not thinly coat, I had to spread. I then added a little more milk so it would spread easier)

Fresh Fruit Topping
2 C Fresh Fruit
2 T cornstarch
1/2 C Water

1. Chop fruit into large pieces.
2. Whisk cornstarch into cool water and bring to boil.
3. Add 1 cup of fruit and bring to boil again.
4. Immediately remove from heat and add remaining fruit. Leave last cup of fruit uncooked. Serve hot or cold.

Yield: 2 1/2 cups = 10 servings 20 calories per serving

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE 218 Calories per serving

This Recipe was also from "Recipes to Lower Your Fat Thermostat". page 238

It was OK. I don't think kids would like it a lot and if people in your family have to have meat in their dinners, they will not like it for a main dish. It was very labor intensive, more time than I like to put in to such a simple just 'OK' dish. But, all in all, the taste was good, it is healthy, and fit in the calorie count that I am looking for.

When I asked Ron (my husband) if he liked it, the first thing he said was "somethings missing". I didn't tell him and after the next bite he said, "meat". We both thought it would taste better with meat. Maybe I can find a recipe that calls for meat that is low in calorie. I will start searching. Will I make this again? probably not. After saying that, I will not add the recipe (because it is so long) unless someone asks for it. So if you are interested, let me know.

Tomorrow's menu:
Breakfast:Crepes with fruit filling (I have never made crepes before)
Lunch: Left over Enchiladas
Dinner: Ham and Bean Soup with homemade whole wheat bread.

Vegetable Omelet-- 192 calories per serving. Add 53 Calories for the 1/2 Grapefruit and I had a great Breakfast with only 245 Calories.

This was a good omelet, made in a nifty omelet pan that MaryLynn has.

Vegetable Omelet

2 egg whites

1 egg

1 T cold water

2 T sliced mushrooms

2 T chopped onions

2 T green peppers chopped

1/2 chopped tomato

1. Whisk egg whites,egg and water together until foamy

2. heat a non stick skillet until hot

3. Spray with vegetable cooking spray. Pour in eggs and tilt pan so that the bottom is covered evenly. use a non-scratching pancake turner to pull the edge of the omelet into the center and tilt pan so that the uncooked egg flow onto the pan. Repeat all around the omelet until the eggs are cooked.

4. Fill the left side of the omelet with chopped vegetables. Lift the right side of the omelet carefully with the pancake turner so that it folds the omelet in half.

OR

Use at nifty omelet pan

OR

Just mix all together and have a Vegetable Scrambled Egg Delight!

5. Carefully slide the omelet onto a plate and serve.

** Recipe from "Recipes to Lower Your Fat Thermostat" page,46**

Good Old Goulash- 232 Calories per serving!

I was at the D.I. and I found a recipe book that I once had. It is called "Recipes to Lower Your Fat Thermostat". I liked the book but got rid of it when I felt that I had too many recipe books. Seeing it again brought back some memories about being on this particular diet that were good. I bought the book again (cost $1.50) and I am using some recipe's from it. Such as:
Good Old Goulash- Page, 58
This was dinner on Monday night. It was really good. 1 serving of the goulash is only 232 calories. The recipe serves 8 and it was really quite filling. Served with a side of a great salad, it was a really good and nutritious meal.

Here is the recipe:
1/2 pound lean hamburger
1 medium chopped onion
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 pint stewed tomatoes
2 tsp. chili powder
1 clove of fresh garlic crushed or chopped
1 cup whole wheat pasta

1.Brown hamburger, drain well. (I rinse mine in a colander under running hot water) Add onions and cook until onions become transparent.
2. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste and stewed tomatoes.
3. Season with chili powder and garlic.







4. While this is simmering, cook pasta until tender. Drain and add to to meat mixture.


The rest of the family had a piece of whole wheat bread to go along with this dinner. I was not at home and did not have an accurate calorie count for my day, so I did not have the bread. I really felt full though.

The last day of the Cleanse

I am tempted to weigh today, but I will wait until Saturday. I had my fruit smoothie. It was good. I also had my lemon water. My friend is here today and she is going to help me on some of the recipes that I want to start. Hopefully I will get a weeks worth to work on. Then I will share the shopping experience total ($) and show the recipes. Thanks for hanging in with me. I really hope to make this blog worthwhile for you to come and be a part of. I am still new to this and every day I learn a little more.

I am going to Bear Lake for the night with MaryLynn, so I will write tomorrow.

Fast Sunday helped

Because it was fast Sunday, I did not eat my first cleansing drink. Because I liked the the fruit smoothie so much, I decided to eat the for my dinner. I did not exercise today either, but I forgot to write that I did do 50 push ups and 75 sit ups. I will start a better workout tomorrow.
It was kind of hard to stick to, but I do not want to give up. I actually can't wait to start cooking healthy.

The Cleanse

I went to the store this morning and purchased all of the food that I needed for the cleanse. The cost at Smiths was $39.87. I drank the honey-lemon water. It was OK. I can do this for 3 days........

Everything ready to go for the first meal of the day.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! This was so yummy. Can I have this all day long? I can definately do this for the 3 days. Even the grandkids liked this.

Here is lunch and snack for the rest of the day.

YUCK! This tastes terrible. I am eating it 1 tablespoon at a time. Any more and I will throw up.

I added way to much garlic. As I sit here eating my tablespoon at a time, the garlic is all that I am tasting. GAG! But I will eat until it is gone. I will have figure out how to make it taste better if I want to last the full 3 days. It is definately helping me to drink more water though. Ü

Thought for the day. Ü

People read newspapers, e mails, magazines and books- not minds. So tell each other your wants, needs and desires.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2011

Christmas Holidays are over and a new year and new life are beginning.

Thanks for joining me. I am so glad that you are here with me, because I already have thought, "Shelly, do you really want to do this?" and then I thought of the commitment that I have made with you and here I am. The answer is "YES"! I do want to make this life style change.

So, what am I going to start today? A body cleanse.

Not for any weight loss strategy, but because I want to start with a body clean on the inside. I feel so bloated from the Christmas holiday eating and want to start out clean.

I have been researching it and from the things that I have read, I feel that is the best way for me to start.

I want to do this naturally and I do not want to buy a kit somewhere, so after researching this, I have come up with the following 3 day cleanse:

First thing each morning:

1 cup warm water with several teaspoons of lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of honey

Breakfast and mid morning:

8 ounces of juice blend made up from any combination of : apples, celery, pineapple, and berries (fresh or frozen), a pinch of ginger and cinnamon. A juice or high speed blender works well, water can be added to dilute.

Lunch and mid afternoon:

8 ounces of juice or broth made from any combination of several carrots, a cucumber, a few beets, 1/4 cabbage, spinach, kale, 3 apples, fresh parsley (important for cleansing) and several stalks of celery. (For broth, leave out the apple. Garlic and onion can be added for flavor).

There is really no limit to how much you can have, which is very satisfying and helps keep you full.
**I have added the link to the article where I got this information if you want to read the complete article.

I am going to the store and purchasing the stuff. I will let you know how much it all cost. I will also show the pictures of how I will make it.

So the 'Official" starting weight is 190. I will not cry about this and remember that I was 155 two years ago and 178 three weeks ago. I will just press forward.

I will not weigh again until next Saturday.

I was going to add my measurements, but then I thought, no one wants to read that so I will just keep track of the inches lost and my pant size. I am a comfortable size 16.

4 Days to go.........

I feel that I am starting to get a handle on this. It really does take a lot of research and time. I guess that is why people pay $ is to just have someone else do it for them. It would easier, but as I have said, I have already done that and I have not learned a great deal. I have not stayed committed. This time, with me working harder myself, I expect better results.

I actually have some recipes that I am looking forward to trying. I am going to see if I can find a way on this blog to put in my whole calendar but until then, I will go day by day.

The New Year is getting closer

Time is getting closer and I have not started getting my menu for the month of January started. I have been doing a lot of research on exactly what kind of eating program to do. You can see that I have been on so many, I just want to do the best one that is healthy. I do not have to loose all of my weight in 2 months, my goal is to do something that I can do for the rest of my life and not feel sorry for my self and all of the 'Good Food' that I am missing out on. That might not seem to make sense to persons who do not struggle with this issue. But these are my thoughts. This is a main reason that I want to do the makeover for my recipe book. As I said, I love to cook/bake. This is something that defines me, and I like it.

The Diet List...........

When Jennifer suggested this, I said, who would want to read a blog about weight and recipes. Anyone can go to the Internet and find this stuff, but I am finding out that it takes a lot of time. So if someone wants to come to my blog and see what I am doing, you are welcome to it. For me, I hope that this will keep me motivated to keep going and not quit after 2 or 3 weeks as is usual for me. To think that someone is counting on me, I think that I can do this. Also it will be a good record for me to see what is working.

Now a little about me. diets! the story of my life. I do not remember a time when it has not consumed my thoughts. That is a very sad statement. I feel that it has kept me from many things. I have been on the following diets and gimmick programs:
Weight Watchers
TOPS
Mouth appliances
SCHICK (a 'shocking' think)
Over the counter Diet Pills
Phen Fen
Personal Trainer
Shots from a Doctor
HCG
South Beach
The Rotation Diet
Slim Fast
Perfect Protein'
Just eating Prepared Low Fat Dinners from the freezer section
Something that was put on my ear lobe and I was just suppose to rub my ear when I was hungry
Nutri Systems
Curves (yes, they have a diet too)
Atkins
American Heart Association

This list is embarrassing. I have never listed them all before, and I am ashamed. But as you can see, I have been trying to conquer this problem for years. I have prayed and received blessings from Ron. This is such a weakness that I have and I really want to overcome it. I want to be the master of my body instead of the other way around.

I am not going to spend any more money on this. I will go to the thrift stores and find books, menus and what ever it takes. Maybe my efforts will help me and someone else who might see themselves in this same situation. We can conquer this! and not help others take our hard earned money.

I ask forgiveness from my family for taking all of the money that I have used from them and their needs. I WILL GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME!

I guess that I should also mention that I did take a nutrition class at Salt Lake Community College. It taught me a lot, but I have not remembered it or put it to use. I did get an 'A' in the class and maybe now is the time to go back to the book and learn from it. One thing that I learned was a formula to let me know how many calories that I burn each day by just living and how many I need to burn to gain weight, loose weight or stay the same. It is called the EER formula. (Estimate of Energy Needs)

I found a web site (Calorie Foods & Recipes) that will automatically do this for you. They have it listed as the BURN METER. I have posted it on my favorite links bar.

My EER is 1980 calories just for being alive. I need to consume 1980 calories a day to maintain my current weight of 190 pounds. So to loose weight, I need to eat less than 1980 calories a day and start a new exercise program. One that is more aggressive than what I have been doing.

LET'S GET STARTED TODAY!

Jennifer (my daughter) told me I should start a blog. The first time she suggested that I should start one about fun grandma activities. I actually started that and wrote one time. Not that I did not have any fun ideas, I do. I have a lot of ideas and I love being a grandma and getting and sharing ideas. I guess the timing was not right for me.

She called me again a couple of months ago and said "mom, since you love cooking so much and you have so many great recipes, you should adapt them to low fat and put them on a blog". I thought about it and then decided that I just couldn't do that to my recipes. I LOVE my recipes the way they are.

OK, I finally am feeling inspired. I think that I would like to try and I will keep a daily blog on my progress. Not just with the recipes, but about all of the things that I do each day. My body changing will also be a part of it.

Here are the things that I think that I want to accomplish:
1. My road to a new and healthier body (weights and measures)
2. Daily food and exercise along the way (pictures added)
3. The recipes and cost ($) of the food

I want to try different recipes each day for at least one month. I will begin on January 1, 2011.
I am a person that does not comply to a routine every day, so this will be quite the adventure. Should anyone want to comment or add suggestions to my list, it will be greatly appreciated. I am a great sharer of information.
Here I go!