Weigh in

Everywhere I go people are asking how much weight I have lost.  For week one I have lost 3 pounds.  Not bad considering I am only cutting back on portion sizes and eliminating unhealthy snacking.  I am still eating larger portions than I need too.  I am guessing that I will be where I want to be, in terms of portion size, by next week.  Remember, I don't like to be hungry, so I gradually cut back.

When I am sick I crave these two things

When I was young I developed pneumonia and my Grandma Garbett told me to drink the following recipe; it cuts the mucus and soothes the throat. 

Here's Grandma Garbett's hot drink recipe:
1 cup hot water
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon of honey
a good pinch of cayenne pepper


I was told by my good friend Connie that I should add fresh ginger to it.  I like ginger so when I have some ginger root I bruise it and throw it into my cup to steep.  Even tastier and better for you!

I also crave my Spicy Chicken and Navy Bean Soup bag meal found on page 79.
If you don't have my book or can't find it at your library here's the recipe-

2-8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1-16oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1-13oz can chicken, drained or 1 pint home canned chicken
4 cups water
1-6.5 can sliced mushrooms

Re-closable bag:
3 TBL. dried onion
1 teas. garlic powder
1/4 cup dried bell pepper
1/2 teas. dried oregano
1/2 teas. dried parsley
1/2 teas. dried basil
1/4 teas. crushed red pepper flakes

Direction-
Mix all ingredients together in a medium pot and simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat.

Well, I'm off to bed with a mug full of hot drink, a mug of soup and a good book.

Book review



Here's a review of my latest book-
http://www.hersutah.com/story/cookbook-helps-you-get-most-bang-your-grocery-buck

Need Stucco Repair?

Our home had stucco damage and required some patch work; our realtor told us about Kevin Berube.
Kevin came out and gave us a bid.  Two days later he was here to do the repairs.  The repairs look good and the color match is excellent on the stucco but the lower cement/stucco is a little off.  He warned us before he started that the lower section near the soil would be the hardest to match due to sun, soil and weathering.  Fair enough.

We had about 6 areas that were fixed with the largest being a 1' x 2" section.  He even found some other repairs and didn't increase his bid. Total cost $100.00!  If you need a stucco repair and live in Davis or Weber County, Utah you should call Kevin for a bid;  801-603-5929 we're glad we did.

3rd Day Was Not Stellar :(

Yesterday started out well.  I increased my sit ups, torso twists and kitchen counter push ups to 30 of each.
My diet was good as were my portions. Here's what I ate.
Breakfast- 1/2 cup Steel cut oats, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 cup milk
Morning snack- 1/2 cup fresh fruit slices (strawberries and blueberries)
Lunch- The last 1C. of left-over pasta chorizo and 1 cup green salad
Afternoon snack- 1 medium kohlrabi
Dinner- Grilled ahi tuna, 8 steamed asparagus spears, and 1/2 cup Arizona potato salad

A little hungrier today and had two snacks but that's okay; however, I got an unexpected call and guess who emerged?  Dun, dun, dun, dah...The STRESS EATER.

At 10:00 p.m. I ate 1 sugar cookie and 3 handfuls of Jalapeno cheddar Cheetos.  And could have downed a quart of ice cream in a blink of an eye  IF I had it in the freezer.  Glad I didn't buy any at the grocery store today for the "Kids".  Yeah, right...the "kids".  Well, there's always tomorrow.

Day Two: Will power holding

Last time I wowed it took a bit for my sugar cravings to pass.  This time it's the same story.  Last night we got together with some friends and after our date they kept talking about ice cream.  I LOVE ice cream!  I held strong and didn't indulge, instead we brought them to our house and served cheese cake; something I can easily refuse.
Yesterday was exercise/therapy day for my ankle:
1 hour on the bike with no tension; heel lifts; stork standing
Menu:
Breakfast- 1/2 cup steel cut oats, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 cup milk
Lunch- 1 cup Pasta with Beef Chorizo; 1 small pink grapefruit
Snack- 1 handful fresh blueberries
Dinner- BBQ Brick Chicken leg quarter, 1 cup green salad, 1/2 cup Arizona 4th of July Potato Salad (P.137 Loss Leaders)

My goals for this week are:

1. Reduce sugar in my diet
2. Eliminate fast food
3. Control my portions.  This was difficult yesterday because I love my Arizona potato salad. 
4. Get some form of exercise each day that is within my medical restrictions.  Not as easy as one might think.  Being less active is a struggle for me.  I actually have dreams of skiing, jogging, and riding Sebastian.

I'm Fat Again!

Many of you may not be aware of the fact that I once had severe digestive problems and was very fat.  I developed a diet using the dietary doctrines of the world's leading religions.  I lost weight quickly, felt amazing and my digestive problems went away.  I wrote the WOW Diet book.  Here's a picture of it-

 

In December I had surgery which resulted in 10 weeks of bed rest.  Friends brought many delicious desserts and treats and complete meals.  I ate it ALL!  No exercise, eating anything and everything has made me fat again and I am constipated just like before. I am also addicted to sugar, fast food and large portions of red meat again.  I feel sick and miserable.  I am up to 176 pounds.  My muscles are flabby and I am out of breath.  Time to WOW again.  I began yesterday. 

3/15/13
Breakfast-I ate 1/2 cup raisin bran and 1 cup of milk
Lunch- 1 cup of lettuce, 1/2 cup ground beef with taco seasoning, 2 tablespoons taco cheese, 1 tablespoon green onions, 1/4 cup tomatoes, 2 tablespoons ranch dressing
Snack- 2 handfuls of fresh blueberries
Dinner 3/4 cup green salad, 1 cup Pasta with Beef Chorizo (Page 95 of Loss Leader Book)

Since I no longer live in Kaysville and am not released to ride Sebastian my lifestyle has been significantly altered.  Come June hopefully I will be able to live my life as I once did.  Something to look foreword to I guess.

Exercise- Sad to say I could only do the following:
25 sit-ups
25 torso twists
25 kitchen counter push ups.
6 times up and down my basement stairs, before my ankle began to hurt, so I stopped.  My Achilles is where I had surgery.

Deseret News Article

Here's the link for the review of my latest cook book:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865575586/Book-review-Quality-Cooking-shows-consumers-how-to-use-loss-leaders-to-create-gourmet-meals.html

 

 

I have been a busy gal lately!

 

 

First of all, I want to thank all of you that stopped by and said "Hi" at the Barnes and Noble Authorpalooza book signing.  It was so much FUN!

 





In case you missed my Baked Corned Beef segment on Good Things Utah. Here's a link:
http://www.abc4.com/content/about_4/gtu/recipes/story/Baked-Corn-Beef/iQUnuq71lku5Ujg8-bCLqQ.cspx


Baked Corned Beef

And here's my Blue Ribbon Cheese Cake segment on Daily Dish Here's the link:
http://www.abc4.com/content/news/dailydish/story/Blue-Ribbon-Cheesecake/jJh2xnSro0aQRWrk6LRjKQ.cspx



Blue Ribbon Cheese Cake

If you have any questions about either recipe, let me know.  Oh, here's another little tip for you, I use the same glaze, that I use on my baked corned beef, on my baked hams.