SSS - Day 38

Breakfast was a good sized breakfast salad and a small glass of smoothie, same as yesterday.

For lunch I asked David to go out for a little quiet. It was nice. We go to a local diner and I order their home fries with spinach, mushrooms, and broccoli.  It's cooked with oil and lots of salt, but it's a great way to enjoy a meal out and still stay close to plan.

This is the little bit that was left on my plate when I remember I forgot to take a picture. ;)

For dinner I made a pot of Kole's Creamy Cauliflower Soup.  I added mushrooms and cut the onion in half. There is just no way I can imagine putting FOUR cups of onion in a pot of soup. And I replaced the tamari with Bragg's aminos cause that's what I had. 

I poured my soup over some roasted Brussels sprouts.  I also had a large plate of salad (romaine topped with raw broccoli, carrots, and seed-based Italian dressing. 

I have been snacking while we ring in the new year. We've got chips and buffalo chickpea dip and that's just too hard to resist.  I also had two date balls. 

I'm feeling awfully full tonight. Even more, I'm awfully tired.  I'm trying to stay up with my older kids but, man, I'm really feeling those midnight feedings tonight. 

Such is the life of a mom of many to love. ;)

SSS - Day 39

Breakfast was a medium breakfast salad and a small glass of smoothie (frozen grapes, melons, strawberries, ground flax, cashew milk, vanilla, and an orange) that I made for the children. They LOVED it. It was pretty good. Reminded me of an Orange Julius creation. :)

 

 

 

Lunch was two helpings of an amazingly simple and delicious new soup recipe my dd made today, Cream of Broccoli.  We added a can of navy beans to the blender while processing.

 

Really, it was so good I was afraid there wouldn't be leftovers. ;)

 

 

Dinner was a Double Bowl Delight! I made myself a salad of romaine, cauliflower, carrots, purple cabbage, raisins, raw pumpkin seeds, and stone ground mustard. I had that with a bowl of green beans sautéed with mushrooms, dried shallots, minced garlic, and vegetable broth.

 

I ate every bite. ;)

 

 

Almost forgot about dessert! Chocolate-Cherry Nice cream! (frozen bananas, frozen cherries, cocoa powder whipped in food processor)

 

So, this was fun today. A very special friend phoned me over the weekend and said she wanted to come and be a blessing to me this week. She offered to come and help me in the kitchen!! BFF!!!!

 

We worked on prepping some Soup Bags and Bean Bags for my freezer. Yep, more of those babies. They are one of my favorite time savers I ever thought up. 

 

We got to chopping, utilizing my food processor, and then set up the assembly line to fill bags. Easy peasy and really fun when you have someone to chat with while you do it. :)

 

 

And now I have a drawer of Ready to Dump bags of veggies for soup starters and G-Bomb beans.  Yay!

 

 



SSS- Day 40

Breakfast of Champions at my window seat: Chocolate Green Smoothie (frozen melon/grapes/strawberries, swiss chard, cocoa powder, cashew milk), decaf coffee

Lunch was a little late and I was HUNGRY.  Lovely salad of romaine, broccoli, corn, raisins, raw pumpkin seeds, stone ground mustard, and carrot sticks, orange for dessert

Dinner was supposed to be soup. David wanted to take me and our boys out so I picked Uno's Grill because they have a low-fat vegetable soup that I like.  I checked the menu because last time they were phasing it out. It was there, but then it wasn't. The store menu doesn't match the online menu and I was stuck. :/ 

I scrounged the menu and couldn't find anything I really wanted.  I ended up ordering their special of a salad and pizza. I had a ceasar salad, no cheese, dressing and croutons on the side and a 5 grain flatbread pizza with broccoli and mushrooms, no cheese.  It wasn't great.  Oh, I also had two onion rings for an appetizer.

So, when we got home one of my guys warmed up the leftover tomato soup for me. So, I'm happy because I was able to finish my day sticking to my SSS plan. :)  Thank you, dear boy.

 

Did I tell you how I made this soup? It's the recipe from the Vitamix recipe book for Tomato Onion soup, only I replaced the cheese with cashews and nutritional yeast.

 

I'm pretty bummed about dinner, but I did my best with what I had to choose from.  I'm feeling so great this week, though. So good to be back to eating normal again. 

SSS - Day 41

Food:

Brunch was a berry, kale, flax seed, cashew milk, cocoa powder smoothie and a smallish breakfast salad.

Dinner was a taco salad and a bowl of Tomato Onion soup made in my Vitamix. So cool!!  I also had some slices of pita and pita chips/crackers with hummus. 

We hosted a party tonight and I didn't do a very good job skipping the treats. I had a rice crispy treat and, later, had a couple of chocolates that a friend gifted to us.  Honestly, though, I don't feel guilty about enjoying them. Maybe I should but I'm just being thankful for the treat and moving on. 

Overall, I feel great about how the day went with eating. I loved my salad and smoothie at brunch and was pretty excited about how the soup turned out at dinner.  I want to adjust the flavor but I think it will be a good, quick go-to soup for crazy days. My guests and the family members that tried it also liked it.

We are getting snow tonight and all day tomorrow. Will be another great day for the SSS!!

The SSS Plan

Okay, so I think I've devised my plan for the next 6 Week Challenge.  I'm titling it, SSS.

Simple
Simple
Simple

Which translates to...

Smoothie
Salad
Soup

That's it. That's my daily plan for the next 6 weeks.  Bonus? I'll be using my Vitamix for nearly every meal. Yay, me. :)

I started well today. I had a simple smoothie made with a frozen mix of berries, cherries, and kale. I added some ground flax and used water to blend. 

My salad was lovely. Chopped romaine, purple cabbage, broccoli, and shredded carrots. I added sunflower seeds and raisins and topped it with a strawberry poppy seed dressing I made earlier this week.

(this was for myself and three of my girlies. In fact, I'm just realizing now I forgot to even eat my fruit with lunch. *oops* )

For dinner I mixed up a pot of Winter Lentil Vegetable soup. The recipe for that is on my Recipe Tab at the top of my blog.

I used my Vitamix to chop some of the veggies. I wanted to play with that feature.  It worked pretty well for the celery and onion but I wasn't crazy about how the carrots and cabbage turned out. I prefer the food processor or hand chopping for those.  But, it was still fun to try. 

And, even if the cuts weren't how I like them, the soup turned out beautiful.

 

Now that my kitchen work is done, I'm sitting with a cuppa and working on a new SSS menu plan for the week.  You can check that out here or click on the menu link on the left side bar.

I will still be serving other foods with the S...S...and...S...to make sure the fam has enough to fill their bellies. But I'm eager to try some new smoothie, dressing, and soup recipes throughout the week. I'm really excited about the soups, chowders, and stews. Perfect for the cold weather that is moving in. 

As for my reward, I need to check with upper management to see if I can make this happen, but, what I'd like to do is plan to enjoy 2 hours of ALONE time each Sunday afternoon.  I'm telling ya', I will work HARD to earn that each week. :D

So, that's my plan. Anyone else care to join me? It's going to be a crazy start to the new year. Activities will be starting up soon, new adventures await, and the Flu and Cold Season is already upon us.  I am eager to keep the basics Simple while still nourishing my body, mind, and soul with the best of the best!

First Session of 2016

Blah. What a terrible month for eating. Such a bummer.

But, I'm ready to take on the next Six Week Session. This will welcome in the new year, which I plan to work hard to make a great year.

Clearly I don't do well with not logging my food each day. I need the accountability so I'm going back to doing that.

And....I'm armed with the best new tool!! I've finally got a Vitamix!! Wahooo!!!

I'm excited to highlight this awesome tool for my next session. I plan to use it at least once a day (though I know it will likely be used more often).  So, look for ways that I experiment with this lovely machine.

This morning I enjoyed a simple, tasty smoothie. I love the smooth, creamy texture that it creates. I love, even more, how the self cleaning feature. Boy, do I love anything that cleans itself easily.

So, I guess I'm marking Sunday as my starting day. I may as well. I keep putting it off and messing up. In fact, I've already eaten off the 6-week plan this morning, but I'm still counting today as my start day.

I won't be rewarding myself with tools this time around. I've got the best tool and need to keep the spending down.  I do, however, want to reward myself with some time alone. I've got a lot of learning, studying, and reflecting to do in the coming weeks. I need some time alone to do it. So, even though I'm starting off track for the week, I'm determined to stay strong and work for my Sunday afternoon alone treat. 

I'm not even stepping on the scale until I get some momentum built up. I know I'm going to be completely depressed with the numbers I see on the scale. I don't need to do that to myself.  So far, I'm still fitting in the next size down clothes I moved into from the last session. That's good enough for me to know I can keep going and stay motivated to do well. Hopefully I'll see another new size and decade after this session is completed. 

---------------------------------------
Breakfast: Berry, cherry, kale & flax smoothie (made with water), two slices toast with home made currant jam

Phase 2 - Day 1 & 2

Ummm, I'm sort of lost.

I'm not even sure what I'm posting about anymore.

My last two days have been chaotic and messy.

I think I still need to log my food. I feel like I'm all willy-nilly about what I'm eating after this weekend *off*.

Saying that I'm going to start focusing on poor habits seems to have brought them to the surface in full force. Sigh.

Habit #1  Develop healthy and nourishing sleep patterns

I haven't been working as hard on this as I ought. I've been getting to bed early but not going to sleep at a consistent time.  I've also been feeling so unbelievably tired all day long the last two days. I do feel as though I'm recovering from something. I could likely give a list of things but, honestly, I'm pretty sure it's just life. 

Habit #2  Develop healthy and nourishing ways to deal with stress

THIS is my huge downfall.  These last two days I've battled incredible stress and frustrations. My constant battle when this is going on, especially relationship stress, is to grab some kind of junk food. I've been able to stay away from that, mostly, but...I've taken to having little fits by raising my voice, emotional drama, and just hiding away in my room. Sigh. Nothing healthy or nourishing about any of that.

Habit #3 Set aside laziness

This seems to be connected to #1 and #2.  When I'm tired and stressed I want to ignore my work and my responsibilities.  I want someone else to do it all for me. I want to get away from the stressors.  That more than not means that I step away from those duties that would actually help me deal with the stress correctly.  I zone out instead of pray and read.  I push off my work to another who isn't going to do it well.  I look for *easy* when it comes to food and then feel guilty and angry for making that choice.

So, there I am.  I guess I'm working on those habits. But, honestly, I need to see how they are connected and work on one for now.  And, the one that doesn't seem so scary is the sleep habit.  I'm choosing a 10pm (latest) and a 6:30am wake time (latest, unless I'm up with baby in the night) and just focus on that directly. 

I know I need to have these other things in check, but I'm not sure how much this tired brain of mine can handle at this point.  The Lord is gentle with mothers that have young. I'm choosing to be gentle with myself.

And as for what I'm eating, well, it's not much to talk about.  The last two days I've done good with breakfast and lunch. But, I get to dinner and seem to struggle. It's not awful, but it could be a lot better.  And, I've taken to allowing a little creamer in my coffee again.  A little sugar in my trail mix. These are the slow, sneaky habits that kept me from losing weight all last year. WHY would I want to go back to that? Especially when I'm focusing so hard on breaking bad habits? I spent the last 6 weeks breaking free from those poor choices.  I know it's because I feel like I deserve a reward or something for my hard work. But, truly, I need to stop looking to food as my reward. Argh.

So, rebooting myself with tea in place of coffee on a daily basis.  No more convenience store junk. Back to being excited about what I put in my mouth and what I see on the scale.  I hope and pray.

Phase 2 - Day 1

I've decided to take the time to go back and read through the journal entries I wrote during my Daniel Fast two years ago.  I know the Lord taught me important truths during that time and it's obvious I need to revisit those much more regularly than I have been.

This first entry reflected on a couple of verses in the book of Job.  Such words of conviction, humility, promise, healing, and hope.  As I read through those words I was referenced to this passage in Hebrews.  This is where I know I need to land right now.  This idea of discipline is hard, heavy, and something I desperately work to run from in most every area of my life.  Discipline. Just the word makes me cringe.

Definition:

activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training: punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.

the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc.: behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control:

I will say this regarding discipline and habit training. My first area I need to work on is my sleeping habits.  "Early to bed and early to rise" has always proven to bring greater health in my life. I'm going to be working this week on building a better habit of healthy amounts of sleep as much as it is in my control to do so.  And, silly as it sounds, even that simple act of discipline rubs against my flesh that wants to have *freedom* and *control* and cries out *what about me?!* as though getting more, regular, consistent sleep would somehow bring harm to me in some way. 

Such foolishness wrapped up in this heart of mine.

Phase 2 - 6 Week - Beginning

So, I've been thinking about how I want to do my next 6 week session. I want to change things up a bit. I want to find the next level of focus. I want to work at my weak spots. I want to find something to focus on that's going to keep me going strong, especially over the stressful weeks ahead.

Here's what I'm thinking: I need to dig a little deeper and start working on the habits and sources of those habits that are bringing me struggle. 

Right now I know what to eat. I don't need to research that more. I don't really need to log my daily food because I know what choices to make and what will nourish me as I go. I know what works as far as what I put in my mouth.

However, the WHY, the WHEN, and the HOW MUCH, well, that's still tripping me up.

So, I want to decide on a way to look at my daily choices and the motivation behind those choices and give some thought and prayer into understanding more about my relationship with food, health, exercise, and life. 

How that's going to look, I'm not altogether sure.  In the past I've been greatly convicted by the principles of putting on and putting off.  I've got a detailed post about it here.  For now, I want to return to these thoughts, this scripture, these principles and work on applying them each day.

What will I find? What patterns will be revealed? What will I see in myself that I haven't before? I would love to be changed and win victories in some areas of my life in the coming weeks. 

So, I'm still thinking through how I'll type this up each day. For now, I'm content to dig in deeper on the soul food that will challenge me toward humility, get honest about the hard things that are revealed, and keep working the 6 week eating plan and watch the Lord work to bring healing physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. 

This advent season really is the perfect time to be waiting on the Lord and the mighty work he wants to do in and through me. This time of waiting and expecting and seeking him, it fits. It really fits.

6 Week - COMPLETE!!!

That's it! I did it! My first 6 weeks back at it and I've done it!

Results:

I've broken some really bad eating habits and addictions.

I've built some positive, healthy habits to replace the ones that were derailing me.

I've tried some new recipes.

I've got some great new kitchen tools.

I'm down one pant size.

I can now wear button up shirts and my bras are fitting looser.

I'm not sure my total weight loss. I need to weigh myself in the morning, as I didn't weigh-in today.  However, I am estimating that I've lost about 10 pounds since I started. I can't know exactly since I didn't weigh myself when I started.

Most importantly, I've regained my sense of confidence and hope that I can do this. Again. I no longer feel stuck or like I'm fighting a losing battle. I know that I can keep working hard at this and I'll keep growing stronger, healthier, and free to enjoy my progress.

Now, to make some decisions on how to spend the next 6 weeks. I'm getting bored of recording everything I eat every day. Yet, I know it's created a sense of accountability for me that I don't want to give up.

I also need to decide what kind of reward system I am working on this session.  I could still use some new tools, but I'd also like to work on something that won't create a big expense with the holidays now here.

So, any ideas for me?

6 Week - Day 40, 41, 42

Oh, so where have been for the last three days?? You've missed me? It's the finish line and I disappeared?

Wellllllllll, it's Thanksgiving, dontcha know???!!

I spent Wednesday prepping food and home for the big Feast on Thanksgiving.  Well, I worked until 4pm and then I was d.o.n.e.

That morning David and I went out for breakfast. I had oatmeal, plain, with raisins and a bowl of fruit.  For lunch I had a breakfast salad and a small serving of kung pao veggies that David ordered.  For dinner we had popcorn, chips, some bean tots, and...sigh...French onion dip. 

I caved. I totally gave in to my emotional eating. I had worked so hard all week and I rewarded myself with food.  I'm honestly not sure I feel badly about it. We were having a special night, made some special munchies to enjoy together and I simply wanted an old favorite to go with it. It's out of my plan, but I guess I just decided that it wasn't going to hurt me and I wanted to enjoy it. So, I did.

Thanksgiving Day I started with a breakfast salad and one small breakfast patty. (chickpeas, spices, oats)  I had a few appetizers (one stuffed mushroom, a few chips with bean dip, a couple cut veggies with buffalo sauce) and lunch. My plate was FULL with cornbread stuffing, lentil loaf, gnocchi with spaghetti sauce, Caesar (my own dressing) salad, green beans, and gravy, of course. :) For dessert I had my own pumpkin pie and pumpkin bars with pumpkin frosting.  Yeah, pumpkin all around. For dinner that night I had the rest of the Caesar salad and more pumpkin bars. I think that's all. I can't remember more.

Today I fasted until this afternoon. I enjoyed an amazing day out for coffee with a dear friend. When I got home around 3pm I made a plate of leftovers: Cornbread stuffing, Lentil loaf, green beans and gravy with a pumpkin bar.  Later this evening I had another pumpkin bar (they are small, I promise ;) ) and a green apple and munched on carrot sticks while we watched some tv together.

I've been drinking a lot of water today. I'm feeling pretty good about how I did over the holiday. Mostly, though, I'm so thankful for the time we spent together making our feast and enjoying our day. I had some pretty special helpers and we made an amazing spread to enjoy.

 

So, the holiday was great. I worked hard and I'm pleased with how the meal came together. The foods that our family brought to share helped round it all out and everyone enjoyed eating such a great feast.  I couldn't help but think of how God's abundance overwhelms me like that every day. His goodness surpasses what we can take in. It overflows to us each day, promising to nourish, restore, and fulfill His purposes in our lives.  How can I be anything but grateful and give Him praise?

6 Week - Day 39

Soul Food: Hymn, Speak O Lord

My food:

Breakfast salad (big one!)

Lunch: nothing, but around 3pm while I was working in the kitchen I ate some leftover salad, roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. About 1 cup worth of food

Dinner: This :)

I packed our dinner of twice baked potatoes and bean burgers for our dinner at karate (boys take karate). The burgers were great, but the potatoes really stole the show tonight. :)

 

Dessert: an orange

Exercise: Walk downtown to karate

 

My thoughts:

 

I didn't eat much today until dinner. I'm wishing I had had just one potato half because I was uncomfortably full after dinner. But, boy, was I hungry when I started.

 

I was not happy with the scale this morning. Not at all.

 

Also needing to get more water down. I'm busy in the kitchen this week so I'm forgetting to eat and drink.

 

Looking Ahead:

 

Cooking All the Thanksgiving Things tomorrow!!

 

Well, almost All the Things. :)

6 Week - Day 38

Soul Food: Psalm 119: Kaph; Psalm 34

My Food:

Breakfast salad (with strawberries...finally!!)

Lunch: potatoes, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli at the local diner

Dinner: Caesar salad made with pecans in place of croutons (great new dressing recipe, though I need to use less lemon juice the next time I make it - which will be on Thanksgiving - tonight was a trial run) topped with roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, sautéed broccoli, 1 ladle of cinnamon cocoa chili (a variation of this recipe and my old recipe that I tweaked. I didn't use quinoa, added mushrooms and cinnamon, oh, and celery, too.) with a small bit of vegan cheese sauce

Dessert: Peanut butter munchy squares (these are probably my all time favorite dessert now, but sooooo easy for me to binge on. They taste like my old favorite, no-bake cookies) We alter the recipe in the link by using oats in place of dry cereal.

My Thoughts:

Today was good. I felt really happy with my choices at meal time. I'm a little bummed I overate on the dessert but I'm still pretty happy with how the day went. Honestly, I just end up feeling so full for so long with the meals we eat, I sometimes feel like I am way overdoing it and then get all worried that I'm overeating.  It's hard to believe, but all those veggies really do make you feel so stuffed for a long time.

Looking Ahead:

Tomorrow I'll start getting some foods on my Thanksgiving menu put together. I printed out the recipes and plan to make a binder for them to have for future feasts. I'm excited about the menu. I'll make a separate post to give details.

Today I made the Caesar dressing for the salad and I'm happy with how it turned out. It needs a little tweaking, but I think it's a great start.

6 Week - Day 37

Soul Food: Worship, 1 Peter 2

My Food:

Breakfast: granny smith apple, handful of pecans, crust of baby's spice cake

Lunch: salad bar- no dressing! (grocery store), cherry pie lara bar (half), clementine, a few pita chips

Dinner: Mexican casserole over plate of romaine, breakfast salad, slice of spice cake (sigh)

My Thoughts:

I'm a little frustrated with how I ended tonight. I brought along food for our extended rehearsal. I made a Mexican casserole that turned out pretty good. I was doing great but then caved and had a piece of the spice cake that we brought for a dessert.  I don't know why I did that, aside from it looked (and tasted) so good.  I mean, it was completely ETL friendly, so I'm not fussing about ingredients. But I am over on grains and didn't need to eat it.  I guess I was just feeling like a treat during a tiring rehearsal.  Time to just accept it and move on. But I know I won't be happy with the scale tomorrow.

So, the casserole. It was a good way to use up leftovers.

Veggie rice (brown rice with mixed vegetables) with a jar of salsa and taco seasoning stirred in. Spread evenly into a 9x13 pan. (I sprayed the pan with coconut oil to keep from sticking)

Spread a layer of black beans (mine had added corn, green chiles, onion, greens, mushrooms, and taco seasoning) over the rice.

Spread a thick layer of vegan cheese sauce over the beans.

Crush corn tortilla chips and spread over as the top layer.  Bake in a 350 to 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  (I made this the day before - without adding the chips - so it took a little longer for it to cook for me) 

I think it needed a little more salt, but most added hot sauce or salsa to it so the flavor was still there. My oldest likened it to a taco pie recipe that I used to make. She really liked it. :)   

Sorry, I can't find a link to the cashew cheese sauce I made. I'll try to type it up another time. There's a lot of them out there. I've made different kinds and they all turn out pretty good.

Here's the spice cake recipe I use. I omit the sugar and use about 12-15 dates pureed in with the liquid ingredients (or pre-made date paste) and this time we used banana in place of applesauce because we had bananas that needed using up. It was yummy. :)

6 Week - Day 35 & 36

I missed posting last night. Got home late and was really tired.

I don't remember all that I ate yesterday, but I do remember my dinner. We went to visit a couple from church and she made us a lovely meal. Very little of it was on plan with ETL and the dessert definitely was not. 

I admit I was torn. I wanted to stay on course.  Yet, I wanted to be grateful, honoring, and gracious to my host. She worked hard to make us a delightful dinner and evening. That matters more than my scale.

Looking back, I should have had just one of the offered desserts instead of feeling the need to try both, even though I was sharing with the baby. I could have simply been honest and said I was trying to avoid sweets and just fed the baby a dessert and enjoyed my coffee alone.  In fact, I really think if I had done that, it would have been fine. I wouldn't have offended her at all.  Yet, there was that fear and voice in my head overruling my judgment. Where does that come from?

I need to think and pray on this because I'm making choices to please a voice or appease a fear that isn't even valid. 

Today (Day 36)

Food:

Breakfast was breakfast salad, thanks to my guy

Lunch was a plate of romaine topped with black beans, hot sauce, and a toasted corn tortilla, carrots sticks and a few pieces of broccoli

Dinner was roasted sweet potato, Brussels sprouts topped with vegan cheese sauce; oven baked onion rings (onions dipped in almond milk and coated with seasoned cornmeal) and mushrooms; strawberry milkshake (frozen berries, almond milk, vanilla), 1 ear of corn on the cob

Rather heavy on the starches at dinner but I tried to keep my portions small, especially on the potato.

I didn't step on the scale this morning.  It wasn't worth it.

Looking Ahead:

I made a Mexican casserole today to reheat for dinner tomorrow. I had my daughter make a spice cake for breakfast.  I've got a lot more kitchen work ahead of me this week.  I'm hoping I can just move forward with the days, get excited about my choices and let the past be in the past while I work through the reason for it. 

6 Week - Day 34

My Food:

Breakfast: Whole wheat & raisin scone, mint tea

Lunch: granny smith apple (on the drive home), breakfast salad, pinto beans with hot sauce

Dinner: late night munching on carrots & broccoli

 

 

My Thoughts:

 

So today was crazy. Woke up feeling bad with sinus headache and sore throat.  Took some ibuprofen and took on the day. I didn't leave time to make my breakfast so I grabbed a scone the kids were eating and headed out the door. That left me with no more grain/starch for the rest of the day.

 

I enjoyed a large salad at breakfast which really refreshed me. Then headed out again for errands.  When I got home I had no time to prep a dinner before we headed out for the boys' karate seminar and test.  So, no dinner until I got home at almost 9pm.  Being as I'm not very hungry and the baby was screaming for Momma, I simply grabbed a bag of cut veggies and snuggled in to nurse the boy. 

 

I was so thirsty tonight, though. I drank so much water tonight.

 

 

Looking Ahead:

 

Tomorrow I weigh-in officially for the week. I'm not sure what I'll find. But, I'm really liking the feel of my new pants feeling looser and I know I had a really great week eat-wise.  So, no matter what the scale says, I'm finishing Week 5 STRONG. :)

6 Week - Day 33

My Food:

Breakfast: Chocolate Breakfast Salad, decaf with unsweetened almond milk

Lunch: Head of romaine topped with the last of the leftover buffalo chickpea dip, an orange, decaf with unsweetened almond milk

Dinner: reheated broccoli/green beans/mushrooms/onions over about 1 cup of brown rice with mixed veggies; frozen orange

My Thoughts:

Pretty simple day food-wise.  I've been resting today trying to keep this head cold from flaring up. 

I *totally* resisted the pizza David ordered for the kids tonight. That was HARD.  I find that when I'm feeling sick it's even harder to resist the junky, fatty, salty, bready stuff. It's so comforting and EASY. 

I'm going to bed really happy I skipped it, though.  I did have a lot of Bragg's on my rice and veggies tonight, but still, nothing like a slice of pizza would have been. 

Looking Ahead:

Crazy day tomorrow. A lot of people sick at co op so I'll be running a lot trying to keep up. I'll need a lunch packed. Add that to the list of crazy that needs done before we leave in the morning.  Ugh.

Side note: Scale was up a little from yesterday but still down since last weigh-in. I'm still smiling. :)

6 Week - Day 32

Soul Food: Psalm 119: Teth

My Food:

Breakfast: potatoes, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli at the restaurant; I brought half the plate home (such a huge portion today!), decaf coffee-black

Lunch: Breakfast salad

Dinner: Bowl of reheated broccoli, mushrooms, green beans; a quart of green smoothie (frozen kale, berries, almond milk, banana, vanilla, decaf coffee

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed going out with my guy this morning. Breakfast was good, though way too large of a portion. I brought half of it home to share with my oldest. Best part was having time together before the day got to crazy.

I felt like I ate well, even though I hate starting my day with carbs. That leaves me ending the day needing to get in all my raw veggies and I find that not as enjoyable at the end of the day.

I took my dinner on the run, though, so a smoothie was a good choice.

The scale was incredible today! I doubt I'll see the same number again this week, but I was seeing 172.6!! That's amazing.  If I can get out of this decade before my 6 weeks are up, I'm going to be a very happy veggie lover. :D

Looking Ahead:

Tomorrow is more of the same.  I'm excited about how I'm feeling, how my clothes are fitting, and how my energy level continues to rise.  I'm not surprised, though. Feasting on all these power packed foods God has made is sure to bring about the best in me.  I'm so thankful.

6 Week - Day 31

Soul Food: Proverb 16

My Food:

Breakfast salad with green tea

Lunch: Taco salad (romaine topped with black beans mixed with mushrooms, greens, onion, green chiles, taco seasoning, corn) and about half a cup of buffalo chickpea dip, handful of raw broccoli and a few carrot sticks

Dinner: Salad bar with ranch dressing, broccoli-mushroom-onion-green bean medley, cashew ricotta lasagna

Dessert: chocolate pb nice cream

My thoughts:

Ugh.  I look over my day and cringe at how much I ate and how heavy I was on the nuts. Blah.  I wanted to skip dessert but felt terrible to turn away the bowl my guy made for me.

It's bed time now and I'm still feeling so stuffed.

I didn't drink enough today either. 

I think I'm just feeling like I didn't have as strong a start to the week as I hoped.  But I did work hard on making good, basic choices. I pulled together a really nice family meal for dinner. I enjoyed the delicious food that others made for us (my oldest made the lasagna and David made dessert) so I guess I need to choose to be grateful instead of whining about the little things. 

I'm not excited to see the scale tomorrow. Maybe I'll just skip it. ;)

Here's my bright spot today: A shiny, new, huge skillet that fits all the dinner veggies in one. No more trying to squish all my pans together on the stove. Lovin' that. :)

6 Week - Day 30

Soul Food:  Zachariah 12 & 14

My Food: 

Breakfast Salad, decaf coffee

Lunch: two little celery sticks with peanut butter, two carrot sticks with hummus, clementine, a Forks Over Knives Blueberry Muffin

Dinner: buffalo chickpea dip, broccoli, carrot medallions, a few corn tortillas chips

Exercise: None

My Thoughts:

Decent day. I didn't pack a lunch for David and myself so we ate what leftover veggies there were after the kids ate their lunch.  It was fine. The muffins are really good and while I normally would have skipped them, I decided I needed to eat a little something so I wasn't tempted to eat junk on the way home. 

I really pigged out on the dip and veggies tonight, though. I was so needing some warm, filling comfort food and it really hit the spot.  Likely I overate, as I'm ready for bed and still feeling so.very.full.  However, I've also been guzzling water so that could be the fullness I'm feeling as well.

I was able to pull out another pair of pants from The Box today to wear to church. I'm back to having fun with my clothes and wanting to be a little creative with my wardrobe. It's been a long time that I've felt like I just want to wrap up in a big, baggy sweatshirt and hide. I'm really happy to have that past me. And it just took a few weeks and dropping a few measly pounds to make the difference!

Feeling really tired today. Long day with a meeting after church, then stopping for some shopping on the way home. Long drive and a quick tidy up at and rest at home before rehearsal tonight.  I'm so ready to just sleep...sleep...sleep.  I hope my baby boy feels the same as me tonight.

Looking Ahead:

I'm well into Week 5 and feeling excited about the new habits I'm building. I'm looking forward to an early start tomorrow with a lot of prep work needing to be done for the school week to begin. The days are promising to be full but I'm hoping I can keep my cool and keep seeing that great progress I was seeing last week on the scale.

6 Week - Day 29

Soulfood: None

My Food:

Breakfast: granny smith apple

Lunch: Breakfast salad, then potatoes/mushrooms/onion/spinach/broccoli out with my guy

Dinner: Kung Pao Vegetables (I order without chicken), an orange

My Thoughts:

We took the day to rearrange and clean three bedrooms, including my own.  That was after I did the big grocery shopping with my oldest. Busy day. I really just had no interest in thinking about food, preparing food, or even eating food, to be honest. I made the best choices I could and moved on with my day.

Looking Ahead:

Tomorrow we need a packed lunch for after  church.  Didn't get that done. Looks like I have an early start waiting for me in the morning.  :/

6 Week - Day 28

Soul Food: None

My Food:

Breakfast: Breakfast salad - late morning

Lunch: wasn't hungry, a couple carrot sticks, a few romaine leaves, a celery stick with peanut butter

Dinner: head of romaine with carrots and broccoli, stone ground mustard, baked potato with pinto beans and hot sauce, pizza crust from a kid's slice

Exercise: none

My Thoughts:

Today was SO crazy and busy. I was on the run right from the start.  I ate my breakfast really late, almost lunch time, really, so I wasn't hungry for mid-day meal.  I didn't get home until late and David had prepped a salad and a baked potato for me. It was lovely to have food waiting for me. The kids were having pizza and I officially "cheated" and enjoyed a leftover crust.  It was chewy and salty and just as yummy as I remember.  But, yeah, I do have some regrets now.  I really wanted something special to enjoy tonight and I really felt it was a fair choice but it could have been better. 

The scale was friendly this morning.  I am down almost three pounds for the week. That's the best week I've had so far, I think.  I'm having more fun in my clothes.

Tomorrow will be a big kitchen day. Lots to shop and prep for the week. I'm hoping for a good night's sleep so I'm ready to take on the marathon. 

6 Week - Day 27

Soul Food: Psalm 119: Cheth

My Food:

Breakfast salad, two bites from someone's leftover soggy cereal *blech*

Lunch: head of romaine leaves with pintos and salsa mixed together, decaf coffee

Dinner: Large bowl of Taco Soup, green beans with Bragg's, popcorn popped in a small amount of coconut oil

Dessert: cocoa dusted frozen cherries, tea

Exercise: none

My Thoughts:

Busy day with classes and then coming home to clean up, follow up, and try to get everyone on course for the afternoon.  I had a rough night with the baby last night, so I feel like I'm moving in slow motion today.

Eating was good.  Dinner was tricky because I wasn't really sure how I could pack our meal. We ended up eating at home before we left and bringing popcorn along to share while we played cards with one of our girlies during the boys karate workout.  That was fun.

Coconut oil isn't a whole food, so it's not something that fits the Eat to Live menu.  However, I do use it for the children in small amounts and felt it was an fair choice for myself tonight given I hadn't had any fats at all today aside from my ground flax in my salad at breakfast.  I also grabbed the pumpkin seeds to munch on as well since I've been trying to eat more of those.  I got full on the popcorn pretty fast, so I didn't eat as large of a portion as I expected. 

The scale was nicely down again this morning.  Of course, I'm a little anxious about what I'll see tomorrow since my pattern is to be UP on my official weigh-in day.  Still, my jeans are feeling looser every day and...wait for it...I'm now able to wear button up shirts!! No more button popping for me! I'm so excited to be growing smaller in my chest. That's always been a big encouragement to me.

6 Week - Day 26

Soul Food: Psalm 119: Zayin

My Food:

Breakfast: Breakfast salad

Lunch: Romaine topped with taco lentils and rice, hot sauce

Dinner: Taco Soup, non-dairy strawberry milkshake (frozen berries, almond milk, banana, vanilla)

Exercise: None

My Thoughts:

Pretty simple day. A little rushed, as I had company tonight, needed to prep for classes tomorrow, trying to help two kids with science projects and rehearsal tonight. Dinner had to be simple and it was.  The milkshake was really yummy.

Looking Ahead:

Tomorrow is a packed lunch. I'm out of spinach so I'll need a new stand-by for my lunch on the go. Not sure what that will be yet.  I'm curious what the scale will tell me tomorrow. It was all kinds of crazy for David today. I'm pretty sure new batteries are in order soon.

Exactly the Same!

Last night I alluded to my progress from two years ago.  I was thinking I must be about the same weight now as I was then.

I just looked it up and I am exactly the same number on the scale this morning as I was two years ago. I put on the shirt I was wearing in the photo from two years ago. It fits!

Isn't that crazy?

The thing that really struck me, though, was the note on the previous weigh-in that year.  Having hit this weight, I have now moved OUT of the obese range on the chart. 

Really? I didn't think I was even IN the obese range all this past year.  Boy, I sure am glad I didn't know that.  But, I guess I'm also glad to know that I've made some progress toward something positive.  I pray I never end up in the Obese category ever again in my lifetime.

6 Week - Day 25

Soul Food: Psalm 119: Vav

My Food:

Breakfast salad with cantaloupe subbed for strawberries

 

 

Lunch: Head of romaine chopped and topped with taco lentils & rice, hot sauce

 

Dinner: Veggie Skillet - mix of leftovers from the fridge: potato, corn, peas, with fresh mushrooms and onion, chard, broccoli, okra added in from the freezer.  I sauteed in vegetable broth and garlic and then topped with the leftover creamy mushroom gravy leftover from last night's dinner.  An orange and decaf coffee for dessert

 

Exercise: A walk to the library with a couple girlies this afternoon; a walk downtown and back this evening with my guys

 

My Thoughts:

 

Today was good. Nothing exciting.  I packed our dinner so David and could eat while the boys had their karate workout.  It was a good, filling meal. I packed a LOT of veggies for us to enjoy.  Then we took the boys out to eat at one of the only places in town (one of the three pizza shops) and watched them eat calzones while I sipped my coffee and we chatted. I do wish there was something decent on the menu to order there because it would be nice to enjoy eating with them.  I just keep thinking how nice it will be when I meet my goal and I can enjoy a detour from the plan every so often like that.  I did enjoy my dinner, so I'm glad I didn't compromise.

 

The scale was down by over a pound this morning.  Tuesdays and Wednesdays are when I'm starting to see the lowest numbers of the week.  That could be due to some dehydration. I've been working hard to drink a lot today so I'll see if that makes a difference in the morning.

 

Today Facebook kept flashing a memory from this day 2 years ago. I had posted that I was down 40 pounds from June of that year. I was trying to do the math and I think I'm pretty close to that same weight right now as I was then.  That's kind of crazy and I'm trying to figure out how I feel about that. 

 

It's a little disconcerting to think I need to start over losing the weight I lost already. It's also a little bit of a bummer that I'm still in the same place two years later.  But, I *do* have an adorable baby to enjoy from those two years. 

 

I'm also maybe a little frustrated that the weight seems to not be coming off as quickly as it was for me that year.  Still, I'm just getting started, so maybe I'll see some momentum build. 

 

I am encouraged to think that if I am in the same place and can lose at close to the same rate, I really could fit in my wedding dress by our next anniversary this summer. That would make me smile and is a great motivator. I was hoping to do that until I got pregnant that year so being able to do it this coming summer would be lovely.

6 Week - Day 24

Soul Food: No reading today

My Food:

Breakfast salad

Lunch: Head of romaine topped with roasted chickpeas and brown mustard

Dinner: Gnocchi in Creamy Mushroom Gravy over cooked broccoli, green beans, and peas; a few slices of quince and chocolate pb nice cream

Exercise: None

My Thoughts:

Decent food day. We tried quince and persimmon tonight. Neither were all the way ripe. Neither tasted great but the persimmon left a crazy weird feeling in your mouth. I can't even describe it but we all had some big laughs watching each other taste it.

No pics for today. I had some photos but am feeling too tired to post them.

Looking ahead:

Tomorrow is another day of pressing on. David is trying hard to make this a good week too. He's not been sticking with the plan as carefully as he could.  I'm hoping for a good night's sleep and to see the scale keep moving down in the morning.  This morning a few more ounces dropped so I was happy about that.

6 Week - Day 23

Soul food: Worship with our church family 1 Peter 2:4-7

My Food:

Breakfast: Mini Breakfast Salad (just look at that cute little thing!) I ate it on the drive to church with a cup of decaf, black

 

Lunch: Mega salad from the grocery store salad bar (romaine, carrots, zucchini, beets, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, corn and black bean "salsa", granny smith apple slices) and a few corn chips with salsa while I was making the children's lunch at my in-laws' house after church.

 

Dinner:  Small baked potato topped with leftover broccoli, cashew "cheeze" sauce and peas

Exercise: Walk downtown and back for rehearsal tonight

My Thoughts:  I'm trying to be quick tonight.  I'm tired and need to start early in the morning. 

My breakfast was small. I had to pick out the best of the last of the spinach in the fridge because I just couldn't stand not seeing some green in my salad. ;)  It was such a tiny salad, but still filled my tummy and held me over for lunch. 
Lunch was at my in-laws. We stopped for a visit after church. I didn't have food to pack so we went to the grocery store on the way. David, my oldest daughter, and I built massive salads for ourselves. Then I grabbed some eggs and bread and clementines for the rest of the family.  David scrambled eggs and I toasted bread for the children when we got there. It was SO HARD to not eat that buttered toast I was making for them. Man, I haven't battled with myself that hard in a really long time. Bread is such a hard thing for me to give up.  I am so super proud of myself to not eating that bread. I know it sounds so dumb, but it was a real victory for me.  I did give in on having a few chips with salsa while I was making their lunch. 

Dinner was a crazy rush.  We had just gotten home from grocery shopping. David threw some potatoes in the microwave for the kids. I didn't have time to heat up the frozen veggies I planned to eat so I made due with the last of the leftovers in the fridge and grabbed a potato.  I didn't want to have one. I wanted to fill up on broccoli instead. But, time dictates and I knew I needed to eat something to get through rehearsal tonight. I didn't want to come home and eat a meal at 9pm.

Looking Ahead:

This week will be interesting.  I didn't get any food prep done this weekend so the meal plan I made is revolving around easy and simple.  I am also having a guest for dinner, so I need to carve out time to make something nice for company. Lasagna usually fits that requirement.

I am eager to take on another week.  I'm feeling more confident as each week passes. I did go through a little "I'm getting tired of being so strict" feeling for the last few days. But, man, making it through a big project while staying the course, resisting so many treats and not using the excuses that seemed so legitimate, well, it's empowering.  I'm getting back into the groove and I'm really hoping my body starts to follow as I grow stronger and healthier each day.

6 Week - Day 22

I'm half-way there!! Starting my fourth week today. I do wish the scale was down more, but I'm excited to be fitting in smaller clothes already.  That's good progress!

Soulfood: No reading today. Listened to some of the old testament with my husband this morning while we worked together painting the kitchen

My food:

Breakfast: Granny Smith apple with peanut butter

Lunch: Head of romaine topped with broccoli, peas, and nut-based ranch dressing, half-dozen tortilla chips with black beans topped with salsa

Dinner: Chilis with our oldest daughter-I shared some onion rings with her and the baby (I had about 3 or 4, no sauce or ketchup), Caribbean salad (no onion or pepper) topped with a bean burger, no dressing, decaf coffee

Exercise: none; was busy painting, cleaning, and working around the house today

My Thoughts:

I was pretty happy with my choices today. I am out of kale and my kitchen was torn apart, so breakfast was a challenge. I *could* have had cereal with the kiddos, but I made a better choice. I've been trying to avoid peanut butter, but this was a simple way to eat quick and get to work. Tasty too.

My lunch salad was good, but I really didn't want it. I was feeling like I wanted a big sub or some other *work* food that my brain tells me I need when I do some kind of big project around the house. But, I chewed that big ol' salad down all the way and was glad I did it. I did allow myself a few chips for dipping in my beans afterwards, but I wasn't hungry enough to finish all I had taken.

For dinner I knew my hubby was wanting a nice, big meal. Problem was that I hadn't been able to prepare on in my kitchen by dinner time. And, I didn't get my groceries done, so pickin's are a little slim.  Saturday morning is our oldest daughter's Special Day but we were already working early this morning. So, we took her out to practice driving and get some dinner. We all enjoyed our meal of bean burgers over salad or in a bun for David.  It's nice to find a place that has some better options, even though we still have to deal with the heavy salt and oil.  The onion rings are definitely not ETL, since they are fried.  That seems to be the issue I run into most when eating out, avoiding the salt and oil.

Overall, I did really well this weekend in the midst of a big kitchen project. I feel great about not living off of bread, take-out, and fake food. I even managed to avoid the urge to load up on chips, also a family tradition during work projects.  *whew*

Looking Ahead:

Well, the week is going to be interesting. All my kitchen work today resulted in a beautiful kitchen but no food for the week.  I don't have my menu planned, school charts made, groceries, or any real thoughts on Monday morning.  Tomorrow is worship, visiting, and then home for rehearsal so I'm a little behind the 8 ball as we go forward. Still, I'm not regretting the work we got done.  Just look at this loveliness I now have to work in each day. :)

6 Week - Day 20 &21

Day 20

Soul Food: Psalm 119

My Food:

Breakfast: Breakfast salad

Lunch: romaine topped with taco lentils and lentil buffalo sauce

Snack: Banana Split Green Smoothie

Dinner:  Chose from a buffet of leftovers, two bowls of broccoli and green beans, one bean burger, a few celery sticks with cookie dough hummus

My Thoughts:

I saw 175 on the scale today!!!! That was thrilling.  I also was able to button a pair of jeans from The Box.  That was also exciting. 

We had our co-op classes today. I did well eating while out.  When I was craving a hot mocha madness coffee for our long drive afterwards I was able to mix up a green smoothie for myself instead.  I am feeling so glad that making these better choices is becoming easier for me.

We headed to the campground the guys have been staying at this week. I pulled together a buffet for dinner from the leftovers we had at home and in the camper fridge. I was really glad there was so much once I put it all together. Such a better dinner than the take out the guys have been eating all week. The boys wouldn't agree with me, but I really like knowing they are getting some kind of real nutrition in their bodies.

I also decided I wanted to take a pic for seeing progress. Once again, the place I most want to see some progress is in my face. I'm adding todays pic to my photo tab on the blog.

Day 21

My Food: 

Breakfast: Restaurant fried potatoes with mushrooms, spinach, and broccoli, cup of fruit, baked beans, decaf coffee

Lunch: Breakfast salad

Dinner: pie plate filled with a head of romaine, raw broccoli and carrots, a scoop of black beans with corn, onion, green, 'shrooms, lentil buffalo sauce for dressing and a vegan "cheeze" sauce and an orange for dessert.

My Thoughts:

I TRIUMPHED over the Chinese food for dinner tonight!! We've been painting all day, so I was a little bummed thinking I would have to make some choices about food that I didn't like. However, we were able to pull together a breakfast salad for lunch.  For dinner, my guy ordered Chinese food for the fam.  I debated eating it so that I could be kind and join the fam. But I really just didn't even want to eat the food. Not only do I not want to undo all my hard work, I just know that I'll end up feeling icky from all the salt and oil in the dishes. 

I can't believe I didn't eat it. I did have a few bites of the leftover veggies that my three year old didn't eat, but that was it. I'm really happy about that. I told my guy, "I'm still *enjoying* years worth of Chinese food on my body. I can afford to go without tonight." ;)

The scale was up two pounds from yesterday. I don't get that at all. I ate really great so I can't blame it on my food. I do think my digestion was a factor.  Whatever it was, I FIT into those jeans and wore them all day.  I don't care what the scale says, that's exciting right there. :)

Looking Ahead:

We painted my kitchen and dining room today. I'll need to put my kitchen back together tomorrow while the trim gets worked on.  I'll be busy with that and then I'll need to get groceries and see if there's any energy left for kitchen work. 

I'm really glad for the food I am able to prepare each week. It's helping me so much to have something simple to heat and serve when life gets crazy. Even tonight, my dinner was so much more enjoyable with the sauces that were ready to eat. That helps me stay away from Easy and stick with Health. 

6 Week - Day 19

Soul Food: Psalm 119: He

My Food:

Breakfast: Breakfast salad

Lunch: Romaine topped with broccoli, buffalo chickpea dip, one banana pop (chunk of banana rolled in a mix of ground flax seed and cocoa powder, a new invention ;) )

 

 

Dinner: Out to eat for date night - spinach salad with dried cranberries, cucumbers, slivered almonds, croutons and a plain baked potato on the side

Dessert: We stopped in at the local grocery store and bought a container of fresh fruit to share. Then we stopped at the Cumby's across the street for a decaf for David and a hot green tea for me.

My Thoughts:

I was REALLY excited after stepping on the scale this morning. In fact, I recorded the number on my progress tab just so I could make sure it was real. (sort of a virtual *pinch me* thing)  If I still see that number on Friday morning weigh-in I will be happy, for sure.

I spent the whole day frustrated and racking my brain over where to go out to eat. I love going out with my guy but I'm really bothered that we can never find a place that has food we feel good about eating.  We spend a lot to eat out, it sure seems like it should be what we enjoy.  We did still have a nice evening, though, and I ordered so that I don't feel badly mentally or physically.

Down side of my day is that I was in a fender-bender this afternoon with two of my girls. I am feeling so awful about it. Physically, everyone is fine. I have a sore back and shoulders but I think it's fine. I just keep reliving it all and feel like such a horrible person for being so careless and stupid. So, I'm needing to work through some emotional stuff right now.  I will admit, a big part of me wanted to go out tonight and just stuff my anxiety with fatty restaurant food and feel all better.  I'm so glad I didn't, but I really did want to find comfort in the food.  Instead, I just kept hugging my guy and keep trying to pray this through. 

Looking Ahead:

Tomorrow we head out for co op classes.  I'll need to make sure I get my lunch packed. 

I've been thinking about this week compared to last week and the progress I've been making with digestion and the scale. One thing that's different is that I'm not skipping meals this week. I'm starting to think that less is not more, as far as the scale and health is concerned. I need to keep up with eating enough of the foods on my plan so that I can give my body what it needs to keep working in the right ways.

I also have been making a strong effort to get in enough water.  I think that's also making a big difference in my week.

6 Week - Day 18

Soul Food: Psalm 119 - Daleth

My Food:

Breakfast: Breakfast salad

Lunch: Head of romaine topped with taco lentils, broccoli, carrots, and buffalo sauce, veggies with chickpea dip

 

(that's my baby boy's lunch there with mine. He LOVES the lentils and the smoothie that's in the bowl. I LOVE watching him love it. :) )

Dinner: bean burger with stone ground mustard, romaine, whipped potatoes, green beans, half an ear of corn on the cob

Dessert: chocolate-peanut butter nice cream

Exercise: none

My Thoughts:

Today was decent.  Nothing terribly exciting, food-wise. But, I was really happy with the number on the scale this morning and I was really loving the feel of my jeans today. Fresh out of the dryer and they have that familiar "pull" to them on my hips telling me that they are getting loose. I'm loving that. I'm starting to remember what it feels like to get smaller. It has that same surreal-ness to it.

I also took the baby for his one year check up today. I was so encouraged that he's sitting perfectly on the growth charts. After all the weight issues we've had, it's a real blessing to see him doing well.  I love watching him eat so well at meal times too. My baby's favorite food is BROCCOLI.  How cool is that??

Oh, and today I made a think-outside-the-bowl decision as I was scrounging for a dish for my lunch but all the dishes were still in the dishwasher.  

Pie plate becomes salad plate. Problem Solved.

 

 

Looking Ahead:



My guys will be coming home tomorrow afternoon for the night. David and I hope to get away for a date before rehearsal.  That means we'll be eating out so I'm hoping I don't undo all my hard work with that.  Right now, I'm just looking forward to seeing my guy. If the weather stays as nice as today, we'll probably get out for a hike or the walking path at the park.