2016 New Years Resolutions

Because I always try to document here what my NY Resolutions are going to be, even though I rarely post, I have to come here to make my proclamation for 2016.

This year, I am going for broke.

RESOLUTION #1: LOSE WEIGHT

Joining the new and improved Weight Watchers again. Oprah's commercial inspired me, what can I say? I need the accountability of a meeting, and the structure of a weekly weigh-in, so I will be checking out the meeting schedule at the storefront near my office. After-work meetings it will be!

RESOLUTION #2: EXERCISE REGULARLY

I joined the small but functional gym at work in the summer -- it's $22/month and includes a pool. Time to get my money's worth. My feet and back will thank me. Again, after-work sessions it will be!

I feel good about both of these, because if I learned anything from the year of Abby's obedience classes last year, it's that I actually do well with after-work learning activities. I usually just go home and we all lay around until bedtime, but having something to do instead turned out to be pretty fun.

RESOLUTION #3: SAVE MONEY

We've gotten really, really bad about this. Time to turn around the ship. That includes all the eating out, and poor grocery shopping. I can do it a lot more frugally than I have been.

And...that's it. It's enough. Anything extra that improves in my life will probably be due to the three items above. Haha, maybe I'll have more energy to come back here and finish the KonMari series (I still love my organized and streamlined house, by the way).

Do any of you have resolutions for 2016?

Recipe love: Lemon Poppyseed Quick Bread

Hey, guess what?

I've been eating, and cooking. So you know I have recipes to share!

Actually, calling it "cooking" is a bit of a stretch. Hubby's been grilling most of the summer, so my job has been to shop for and remind him to include a veggie with every meat, or to make a marinated veggie or salad of some sort for us. But we cannot live on grilled green beans and corn with every meal, so I made a few side dishes that we have loved.

First up, my friend J. found this easy-peasy recipe for refrigerator pickles on Smitten Kitchen; she made a batch for us on our vacation, and they were so delicious I bought my own gallon-sized mason jar and made my own!



Those are the ingredients. All of them. (I didn't even bother with the dill.)

Slice the Kirby pickles with a mandolin, add in 3 smashed cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of vinegar and 2 tsp kosher salt. Seal and shake every hour while they combine in the fridge. Done!

Here is the finished product.



Insanely easy and good. Hubby just had a plate of them after dinner, LOL. And they're 0 pts on WW.

I still make black-eyed pea hummus pretty regularly. This came to work a couple of weeks ago as my afternoon snack. Yum!



This week I added sun-dried tomatoes instead of my usual roasted red pepper. It's pretty pungent but I think it will be great in a revised version of this wrap sandwich; I have a batch of peppered turkey bacon, carrots, cucumbers and red bell peppers ready to go inside a whole wheat tortilla.

Ok, enough with the healthy stuff. Let's get to the real reason I'm posting: lemon poppyseed quick bread. I saw this recipe on Cooking Classy a couple of weeks ago and have been daydreaming about it ever since. I ordered poppyseeds from Penzeys, and picked up some lemons last week, but had been putting it off because it seemed like a lot of work just for a quick bread. Zest the lemons? Squeeze the juice out of them? Rub the sugar and lemon together? Brushing the glaze on? Maybe I could just buy a muffin at the store...

It was worth it. It was soooooo worth every extra step. The fresh lemon in it was just...OMG. Lemon poppyseed is my favorite of all muffins, but I have never had anything this lemony and delicious.



The mise-en-place before I started. Had to let the eggs and butter get to room temperature, so read the instructions in advance, and get everything you need out before you start. Trust me on this.



This was when I started to doubt -- that was a lot of work for so little to show for it. Juice on the left, zest on the right.

I WAS WRONG TO DOUBT. I wish I had thought to save the extra juice for my hummus. Argh!




Out of the oven, and looking good but a little dry.



Not so dry anymore! Do not stint on the glaze, just keep brushing it on until it's gone. You won't regret it.

Finished and ready to completely cool.



I cut it up and Hubby and I each had a half-piece. (*cough* Hubby may have had a couple of half-piece.) The rest is going to work; I think I am going to be the most popular person there tomorrow morning!



God. I need another piece right now.

If you decide to make it, go tell Jaclyn over at Cooking Classy how much you like it! It's totally her recipe -- she deserves all the credit.

Catch up

Hello! So much to catch up on!

1. My WW leader moved out of town. You guys, Mark is gone!! This has thrown me off quite a bit; WW works best for me when I connect with the leader, and I really liked him. We've had a couple of substitutes since then, and none have really done it for me. We're supposed to get a new leader by mid-August -- I am just hoping I like them. I need this to work.

2. Speaking of which, I've been terrible about tracking food, and not-so-coincidentally since that tapered off I have been dicking around with the same three pounds, on and off and on again. So I committed with one of the women in the meeting (:::waves hi to Heather::::) that I would track this week, and we're going to email each other to stay accountable. Started tracking again today. Fingers crossed!

3. Amazingly, my walk with Abby has turned into a daily thing; it feels so great, and it shows on my body and face. It's got me craving more, and better tracking, so I finally purchased a Fitbit. Boy, that's fun! I've only had it a week so I'm still just tracking what kind of walking I do on a regular week. I ran a meeting last Tuesday where I was on my feet for 4 hours at the front of the room; walking back and forth and keeping everyone animated. In that little space, I walked 2 miles that morning!

4. Even though my weight has been stagnated, my body changes haven't. I am down a size in pants, and almost one in tops, so my closet has been going through a rehaul. Luckily I have plenty of clothes in smaller sizes to use, mostly pants.

5. Conversely, I am sick to death of all of my tops -- so I finally went on a shopping spree for more cotton shirts and work tops. But that should be saved for another post, because I have MANY THOUGHTS about plus-sized clothes.

Posting now before I forget -- hope you are all doing well!

Sunday meeting thoughts

Skipped a meeting last week and it shows on the scale.

It does not, however, show on my dupa: I am down a size in jeans now. And this top from Gwynnie Bee is a size smaller too. YES. 

Our daily trip to the dog park is paying for me and for Abby. We are headed there after meeting this morning, then we are meeting up with my girlfriend and my Babyfriend -- who is going to be FOUR  in two weeks. How is that possible???

The topic this month is: Always Have a Healthy Snack on Hand. I realized, belatedly of course, that I probably should have been heeding this topic sooner in the month; I don't snack after dinner, but the 3pm snack is a must for me, and it's been ugly the last two weeks. So I bought a box of WW snacks as emergency backup, and prepped grapes and peanut-butter stuffed dates (1pt each!) to take into the office. 

Have a great week everyone! 

Brain dump

OOOPS this has been sitting in my draft folder for two weeks. I am the Queen of Procrastination!

As disussed at that meeting, these are my two goals for summer by August 31:

Weight: Hit 10% goal 

Exercise: dog park when sunny, pool twice a week

Copy and print so visible every day -- Putting this down so I do it!!!

(*cough* Results so far: hit my 5% goal last week, have taken dog to park every day for at least a month. Twice a day on the weekends. It hasn't rained so I haven't been to the pool. My hand might be forced on that one tonight...)

Other stuff:

I never liked hummus, but these days I have been pretty much making a batch a week. I got the recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen and did a little modification. I have a mini-chopper so I cut the recipe in half so it all fits in the bowl.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (Blackeyed Peas or Chickpea)

1 can (15 oz. can) black eyed peas or chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tsp. garlic puree or minced garlic

3 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice (or slightly less if you're not that into lemon)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T olive oil

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

3 T tahini (sesame seed paste), to taste

1 roasted red pepper, water-packed, chopped and drained from jar

Dump the canned black-eyed peas into a colander placed in the sink, then rinse with cold water until no more foam appears.  Let black-eyed peas drain for a minute or two, then put them into the food processor with everything else. Chop it up!

If the hummus seems too thick, add a few tablespoons of water and process. If you do not use a roasted red pepper, you will probably need more liquid so add water as needed.)

It lasts a week. (Or it would, if my husband did not inhale it one sitting.)

I actually prefer the black-eyed pea version because it tastes smoother and lighter. 

Also, I made the easiest and tastiest macaroni salad ever.

Whole wheat pasta, chopped shredded carrots, chopped onions, chopped celery, liberal dosage of dijon mustard, a little fat-free mayo, salt, pepper, seasonings, and a handful of shredded cheese. 

Mix and let sit overnight so flavors can meld. Serve with grilled items when husband only knows how to cook meat when he "makes dinner". 

Got a new haircut for summer, which I am enjoying. This is the straight version, but the miracle is, I have finally learned to master a curling iron. I love my hair everyday now. 

Also, my pets are awesome. Follow me on Instagram if you would like to see a million pictures of Abby. 

She made a friend at the park yesterday. They were adorable.

Anchors (away)

(Abigail in her kennel picture at 8 weeks, playing with her red bear (long since destroyed) when she was still growing into her ears, and the pretty dog she is at a year old.)

(Last week when she came back from the groomers. Her coat is as soft as it looks!)

I'm pretty sure I told you guys we got a puppy last July, right?** Abigail (Abby for short) has grown into a sweet, cuddly, lively doggie, and my life is so much richer for her presence. I've always thought I was more of a cat person than a dog one, but my baby girl is making me re-think that stance.

**(Oh yes, I did. In great photographic detail. Puppy pictures!)

Now that it is warmer out and the days are longer, we've been taking Abby to the dog park more often. She's definitely my husband's dog (especially since he was her primary caretaker last summer while he was off work and she was becoming housebroken and trained and just learning how to be a dog), but in the last few weeks, it's become more of a thing that Abby and I do together. We go a couple of times a day on the weekends, but even after work during the week it's become a common event. I get home and I'm tired and upset after work -- there's a lot of meanness and anxiety there these days -- and when this bundle of love comes flying at me for hugs and kisses, it makes the harshness of the day melt away. I get changed into casual clothes and walking sneakers, put the park pass around my neck, and off we go.

It's a good form of exercise for both of us; my torn tendon/fallen arches don't allow me to walk very fast, but of course all she wants to do is run out her puppy energy. On a leash, it's a constant battle between tempos; at the park, we each go at our own pace and get the workout we each need. We run, walk, and play fetch (I am often the one fetching the ball, sad to say); we get fresh air and sunshine and lots of water; we socialize with other dogs and their owners. It's pretty great for both of us. 

On the downside, taking her to the park means I skip a trip to the pool, and I am not in the mood to prepare anything elaborate (ie raw and in need of basic cooking) for dinner.  So it's PB&J, or a salad from the grocery store, or we order something delivered. It's barely on plan, I'm definitely not getting as much exercise as I would at the gym, and overall I've been beating myself up pretty badly over that. 

Yesterday at my WW meeting, we covered a topic that made me realize I've been doing it all wrong.

Our leader, Mark, asked us, "When you are feeling overwhelmed, what makes you feel better?" I shot my hand up in the air -- because of course, my answer was Abby.

Then he asked us to think about the following questions (cribbed from the WW weekly pamphlet, hope there's not any copyright issues!):
1. What's your trouble spot? (A situation where you struggle to avoid overeating.)
2. How do you want to feel in that situation?
3. Now conjure up a past time when you had those positive feelings and you totally nailed it.
4. Now pick your anchor (anything that reminds you of that time).
5. Make the positive connection.
6. Practice using it as a defense.


My answers started off easy:
1. My trouble spot is making dinner when I am tired.
2. When I am in my trouble spot, I want to feel comforted and taken care of.
3. The time I felt comforted/taken care of was...hunh, when I take Abby to the dog park after work.
4. My anchor is...Abby.

At that point, it dawned on me that maybe I already WAS using Abby as my anchor, but it was time to reframe the way I thought about it. Instead of feeling like not going to the gym and making healthy dinner was a FAILURE, maybe I should re-frame it so I feel good about getting outside and spending time with my dog (and husband, he comes with us too sometimes, LOL) after a rotten day. I should enjoy the sun on my face and throwing the ball and watching Abby race after it, ears flapping and her legs pumping. Afterward, just get a nice salad from the new grocery store around the corner and enjoy it. I don't have to cook all of our meals in order to eat healthy, and the pool will be there on a rainy day or the weekend.

I know it seems like a simple idea, but to me it was a game-changer. I'm still going to do the same things I was last week, but going forward I'm not going to make myself feel badly about it. Doing so will help me make better choices at the salad bar, too -- if I'm not feeling guilty and down on myself, I'm less likely to add in a hunk of bread or extra croutons or that full-fat mayo pasta salad. 

Me and my doggy, we got plans for the summer. Oh yes, we do.

She's as excited about it as I am. Yay!

You say Frittata, I say quiche

This one is for my WW buddies; I'll be sending the link to our leader so I can easily share my frittata recipe with them, as I promised I would at our meeting on Sunday. I posted the recipe long ago, but it's good it always bears repeating!

I got this recipe from my friend Barbara years ago, and I've learned since that it is pretty indestructible. I've done so many different combinations over the years, and they all work. This isn't a true quiche recipe as it doesn't have any heavy cream, but frittatas don't have crusts. So it's kind of a hybrid of the two, and truthfully, it doesn't even really need the crust. I just like that it does.

Frittata Basics

INGREDIENTS:
-6 Eggs
-Vegetables (1-2 cups)
-Onions (a small one is fine)
-Cheese (anywhere from 4-8 ounces is good)
-Meat (optional)
-Seasonings
-pie shells (optional)

I could get more specific, but why bother? You can use Eggbeaters or real eggs, select as many veggies as you want, use fat-free or low-fat or full-fat cheese, include a bit of meat or not...whatever suits your fancy!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. If you are using a pie shell, you can pre-bake it in the oven if desired. If you want to save on the points, omit the shell and just spray a ceramic quiche/pie pan and pour the mixture directly in.
3. Prep the ingredients as needed. I often cook the onions and veggies in a skillet first, or the bacon if I am including some, etc. It depends on what you are using and the best way to get the natural flavor out of it. (If you are using frozen spinach, squeeze the liquid out!)
4. Beat the eggs and season as needed. (If using ham or salty cheeses like feta, you often don't need extra salt. Meatless usually needs salt and other seasonings; I swear by Penzeys.)
5. Combine everything and pour it into the pie shell or quiche pan. Sometimes you can place the veggies and meats in the pan and pour the eggs over it; other times it works better mixing it all up in the bowl first. Either way doesn't change the delicious end result.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. It puffs up a lot when it comes out but usually settles as it cools.
8. Cut into 8 pieces; you can leave in the pan and eat through the week, or wrap individual pieces for grab-and-go.

THE POINTS/CALORIES:

-Use the WW Recipe Builder to figure it out, as it will change depending on your choices. For example, I made deviled ham (ham in the food processor and mixed with mustard), gouda, asparagus and scallions in a pie shell this week, and each slice is 6 points. Omitting the pie shell would have taken me to 4 points, and using fat-free cheese instead of the fancy gouda I found would have lowered it more. 

This was the deviled ham, asparagus, scallions and gouda quiche. I mixed in dijon mustard with the ham, and it makes it sooooo good.

Some other combinations I have made:
-Ham, mozzarella and broccoli

-kale, onions, tomatoes, and pepper jack

-heirloom cherry tomatoes, peppered turkey bacon and blue cheese crumbles

-kale, bacon and cheddar

-kale, bacon and swiss

-roasted cauliflower, sauteed onions, mustard and parmesan

-light Italian chicken sausage, broccoli rabe, sun-dried tomatoes, feta
-crabmeat and swiss
-broccolini and mushroom

Really, the only limit is on your imagination and your food preferences. I've tried combos I never thought I would like, but they came out great. I don't even like tomatoes, and that one with the heirlooms and blue cheese is one of my all-time favorites.

Happy eating!

Recipes!

I looked back at my recipe label, and it doesn't look like I ever posted my Babchi's sauce. Time to remedy that!





Bachi's Spaghetti Sauce

Babchi was my grandmother. She moved in with us when I was five and my youngest sister was born, and lived with us until she died when I was in college. She was a woman who liked routine; every afternoon she watched her soaps, and every evening with her tea she read Harlequins or played cards. I come by my love of serial stories, romances and card games honestly!

Anyway, this was one of her standard dishes that she made. We all loved spaghetti night. I doctored it a little; she used onion and garlic powder, I like the real thing. Otherwise this is the recipe she wrote down for me a long long time ago.

2 big cans (28-oz) crushed tomatoes

1 big can (28-oz) tomato puree

1 small can tomato paste

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

basil (dried, fresh or frozen cubes)

thyme

oregano

salt and pepper

1 TBSP sugar

Saute the onions and garlic in large saucepan until translucent. Add the crushed tomatoes, puree, basil, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil.

Turn down to simmer, add the paste and sugar. Stir occasionally and let simmer, covered for a couple of hours.

Fresh sauce in the fridge only lasts a week, so freeze any leftovers for later. I regularly freeze them in pint or quart baggies, as in the above picture.

+++++

The other request was for the black-eyed pea salad. I make that one a little differently every time, but this gist of it is:

-1 can blackeyed peas, drained and rinsed

-2-3 cucumbers, peeled and diced

-2 oz crumbled feta

-rice wine or white wine vinegar (I prefer the white wine)  

olive oil (optional)

Penzey's Greek seasoning

salt and pepper

Mix and season to taste. Feel free to season liberally since cucumbers are usually bland on their own. :)

+++++

Did a little more cooking today too. I bought a new WW cookbook, Make & Take Meals, at the meeting last week, and decided to try a couple of items today. Everything in it is fast and easy, some of which is actually from salad bar items at the grocery store. In other words, just like how we eat these days at Casa LFD.

Here's the plan for the week, handily posted on the fridge for Hubby and me. This way, he knows what is available so on the nights I go swimming after work, he can feed himself from the fridge instead of waiting for me to get home or ordering delivery for himself/us. 

The top section are items I made on Sunday or which can be made into sandwiches. I need food for lunch and dinner for myself, which tends to translate into sandwiches with side dishes of salads and fruit. The middle section random foodstuffs in the fridge which need to be eaten soon (not included on list: shredded Brussels sprouts and spinach). The last part is what I am planning on making mid-week once we run out of the top half of the board. 

The black bean-carrot salad is one I made up this afternoon. I had leftover carrots from last week that I wanted to use up, so I started putting together a cold salad. I chopped the carrots into smaller chunks, drained a can of black beans, and threw in some thinly sliced red onion. Tossed all of that with olive oil, rice vinegar, cumin and lime juice. Not bad!

I had that for dinner tonight with the roast beef with fig jam and blue cheese. DAMN, that was a good sandwich idea from that new WW cookbook. Figs and blue cheese are delicious together, and I had no idea how nicely they would pair with the roast beef. YUM.

+++++

Tomorrow I will be trying the cereal bars. Not sure yet how they will be -- they seemed a little sweet -- but it will be a nice treat in the afternoon if they are too much for breakfast.

No-Bake Cereal Bars
6 WW points as is, 5 pts if you make the same substitutions I did.

1/3 cup almond butter (I used Better'n'Peanut Butter)
1/3 cup honey
2 TBSP light corn syrup
2 cups multi-grain Cheerios
2 cups wheat bran-flake cereal, coarsely crushed (I used Wheat Chex)
3 TBSP dried cranberries
1.5 TBSP ground flaxseed (I omitted).

1. Line 9-inch square pan with parchment paper; spray bottom and sides with Pam.
2. Stir almond/peanut butter, honey and corn syrup together in small bowl. Set aside.
3. Combine cereals in large bowl; microwave 1-2 minutes until warmed. Mix in cranberries (and flaxseed). Gradually stir in butter mixture, stirring until cereal is evenly coated. Microwave another minutes, and stir.
3. Pour cereal mixture into pan. Use more parchment paper to help spread out if needed. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Cut into 8 bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 week. 

+++++

What are you cooking this week?

Week 1 musings

Waiting for my WW meeting to start so I am going to jot down a few thoughts from my first week:

-I forgot how obsessed with food I get the first week. The menu planning, the extra shopping to get the 2-3 things I forgot I needed. No wonder they don't want you to start exercising the first week; you're too busy getting your food house in order. 

-I exceeded my extra points this week but I kept tracking. That's the most important part. 

-I had two major victories in cabinet cleaning. First I baked off 9 dozen frozen cookies that were languishing in my freezer, and over the course of 3 days I only ate two of them. The rest went to work. 

Second, I threw out a quart and a pony of ice cream out of my freezer. I did eat a half cup of the pint first, to see if the flavor was good enough to salvage and savor over time. It wasn't. So out they went! Not gonna waste my points on foods that are just okay. 

-okay time for meeting. 3.4 pounds down!!! 

A typical lunch last week. 

And so it begins

That was the title of my Instagram post this morning. It was a photo the WW Simple Start brochure.

Yes, I started Weight Watchers again this morning. I'm not sure if I will post much here about it, but I wanted to mark the occasion with a date, a weight, and the reasons why.

Date: March 16, 2014

Weight: 239.8

Why:

1. I turned 46 a couple of days ago. When I roll that number around in my head, all I can think is, "Boy, that's close to 50." And I don't want to be this weight, this uncomfortable with my body, when I am 50. So I need to start working on it now because it's going to take a while.

2. My 25th college reunion is May 2015, next year. I went to my 25th high school reunion a couple of years ago at this weight, and while I made a good show of it, I was miserable. There were only 2 of us who had gotten big, everyone else was still looking trim and healthy. I don't want to go through that again.

3. I'm tired of only wearing black pants and long sweaters. I want to wear dresses again!

4. I'm tired of being this size. 

So it's time to get going on this. I'm ready, and that's half the battle.

I miss you guys!

Post Feedback

Oh, man, I have a great group of readers! Thank you. You guys have all jumped in with so many great tips, words of wisdom and encouragement, and just overall kindness I am feeling a little guilty. These last few posts of mine may have seemed like I have been disparaging myself. That is NOT the case; I believe very strongly in having self-confidence and a positive self-image, because I think that it keeps us healthy and strong, and that seeps into all of our interactions with others. But I am going through a period that is prompting me to look at myself critically and honestly in order to re-evaluate and push myself in new directions, be it weight loss or a new style I want to try or just figuring out the right balance for posting blog content.

During this period, I am revealing some of my inner doubts, but my goal is to find new sources of determination and hope from inside myself, not to ask for sympathy or boosts. I do genuinely appreciate all the kind words that you guys have been sending, but I want you to understand that this is more of an exercise for myself than a cry for attention. If that makes any sense. :)

That said, I did try to take some of your wise posing advice about the chins. I think I need to work on finding a happy medium next time.





Teehee!

This weekend we went from two days of foggy, chilly rain to face-melting hot on Memorial Day, and today was a continuation of that. My Target striped sundress, a maroon cami, and my grey patent Privo flats and I was dressed. I added my turquoise glasses as my main accessory; when it gets this kind of hot layering is impossible. Glasses are a perfect compromise.

Oh, and thanks for all the WW tips! I can put together a plan for meals now that I have a better picture of the average points it should be. (Sheila, I am doing WW online so I don't have a booklet. I wish I did, it is so much easier to navigate that way! But I will email you with any questions, thank you.) For those of you new to the blog, I am an old WW leader myself, and I've gone to many meetings over the years. If there was a leader in the area that I liked, I would be a devoted attendee. Unfortunately none of them have clicked for me, so I am doing online. Whatever works!

Lastly, the evolution to adding in more neutrals is actually something that has been percolating for a while; Sarah over at The Daily Sophisticate has been working the neutrals for a long time, all kinds of luscious olives and navys and greys. The colorings are so subtly chic, and they're put together in such interesting ways, I often forget in reading her blog that these are mostly neutral. But seeing that intriguing look expand from one blogger I avidly follow to a whole group of women over several days' time jolted me out of my style doldrums. I do love color, and there are several I will never give up, but it's time to shake up my style a bit and try new things.

Speaking of which, stay tuned for a new daily blog feature starting tomorrow! (At least for the next month.)

And thank you. Thank you all very much.

How many cameras are ON you?

I've been having a lot of trouble taking outfit pictures I like lately. I'm bored with the office corner shots, and after a week of outdoor photos in Connecticut, I really wanted to duplicate that back home. But I don't have the space for it.

This was an attempt on our back porch on Monday (the only sunny day last week). I attached the gorillapod to a planter hook. Unfortunately it's too far away, and the angles of the sun and shadows of the fence between the patios makes this not a good option.


But it was a cute outfit! Purple-brown patterned Kohls dress, brown camisole, and nude Clark Laguna Reef wedge sandals. If only weather like this had lasted the rest of the week!

I tried again on Wednesday on my front porch. We share the space with our neighbors so I had to be quick. This time I tried wrapping the gorillapod on the light sconce between our doors. Much, much, MUCH too high. LOL!


The outfit was great, though; black-and-white striped cascading cardigan from WHBM, cream scoopneck sweater (from my sister's stash), new multi-metal necklace from Charming Charlie's, black Gap skinny pants, and grey-black Kohls flats with floral tips.

After that, I gave up for the week. Because then the second problem (besides terrible photography skills) came into play: I don't like how I look right now. What looks fine in the mirror looks lumpy, ill-fitting, too tight, too short or just gaudy in the camera lens. My face is too red because I am out of breath, and my chins are multiplying exponentially. And it's been that way for a while. I've just been ignoring it, and blaming the lack of time for proper posing for daily photos.

But the truth is, I spend just as much time on photos now as I did ten, twenty, forty, sixty pounds ago. It's not the cameras. It's me.

Which brings me back to this entry's title. It's from a scene in Friends, when everyone sees Monica in the home movies from her teenage years when she was fat. She tries to handwave it away saying, "Everyone knows the camera adds ten pounds." Chandler's reply is, "How many cameras were ON you?"

There's just one camera on me. The other pounds are not an optical illusion. They are mine. And they are mine to get rid of.

So that's what I am doing. I'm on my second week of WW again; the first week was a disaster but I am persevering and am determined to figure out this new points system. I don't mind learning how to recalculate favorite foods, but I am struggling to figure out how many points on average I should be having at each meal. I want lunch to be the biggest meal of the day, so how many points should it be? I get 33 a day. Is 15 too much? Too little? What about breakfast? I used to have 3-5 points, but that doesn't feel like enough. I need protein in the morning or I am starving all day. I can't find much on the WW site about breaking down points per meal; I think I will have to brave the dreaded boards and ask someone. (The people on WW boards are CRAZY. I know, I have spent plenty of time there during my crazy periods too.)

I am also taking up exercise again, one day at a time. Right now it's just walking; my body is so out of shape I don't want to push it too hard. My knees and lower back are so weak from all the sitting I do, so the first order of business is to just get moving. I went walking on Saturday and Sunday for an hour each, and I am feeling it in my feet. The worst thing I can do is try to jump right into Couch-to-5K or join the gym, etc, because I know I will overdo it then not want to exercise at all. So tomorrow I think I am breaking out the Wii for some morning yoga, and as the weather gets nicer there will be more walks after work. With my camera, at the Botanic Garden. Oh yeah.

Finally, as much as it is bugging the crap out of me, I am going to keep taking outfit photos. I'm not going to make excuses for crappy pictures anymore, but I am going to find a new spot that I like. I am undergoing some style changes -- also thanks to my trip home two weeks ago -- and I want to record that evolution. I don't like being down on myself, as you guys know; I think our self-esteem is something we need to bolster and protect as much as we can. Posting pictures I hate of myself day after day goes against that belief.

Instead of giving up posting, I am going to change the way I look IN the photos. That's the best thing I can do for myself, for many reasons. I want to be able to look at the photo below and believe the message.



I want you all to look at that photo, and believe the message. Because you are.

Fill my Bento!

Looks like I struck a nerve with yesterday's rant about sizing, hunh? Sounds like many of us have been or are in the same boat, too small for the women's sizes but with very few options in the misses. I do have some nice 16s in my basement closet (where all my smaller sizes are) so I'm less worried about what to wear when I get down to there, but 18-land is making me nuts. I guess I need to kick up the dieting to solve that problem, since the retailers sure aren't going to be lending me a hand! (Although I liked the suggestion about QVC and HSN; I may have to check that one out! Thanks, Abby.)

Anyway, that leads me to today's topic: lunch.

I went full-on grocery shopping for the first time in months on Thursday, buying all kinds of basic staples and options for dinner and other meals, filling our cabinets and fridge again after the last few months of Medifast. All we had then were salad fixings, chicken breast, and spaghetti squash. You could have been blinded by the bright light of our fridge, it was so empty. No more.

It felt so good to have some really basic items again in my house: couscous and brown rice, plain yogurt, Special K cereal, clementines, cooked shrimp, skim milk, eggs. Spinach and cucumbers, chicken sausage, bags of cabbage, polenta, mushrooms, carrots, onions and garlic and oh Lord, even potatoes. Potatoes!!

I made sure to get easy items for breakfast: fruit and yogurt, whole-wheat english muffins and Better N Peanut Butter, Special K cereal (cinnamon pecan is my flavor of choice). And despite my laziness the last two nights to make the broccoli-cheese chowder recipe, we have had plenty for impromptu dinners: chicken sausage with sauteed spinach, the last of the spaghetti squash, etc. But I forgot to come up with lunch ideas!

Luckily, I do have my Mr. Bento posts from this summer for some ideas, but those are mostly summer foods. I am craving the heartier stuff, like sandwiches and soups and carbs, but that's not what I have in my fridge. I have all the snacks and "side dishes" (fruits, yogurt, almonds, cucumbers, etc) but I can't think of many good main lunch dishes.

Here are some ideas I'm considering:
-shrimp salad, mixed with chopped celery and onion, some cocktail sauce and mayo, on a bed of spinach. Add slice of seeded bread, mixed fruit salad, plain almonds, and clementines for rest of lunch and snacks throughout the day.
-Saute the shrimp in Old Bay for dinner the night before, then mix with couscous and chopped veggies for leftover lunch.
-hard-boil the eggs for egg salad (need pita or bread or red pepper half to eat it in)
-buy roast-beef wrap at delicious local deli and add tomato soup

But that's it. Everything else involves buying other things. Can you guys think of other ways I can "remix" my foods to fill up my Bento? What do you bring for lunch -- maybe I need better grocery shopping ideas!




(From this summer.) Salad from the Whole Foods cold bar! That's a good idea...

What do you eat for lunch?

New Years Resolutions 2011

Happy 2011, everyone! I hope you all rang in the new year successfully. We stayed in, exchanged all the Christmas presents we hadn't bothered to bring with us to Vegas, and were fast asleep hours before the ball dropped. It was just a nice relaxing day and night all around, and this weekend will be more of the same. Exactly what a couple of workaholics like us need to start off the coming year. :)

Last year was my first New Years on this blog, and I brought over the tradition of annual resolutions that I have been doing for the last eight years on a different social website. Before I kick off this year's, I want to look back and see how I did on the ones from 2010. I didn't discuss them as much as I should have on the blog, but I did look at them several times over the last year and worked on some bits of them when I could.

In 2010, I resolved to:

1. Become a 5K runner.
STATUS: Ran a 5K for St. Pats, then stopped running completely. I can't remember why I did that, but I did it again!

2. To get back to my size 10s.
STATUS: HAHAHAHAHA. (Damn.) Next!

3. Go paperless. It's time to get that office finally cleaned up.
STATUS: This has been 95% achieved. I am still not sure what to do with certain important papers that do still need filing and whatnot, but our finances are completely electronic.

4. A New Self-Improvement Project, this time for my brain not my body.
STATUS: As tends to happen with the last-minute comment or resolution, this one turned out to be the thing that consumed all of me this year. I didn't go back to school which is what I thought this resolution would lead to, but the new job has been all about learning new things and stretching my brain and my potential in all kinds of ways.

Addendum: I had mentioned on my other journal that another resolution was that I wanted to grow out my hair to a sleek bob. I promptly forgot about that one, but that is exactly what I ended up doing after all!



So, now it it the moment of truth: what are my resolutions for 2011? Let me give you a hint:



This delectable bowl of fruit is sitting in my fridge right now, a timely Christmas gift from Shopping Friend. It is just the final nudge I needed to make the switch from Medifast to Weight Watchers, which is something you guys know I've been contemplating for a while. I still have about a month of MF food so I might switch back in February or March if I am feeling the need to do a jump-start, but the call of citrus fruit, hearty homemade soups, whole grains, and roasted vegetables is too strong. Winter months always make me want to cook, so cook I shall. I've got makings for bacon-wrapped turkey meatloaf, roasted Brussels sprouts, shrimp cocktail (leftovers for salads and sandwiches), chicken sausage and cabbage and mushrooms, and a wonderful broccoli cheese chowder (5 points a serving on the new plan) nestled in the fridge next to the fruit bowl and a box of clementines.

Here are my formal resolutions:

1. Get Healthy. I've been inching toward (and away from) the goal for years: I've quit smoking, I've lost and gained weight, I've tried various exercise routines. I have gotten myself better about going to the doctor and getting regular checkups. This year I want to keep chipping away at the weight, work on finding a permanent exercise habit, and getting my butt in a dentist's chair.

You will note I am not specifying how I will do the weight loss or the exercise. I'm going to explore lots of options this year, and be open to trying new things. I just have to find the one that clicks and STAYS in my life!

2. Get my (literal) house in order. We aren't selling for a long, long time, but we need to do some work nonetheless. The shower needs regrouting, the basement crack needs sealing, the hot water heater needs replacing. I need to refinance! Plus a few fresh coats of paint here and there wouldn't hurt. This will be a spring and summer projects; I've been socking away money for this for years, it's time to spend it.

3. Keep evolving Low Fat Dressing. I really love doing this; it's a great creative outlet for me, and a wonderful source of self-esteem boosts when I need them most. I think everyone needs to hear at least one compliment a day; this is how I get mine! :)

I want to grow the blog more, but I am talking more about content and relatability. Growing my audience or making it a profitable venture aren't my goals; I have a great group of regular readers, and I love all that you contribute to LFD. Your enthusiasm, ideas, and general awesomeness make this worth it for me. The part I do want to evolve more is the content of what I write; I only have time for one post a day, so if I do an outfit one I can't really talk in depth about anything else. I'm going to use my draft feature more, and maybe skip a day or two a week (or double up in posts) in outfits, so I can cover topics like weight loss, food and recipes, self-esteem, etc like I would like to.

I am not, despite my friend Annie's smart-ass plea, going to start dressing up my cats for the blog. Sorry, m'dear!

4. Spend more time with my friends, face to face not just electronically. I feel like I've been neglecting everyone these last few months because I've been so stressed about work. Enough!

It's gonna be a great year, you guys. Can't you feel it in your gut?

Friday: Remix, and Dieting Weekly Wrap-up Thoughts

Just a simple remix of some current favorites:
-Red sparkly infinity scarf, Nordstrom Rack
-Cream long-sleeved layering top, Ann Taylor
-Black grandpa cardigan, Gap
-Green pattern Max Studio dress, Marshalls
-double layer of Target opaque and herringbone tights
-black Vince Camuto boots, Nordstrom

If I can only fit into one of my old dresses right now, I am glad it's this one. The colors give it so much versatility in my closet.



Been doing some shopping, but more returning. I'm sort of between things right now, not just sizes but styles. Not really sure what the problem is, but I am bored with what I have but not really enamored by what I think I would like to buy. Even LOFT is letting me down!

That said, I did pick up a gorgeous velveteen jacket from Talbots yesterday on sale. The great part is the flaps can be worn two ways, so it can look like a Minuteman coat or they can close up and button across. (Click on both photos in the link to see. Stupid Talbots makes it impossible to link by photo!) That's a great Christmas/Vegas jacket for sure!

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So I've wrapped up a couple more weeks on Medifast. It's been getting rougher to stay completely on plan since getting back from Thanksgiving, but I'm trying to do most of my day on plan and then loosening up the restrictive limits for dinner. Hubby went to his doctor last week and they discussed the pros and cons of Medifast and other diets; the doctor said even if we followed like we have been -- as opposed to a full off-plan feeding frenzy -- we should still lose weight. I haven't seen the weight loss part yet, but I am holding steady. And in the face of Christmas cookies everywhere and the work stress mounting even higher before we leave for Vegas, I am taking that as a win.

I have decided for Vegas to continue this plan: eat 3-4 MF meals a day and have one regular meal once a day. Which will include liquor if I want. I'm also going to go on a quest to find as many vegetables or fruits in my daily meals as possible; it is just too easy when eating out to Eat Like A Polack and have only starch and meat.

When I get back from Vegas, I think I am going to finish up the food I have and switch over to Weight Watchers when it's gone, probably in a month. That new PointsPlus plan is just TOO appealing to me, and I am bored sick of the MF foods. It's not even that I'm hungry or deprived, I am literally bored. It's like with the 30 in 30 Challenge, where even though I liked many of my clothes perfectly fine -- and have continued to wear and remix them in my outfits since -- I was bored silly by them. Same thing with the MF food. Tired of soup, tired of puffs, tired of hot drinks and bars and even the brownies.

I think I am ready for navel oranges, Brussels sprouts, and some meatloaf, please!

30 in 30 Challenge: Day 24

Yeah, I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, either.



I think it's because 24 days ago I couldn't tuck this shirt into these pants -- or any pants for that matter. And now I can! I'm sliding back down the scale after my Thanksgiving "pause" (tm Laura), and it is starting to show in how my clothes fit. I took a peek at the scale this morning and I am sure this week I will cross the 10-pound loss mark. Hurray!!

Truthfully, I wanted to wear the white tuxedo tunic top untucked, with this jacket and my ponte skinny pants, but the hem of the shirt looked way too messy instead of the casually chic look I wanted. I will try it again in a couple of weeks once I can wear different shirts again. But tucked, with my modern bootcuts and a great statement bead-and-ribbon AT necklace -- I loved how crisp and professional it looked without being stuffy or boring.

I may have done a little dance of glee.



Close-up shot. I still can't quite tell if the jacket is navy or black in the darker color, but the blue beads were complementary almost leaning into clashing so I am thinking it might be black. If it were navy they would have looked more matchy, don't you think?



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So glad everyone is as excited about the new WW plan as I am! The return to emphasizing real foods is the Weight Watchers I know and love, the one where I lost my weight on times 1 and 2 in my "yo yo diet" cycles. Don't worry, I have a very full box of MF foods so I am not switching until at least January or February, but I admit, I was thinking a lot about the new plan all day yesterday, and how I would fit it into my daily eating.

I know a number of readers expressed interest in joining up. Let me know if you do and how it goes! Maybe when I am ready to join we can form our own online group. :)