Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Meatloaf Dinner


I've had a break this past week.  I'm afraid that I ate what I wanted and now I'm afraid to step on the scale.  Maybe next week lol.

My mum made dinner tonight.  It was so nice to have a break from cooking and a comforting meal.  Helen's homemade meatloaf with the last of the chili sauce (better make some more soon), creamed potatoes livened up with a dash of freshly grated nutmeg and heirloom carrots.  Did you know that carrots used to be all different colours?

Soon I'll try out a new recipe for you, maybe this week.  My cousin is here for a short visit so hopefully he makes time to stop by for dinner...
Julie



Monday, July 23, 2012

Curried Rice Salad


INGREDIENTS

3 cups cooked rice
1 cup diced celery
1 cup chopped snow peas
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 finely sliced green onions
1 large cooked boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 small shrimp ring (about 2 cups)

Dressing

1/2 olive oil
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery seed

chicken was baking so not in picture
Stir all salad ingredients together.  Mix dressing ingredients together.  Stir into salad and chill.
Enjoy,

Julie

Day 1 Week 7

I've had a bunch of entertaining and party-attending going on and while I've had a great time but the end result is I gained a pound back.  I've decided a need a week to refresh and recommit to healthy eating so I'm taking a break this week.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Day 4 Week 6


Tuna casserole was dinner tonight.  Breakfast was Cheerios.  So far, so good but I went for a drive with my sister, stopped at Mirrors outside of Apsley.  We sat on the patio at gorgeous Paudash Lake, had a nice long talk, a Stella Artois draft annnnd  fish and chips.  Ok I said it.  Proves I shouldn't leave too much time between meals and I can at least feel good that I ate about 2/3s of the food on plate instead of licking it clean....

Tomorrow I plan on Cheerios for breakfast, corn on the cob with Becel margarine (not butter) for lunch, a peach for a snack and Polynesian Meatballs for dinner (cutting the recipe in half).

On Saturday, I am attending an afternoon birthday party, a 50th birthday party for all the girls that we could reconnect with from high school.  Yes High School yes 50 years old.  Some of  these girls I haven't seen for 30 years.  I'm very excited and a little bit nervous.  My memory isn't the best due to my manic depression and of course I weigh about 100 lbs more than I did then (no sorry, I only wish I was exaggerating).  Anyways, I am making a curried rice salad tomorrow to take for the potluck so I will post it.

Julie

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Day 3 Week 6


Today was a tiring day at the hospital but everything went fine with Mom's test.  I had a bagel and cream cheese and an orange juice for breakfast.  Lunch was a tomato and cheese sandwich and dinner, well, you can see we did have the salmon and salad.

Tomorrow we are planning on the tuna casserole for dinner.  I'll have to try and make breakfast and lunch a little more health conscious tomorrow.  Night,

Julie

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Day 2 Week 6

Today didn't go as planned.  Mom wasn't feeling well and couldn't face fish for dinner.  I think she may be worrying about a throat procedure she has scheduled tomorrow or maybe it is just the never ending heat and humidity.  All she wanted was a sandwich so hopefully we'll have salmon tomorrow.

I had crackers and cheese, a peach, a dish of ice cream and a veggie sub today...

Tomorrow's breakfast will probably be at Timmie's at the hospital.  (If you are not Canadian, then you may not know about Tim Horton's.  It's a coffee and donut shop that is part of the Canadian psyche.)

Julie

Chicken Pot Pie

I finally got around to throwing my chicken pot pies together.  I froze them without baking as I couldn't face putting the oven on.  The chicken was shredded from the carcass.  That was then simmered with onion and celery.  It was drained and the meat and chopped veg was added.  Potatoes, heritage carrots, yellow beans, onions, fresh corn and frozen peas were added.  It was cooked until the veg was soft.  A tsp of Worcestershire sauce added and the broth thickened with cornstarch.  Spooned into casseroles and cooled before being topped with puff pastry.  Unfortunately my puff pastry got way too soft and was almost impossible to manipulate.  It looks like a mess but will taste great and make 3 easy meals.


Julie

Monday, July 16, 2012

Day 1 Week 6


Breakfast was very indulgent today.  I started with a chocolate croissant (oh no).  So for lunch, I had a bowl (cereal sized) of grapes and dinner was ginger orange beef (recipe is on my blog).

Julie

PS I bought a hula hoop.  Let's see if I remember how to do it ;).  Should be good exercise.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Menu for Week Six

I am joining Yvonne at Stonegable's On The Menu Monday with my picks for this week.

Monday

Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday

Day 7 Week 5

I've been really struggling to eat properly.  It's so hot and humid.  It saps my energy and steals my appetite.  My mornings start well.  I had a poached egg this morning.


Then the heat gets to me and the air quality is making me gasp for breath.  The asthma gets bad and I certainly don't feel like cooking.  For lunch today, I ate a couple of the ribs from last night.  Then dinner rolls around and my plans to make chicken pot pies fall by the way side.  Way too stifling to put the oven on.  I went and picked up a few groceries.  I brought back a couple of TV dinners and some hot dogs.  I ended up having a hot dog for dinner...


Not health conscious - I know.  I'm hoping the heatwave breaks soon and I'm praying for rain.  I can report though that I've lost 7 lbs in the last 5 weeks. Although it hasn't been smooth sailing and I don't feel I have developed healthy habits yet, I am not giving up.  I feel better and my clothes are looser.  I'm wearing clothes I couldn't fit into last summer and they are loose!  Since January 1, I've lost 22 lbs and that is enough to notice a difference...

Julie

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Day 6 Week 5 - Ribfest


We had dinner at my sister's today.  It was a wickedly hot day and we spent the afternoon in her pool and then had a real summer dinner.  Ribs that she first smoked for 6 hours and then BBQ'd with Mom's sauce (recipe on blog).  She made coleslaw and I made scalloped potatoes.  Fresh bread and corn on the cob rounded out the meal.


For dessert, she made a no-bake pie.  A crust made from crushed ginger cookies and a spoon of butter, filled with vanilla pudding and topped with fresh raspberries.


I got up too late for breakfast today ;) and lunch was a tomato and cheese sandwich.  I also had a handful of crackers and cheese.  My goal of losing a pound a week is still working.



Tomorrow I'm planning a poached egg on toast for breakfast, a couple of ribs and fresh veggies for lunch and chicken pot pie for dinner.  Talk tomorrow...

Julie



Day 5 Week 5

Dinner Friday was beer can chicken, fresh green beans and broccoli salad. Otherwise I had cereal, crackers and cheese and fruit.


I made the broccoli salad from scratch.  Here`s what I did...

Ingredients


In a bowl, whisk together 2 Tbsp of mayo, the juice of one lime, 1 tsp of wine vinegar, 1 tsp of honey, 2 Tbsp of sunflower seeds, 2 Tbsp of raisins and 2 Tbsp of finely minced onions.  Toss with 3 to 4 cups of broccoli florets and cool before dinner.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.



Plans for dinner Saturday have changed.  I was going to make chicken pot pies and I will do so but they will be for Sunday now.

In Peterborough, Ribfest is on this weekend.  I won`t be attending  not just the calories but the crowds prevent me.  My sister, Connie decided this afternoon we would have our own Ribfest.  She is going to slowly smoke ribs all day and then finish them upon the BBQ with homemade sauce.  I`m making scalloped potatoes (recipe on a prior post) and am just heading out to the market to buy some nice fresh corn too.  I hope the weather holds out  (right now it's a scorcher) and we can spend the afternoon in the pool.  Have a nice weekend!

Julie

Friday, July 13, 2012

Day 4 Week 5



I didn't post yesterday because I was under the weather - it was a scrambled egg and toast kind of day.  This morning I had Cheerios for breakfast and it was lunch out with the girls and I was tempted by the bacon and eggs.  Tonight I made up for it with a warm steak salad.  Half of a thinly sliced BBQ'd strip loin steak is arranged over lots of fresh assorted lettuce leaves.  It is topped with a carmelized slice of sweet onion and 4 sliced and sauteed mushrooms.  The salad dressing is mixed together and warmed for 30 seconds in the microwave before being drizzled over the steak.  Just delish!

Salad Dressing for Two

juice of one lime
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp honey
1 minced clove of garlic



Dinner plans for the rest of this week:

Friday is Beer Can Chicken, green beans from my garden and broccoli salad.
Saturday is chicken pot pie.
Sunday is Ginger Beef Stir Fry.

Julie

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Update

Rough Weekend

Did you think I dropped off the face of the earth or off my healthy eating plan so disastrously that I can't face you??  Good news - it was neither of those things.  I have been very busy with house guests and day trips and meals out and just haven't had the time to stay in touch.  Also, I didn't want to take pictures of all the things I've eaten lately - butter tarts, ice cream cones, cookies, prime rib beef dip sandwiches with fries, and Red Lobster's creamy crab fettuccine (not to mention the alcoholic drinks).  However, I did employ portion control and for almost every unhealthy thing I ate, I decided how much I wanted and then I halved it.  The result is I didn't gain any weight (I didn't lose any) but I didn't gain!


Right now that is enough to make me happy.  I'll get back on track and plan some meals and let you know...


(PS the picture above is my brother's cat, Kitty.  She's on a diet too.  I think that's why she looks so glum)

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Day 3 Week 4

I didn't write yesterday because I was too hot!  It was a hot, humid, muggy kind of day and I just didn't have the heart to stick to my menu planning when it meant turning the oven on.  I started out well - having a banana for breakfast and lunch at Sandy's - fruit, veggies & dip, cheese and lettuce rolls with ground pork and vegetable matchsticks.  Tasty and healthy, but then I couldn't face turning on the oven for dinner.  We ended up having take-out chicken sandwiches and take-out sucks!

So today I'm back on track - Cheerios for breakfast.



I decided to put the oven on at lunch while I had the air-conditioning running (I know, I know - not very eco-conscious).  We had cheese souffle with tender young spinach and arugula drizzled with mango vinegar.


This is the best cheese souffle recipe I've tried yet.  It's on Sharon's blog and you should try it too.  I'll be using this recipe from now on.

Dinner was won ton soup.  I went to Minh's grocery downtown this afternoon and bought some pork and leek won tons that I cooked in chicken broth with sliced green onion.  Very tasty food today.  I need some more fruit and vegetables and will do a little grocery shopping tomorrow.



I'm having cereal again tomorrow for breakfast and I'm planning on meeting friends for lunch.  We are having a BBQ hamburger with tomato and onion and a little salad.  Maybe some fruit for dessert.

My sister Cathy is coming for a visit and they are taking us out for dinner on Friday.  We'll go to the farmer's market on Saturday morning and I'll consult Cathy about the menu as I know she is having some gall bladder problems and we wouldn't want to aggravate them.

Julie

Monday, July 2, 2012

Holiday's Over

I haven't taken pictures of my meals today but it wasn't too bad.  Just the last day of my holiday weekend and it is time to regroup.  The good news that I've lost 20 lbs so far.  I am only providing a menu until Friday.  My sister, Cathy and her husband are coming on Friday for a few days of holidays.  We will go to the market on Saturday and plan a menu based on what is fresh.

Tuesday
Breakfast - Cheerios
Lunch - ?  playing Rummi-Cube with the girls
Dinner - Cheese Souffle with salad

Wednesday
Breakfast - Cheerios
Lunch - Herb Omelette
Dinner - Chipotle Chicken with Rice

Thursday
Breakfast - Cheerios
Lunch - Salad Plate
Dinner - Salmon with Brown Rice and Beans

Friday
Breakfast - Cheerios
Lunch - Wonton Soup
Dinner - Warm Steak Salad

Julie

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Canada Day

BREAKFAST

LUNCH (turkey sandwich)

DINNER (chicken wings & potato salad)
HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!

Julie