This Week's Menu

I made roasted red pepper hummus yesterday, sort of the traditional way with tahini and chickpeas. This is a go-to afternoon snack for me, alternated with Laughing Cow low-fat cheese wedges with crackers or crudite.  I skipped the extra oil and garlic ( more by mistake) and substituted lime for lemon juice. I added my favorite new spice - smoked paprika (I'm in love). Today I made smoked turkey tenderloin ( marinated in vinegar, smoked paprika and poultry seasoning), pickled beets from my garden and brown rice. I was thrown off by a forgotten lunch meeting after church and an overly busy Saturday. So I have to cook something else tomorrow to last me through the week. Preparation is definitely key to success in weight loss.

Reality Bites

I examined the photos of the last post and realized what some overweight people deal with  - a warped view of reality. I didn't think of myself as fat; I didn't see the rolls of back fat between my upper arms and shoulders. Wow! I am amazed at the level of self-deception.

The Slowest Loser, Week 2

I lost 1 lb. this week. That's to be expected for the second week, even though I really should be weighing on Sunday since that's when I started this diet. Anyway, I also thought it would be good to snap a few "before" pictures to encourage me along the way and to cement in my mind where I do not want to return. All in all, I feel good about my progress.
I apologize for the orientation of the photos; I don't know how to rotate them.

The Weight-loss Countdown

Okay, mea culpa. I started this blog because I was going to share random thoughts and pearls of wisdom with you, but alas, it seems I don't have much to say unless you make the mistake of asking me a question. I keep telling myself to repent to little avail. I am once again promising to do better.

Toward that end I am exposing some very personal information. For those of you old enough to remember, Clairol used to have a commercial with a tag line of "Only her hairdresser knows for sure," referring to hair dye. When it comes to my weight, only my doctor knows for sure, well, up to now. Now you and my Weight Watcher staff will know as well.

I weighed in last Saturday, July 31st. My weight was.....wait for it, wait...218.6 - that's pounds not ounces. In December 2002, when I weighed in I weighed 222. I obtained Lifetimer status in April 2004 after losing over 50 pounds. So in 6 years I have regained nearly every one of those hard-earned lost pounds.

I have a co-worker who has done so well with weight-loss lately that it encouraged me to get back up on the horse. But this time I am sharing my journey with you. Every loss and perhaps every gain.

So today, I weighed in and have lost 3.4 lbs. my first week. That's not as good as I expected for the first week, but, hey, I'll take it. Perhaps, zumba classes and aqua fitness helped.

Anyway, I am going to be here at least once a week. I promise. This is more for me than you, I suspect. But if this helps someone, pass it on. Stay with me. I need you.

Ms. Fix-It

I attended a Ms. Fix-it Fair today and it was awesome. It was held at Bluegrass Community & Technical College from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm today (April 24, 2010). Wow!! I'll just tell you up front that we can do what the guys do in so many circumstances. One vendor I met there was Tomboy Tools. All the tools had pink handles; the first thing the woman said was, "they (men) won't take these tools from you." Michelle Bernard offers all kinds of tools for ladies and even has in-home parties. How cool is that? Now that's a party I'd attend. And yes, I am entertaining the idea of hosting one.

I attended:
Simple Electrical Repairs
Granny's Home Remedies
Measure and Install Blinds
Caulking Tile and Tips
Introduction to Doors and Hardware
Home Repair Basics

Granny's Home Remedies gave a lot of home cleaning and yard ideas that use natural solutions. One idea that none of us believed involved keeping flying insects out of your house. Hang a plastic baggie filled with water near your doorway. I know! What???

It's tough to pick a favorite so I'll just say that the doors and hardware one was a little above my pay-grade but the other ladies asked some in-depth questions, so even that session was worthwhile. And I learned one small thing about the "floor-plate" that I didn't even know existed.

There were lots of give-aways and door prizes. My sister won one. Darn. Since I was the second person to arrive, I think my name was too far to the bottom of the jar.
The hit among the give-aways was a caulking gun; you would have thought the jam-packed room of women had received a bouquet of flowers or a new pair of shoes.

I also got a ruler, measuring tape (the retractable type), tools apron, a see-through ruler and lots of tips.

This fair was the fourth one held, so if you get the chance you must attend.

Spring Break, Part One

My daughter came home for spring break but before coming she gave me her menu requests: cranberry bran muffins, cheese and salami loaf, and quiche. Keep in mind she is capable of cooking these things for herself. Alas, what's a mother to do? I guess it just tastes better if mom cooks it.

She brought a friend home with her - Jessica, who is originally from Columbia (the country not the city in Kentucky). Jessica is just a slip of a woman as you can see.





I took off the Friday before and the Monday after she came. I made the muffins on Friday, cooked paella for a welcome home party on Saturday and made the s&c loaf on Monday. Anyway, Jessica wanted to see a few sites around town on Monday, but everyone was moving really slowly Monday morning. So while I was waiting for them to get ready I made one loaf. After spending most of the day site-seeing and getting pedicures, we returned home. While I had my back turned making a salad, the two young ladies ate nearly all of the loaf. I barely got a slice. Jessica who is just a slip of a woman, ate the most!!! Oh well, I take that as a compliment. I had to make another loaf that night.

Playing Catch Up

Today's post is a hodge-podge of information because it's been so long since my last post.

My nephew got married in St. Louis on November 7th. The day was unseasonably warm so the trip and the day was a pleasure. My Aunt Bettye wanted to make the trip with my sister, my niece and me so we drove from Lexington to Owensboro to pick her up, first, and then we drove from there to St. Louis. It was a fun trip because anytime you get my sister and Aunt Bettye in the same room, it becomes a segment of "The Queens of Comedy." We even entertained at the rehearsal dinner and reception. We were the talk of the wedding. Here are a few pictures from the event.


My sister-in-law(mother of my nephew) and friend of the family.


From left, my niece Becky (sister of the groom), me, the bride's mother and Aunt Bettye. It's pictures like this that reveal to me how badly I need to lose a few.



My sister and the bride.

Another niece with her back to my camera, taking pictures.

The groom and his nephew.

Lena, aunt of the groom along with the bride and groom.

Proud mother and groom.


The wedding site. I think the hall was a tribute to American Indians. It resembled the structure of domed meeting lodge and there were artifacts in few places within the hall.


Then there was Thanksgiving Day. I cooked homestyle green beans, roasted brussel sprouts, cranberry mold and caramel apple layer cake. The cake is a Rachel Ray recipe and it is to die for. There is applesauce in the cake but the middle layer is sauteed sliced apples, brown sugar and cream. Yum, yum.


Our office decided to have grazing on Thursday, December 17th, to celebrate Christmas. I made cheese and salami loaf. This stuff is just plain ol' lip-smacking, finger-licking good. Guys particularly love it and it's pretty easy to make. Here are pictures and the recipe.




Cheese and Salami Loaf

1/2 lb. Swiss cheese
1/2 lb. Genoa salami
1 pkg. yeast (not fast-acting)
1 cup warm water
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
3 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, salt and flour ( 1 cup at a time) using an egg beater. Knead dough until it is no longer sticky. Let rise 1 hour.
Divide in 2. Knead again. Roll out with a rolling pin. Brush with beaten egg. Spread salami and cheese. Roll up and tuck ends. Let rise 15 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes on a cookie sheet.

Note: I rarely make the bread anymore. Just buy frozen loaf dough, let it thaw and proceed from there. What could be easier?