The "A Little Bit of This and That" Blog

Low Carb Pita Crisps

2010-02-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

1 Joseph's Oat Bran and Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour Pita Bread
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Brush pita halves with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic powder on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about five minutes. WATCH THESE CLOSELY while cooking- because they are thinner than regular pita breads they cook faster. Tonight one half was done in five minutes while the other half took another minute and a half. So just watch them carefully so they don't burn!

Serves 1

Calories: 185
Carbs: 9
Sugars: 0.35
Dietary Fiber: 4.15
Net Carbs: 4.85

Served with Cedar's Oringinal Hommus:

Serving size: 2 tablespoons
Calories: 60
Carbs: 5 grams
Sugars: 1 gram
Dietary Fiber: 1 gram
Net Carbs: 4 grams

You can also use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray in place of the olive oil to reduce the calories. Keep in mind that a tablespoon of this is 60 calories.

Total counts for pita bread crisps with Hommus:

Calories: 245
Carbs: 14
Sugars: 1.35
Dietary Fiber: 5.15
Net Carbs: 8.85

Low Carb "Cocktail Sauce" for shrimp

2010-02-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

Low Carb Cocktail Sauce:

2 tablespoons of Walden Farms Calorie Free Tomato Ketchup
1 tsp of Woeber's horseradish
1 tsp of tomato paste
1/8 tsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix well and enjoy with as much shrimp as your heart desires! :D

Serves 1

Calories: 25
Carbs: 2
Sugar: 1.5
Fiber: 0

Low Carb Cheese "Crackers"

2010-02-13T11:55:00.001-08:00

I found this recipe on the Low Carb Friends Message Board on Netrition.com. I believe the recipe is from a poster named LindaSue. Most low carbers are always looking for something that tastes like bread or crackers as we miss some of those foods while eating on this plan. Anyhow, LindaSue found a genius way to make cheese into crackers to which I eat with either tunafish salad or chicken salad. Remember- don't make more than 2 oz worth as you're not supposed to have more than 4 oz of cheese a day or it could stall your weight loss! These are VERY addicting- my husband didn't know they were just made of cheese and wanted more of them and he's not on a low carb diet!

These crackers are also great on Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure Diet as they have no sugar or carbs in them! Anyhow, here is the recipe for low carb crackers:

Low Carb "Crackers:

2 pieces of American Cheese, quartered

Quarter the American Cheese slices so that you get 8 pieces total. On a microwave safe plate, place on a silicon baking sheet or parchment paper (DO NOT USE WAX PAPER!. Place the cheese slices on the baking sheet or parchment paper keeping the slices spread out a little. Microwave on regular power for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Let cool for about 30 seconds, then flip over the cheese slices and cook for another 30 seconds. Let cool for about five minutes. Enjoy with chicken salad, ham salad, egg salad, or just alone. You can use other cheese as well- just separate into small mounds on the silicon baking sheet or parchment paper. Follow the same directions as above. Makes 8 crackers.

"Almost Peanut Brittle" Low Carb No Sugar Candy

2010-02-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

This is a tasty little treat for those doing low carb diets or are just watching their sugar intake but miss the taste of peanut brittle. It is softer than peanut brittle but it tastes really yummy! I recommend that you don't double the recipe as you may not be able to stop eating them! Very easy to make and portable so long as you don't leave them in a hot area. Also a great way to get in your coconut oil as many low carbers have 2-4 tablespoons of this healthy oil a day.

This candy is also great for those who are doing Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure diet!

"Almost Peanut Brittle" Low Carb Low Sugar Candy

2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon of Splenda Light Brown Sugar Substitute
1/2 tsp. Torani Sugar Free Vanilla syrup

2 oz (56 grams)of unsalted peanuts

2 small cupcake holders

Mix first three ingredients and cook in microwave for 1 minute. Stir and mix well. Cook in microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir in peanuts, mix well. Divide the candy mixture into the 2 small cupcake holders. Put in the refrigerator or a cool place for about an hour or until hardened. Enjoy!!!! Makes 2 candies.

Calories per candy: 285
carbs per candy: 7 grams
Fiber per candy: 2 grams
sugars per candy: 0
net carbs per candy: 5

Chia Seeds Chocolate Candies

2010-02-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

Low carb dieters will delight in these if they are trying to get more fiber in their diets and only count net grams of carbs instead of regular carbs. This is also a great recipe for those who are doing the Belly Fat Cure by Jorge Cruise as they have no sugars in them- not even for the entire recipe!

If your sick of eating chia seeds in the gel form or in dips, yogurts, and salad dressings- this might be a nice change for you. It is very easy to make and are portable once they have hardened (so long as they are not in a hot place- keep them at room temperature or cooler!)

Chia Seeds Chocolate Candies:

2 tablespoons of coconut oil
2 tablespoons of baking cocoa
2 packets of Stevita (a natural sweetener in place of sugar)
1 tsp of Torani Sugar Free Vanilla syrup

3 tablespoons of Chia seeds

2 large cupcake holders to hold candies in

Mix and microwave the first four ingredients on regular power for 1 minutes. Stir very well and heat again for another 30 seconds. Add in the Chia seeds and mix very well. Pour into two large cupcake holders and chill in the refrigerator or in a cool place for at least an hour or until hardened. Makes two candies.

Nutrition per candy:

213 calories, 8.6 grams of carbs, 5.8 grams of dietary fiber, 2.8 grams of net carbs, 0 sugars

2009-11-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

My title

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Improve your career options by attending an online college or online university.

2009-11-22T07:05:00.000-08:00

Orange Pie Delight

2009-11-21T20:38:00.000-08:00

This is a favorite at my house. Both my youngest daughter and I love oranges but were discouraged when we couldn't find any orange pie recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas. So I made up one of my own, to which many orange loving family members and friends love and ask me to make this for family/friends gatherings! It's a very easy, no bake pie to boot! Well, you do have to bake the Keebler pie crust for five minutes with an egg white, heh heh. Anyway, here is the recipe:

Orange Delight Pie

1 Keebler Grahame Cracker crust, baked with an egg white and cooled completely

1 tablespoon powdered sugar
3 ounces cream cheese, softened

Combine the powdered sugar and cream cheese. Spread on the bottom of the prepared and cooled Keebler Grahame cracker crust.

2 navel oranges, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

Place orange pieces on the cream cheese mixture.

For topping glaze:

In a saucepan, cook the following until a thick glaze forms, on 6/7 heat (medium high:

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Light Karo Syrup
1 cup water
3 tablespoons of Orange Jello mix
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons of cornstarch

Cool glaze. Spread on top of orange filling, then chill in the refrigerator for at 4-6 hours before eating.

Enjoy!

Chia Seeds- can they help you lose weight and get healthy at the same time?

2009-11-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

Last week in First Magazine, I read a column by Louise Gittleman, Ph.D. on page 22 (December 7, 2009) issue on how Chia Seeds can help you lose weight. She stated that not only can you lose weight (I'll show you how below with the Chia Seeds) but that they are very high in omega-3's- even more than flaxseed. I looked up the nutritional content of the Chia Seeds just to see how healthy these seeds are and here is the breakdown:

(from http://www.nutritiondata.com)

Serving size: 28 grams (2 tablespoons)
Calories: 137
Total fat: 9 grams
Total Carbohydrate: 12 grams
Dietary Fiber: 11 grams
Protein: 4 grams

They are a very good source of calcium with a daily value of 18%. Another nice bonus is that you get 42% of your daily intake of fiber! They're also good in good fats- polyunsaturated fat is 6.5% and monounsaturated fat is .6%. It is also high in phosphorous (27%) and maganese (30%)as well as Omega-3's (4915 mg) and Omega-6's (1620 mg) fatty acids.

The only drawback is if you are on a calorie counting diet you have to obviously add this in your daily count. When making the gel you end up using 1/3 of a cup of the seeds which should last you at least two days perhaps three after you've added the water. So keep in mind that 1/3 of a cup of chia seeds will add an additional 242-363 calories per day to your daily calorie count. It may seem like a lot but if the gel helps fill you up and you eat a balanced healthy diet for the rest of your calories it will definitely be worth it! Below is how to make this weight loss gel:

To help with the weight loss, you simply do this:

add 1/3 of a cup of Chia seeds to 2 cups of cold water. Whisk or stir well. Wait another 15 minutes and whisk or stir again. Leave in refrigerator for 12 hours so that the seeds and water become a gel. I didn't have a whisk and stirring them didn't seem to do much, so I put mine in a container and shook the hell out of it, then waited the 15 minutes and did it again. It started gelling then which proved to me that there has to be something to this because it was forming right before my eyes.

Today I ate a total of 1 cup of this mixture- half a cup before lunch and half of a cup before dinner. It does indeed cut down on your appetite, especially if you wait another 15-30 minutes before you eat your meal after consuming the gel. I found that out when I ate my dinner meal- I had eaten the gel about a half an hour before my dinner and found that I wasn't as hungry as I usually am during dinner.

The taste? It wasn't too bad really. Very plain tasting, and as one person had written on their blog, the gel kind of looks like frog eggs (I said eggs, not legs!). I might try adding a little bit of cottage cheese tomorrow to my lunch gel to see if it helps give it a bit of flavor as it takes a few minutes to eat it. One could add it to yogurt or a smoothie, but that would add additional calories to it, to which would be the only drawback. However, if you ate it with your oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast it will definitely fill you up and perhaps make it taste better. I am going to try doing this with other foods just because it really is tasteless. Still, if it works I'll eat it plain for the rest of my life!

Oh and where to buy Chia Seeds? I bought mine off of Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes who sell Chia seeds as well as other wonderful raw health foods and supplements. Angela Stokes lose 160 pounds from eating raw foods- good for you, Angela!

You can purchase them right here at their website:

Good luck with your weight loss journey, and here's to yours and my health!

Lack of Iodine can cause weight gain?

2008-03-26T04:54:00.000-07:00

I've been reading up on this, as my thyroid is known to pop up from time to time. I've been tested several times over the years for hypothyroid, and the tests come back borderline every time. Not low enough to go on medication, but enough that there is a slight problem.

When I asked for a solution, the doctors just said diet and exercise. Okay, sure. Makes sense, until you've done it for years- from counting calories, adding fiber, cutting down on fats and carbohydrates, with minimal results and VERY SLOW results.

So, I've decided, after doing some very extensive research, to do an experiment. I'm going to eat 30 grams of carrots, then drink a glass of water with 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoons of iodized salt twice a day, to see if it has any effect on my weight loss. You may ask, why the carrots? Well, you need vitamin A to help absorb the iodine. Raw carrots is easy for me to prepare quickly. You can also add iodized salt to sweet potatoes or spinach, just make sure you spread out the amount of vitamin A to balance the iodine, which is what I'm doing, if you decide to join me in this experiment.

Now, don't go crazy and buy a bunch of Vitamin A and Iodine supplements, as too much of a good thing can have the opposite effect and make you sick! You have to be careful with some of the supplements out there- some of them have way over the daily value needed for good health. One must be vigilant even with supplements, research, research, research before adding any extra supplements to your body! For instance the Vitamin B 12 that I use I split in half, because it's way too much needed for the day. Even though reports have said that there's no danger to ingesting too much, I wouldn't be so sure about that. Too much of one vitamin can mess up the absorption of another vitamin or mineral, so again, read and research, before adding anything to your daily diet. I get enough vitamin A daily from carrots, spinach, and sweet potatoes, so I don't need to add a Vitamin A supplement.

I'm just testing to see if getting 100% iodine daily from the Iodized salt along with the total of 60 grams of carrots will have any effect on my weight. I've heard from a couple of other friends that they had to increase their iodine a bit because of their thyroid and weight gain. My doctor never told me to do the same, but then again, anytime I seem to ask what I can do to help speed up my weight loss, it's always the same answers- eat a balanced diet and exercise. So, this is my first day trying my experiment. I will update in the comments section how it's working, if I feel better, and if I've lost more weight because of this.

For more information about this topic, read the following articles:

http://www.naturalnews.com/008902.html
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=69
http://www.holistic-iodine.info/iodine/iodine.php

Stay tuned.

Spaghetti Squash a new staple in my diet

2008-03-14T22:57:00.001-07:00

I had never had Spaghetti Squash before, until I read about it at 3 Fat Chicks.com's message board a couple of months ago. I finally decided to try it and see what the fuss was all about. This pasta lover never expected to enjoy using it as a replacement for the real spaghetti, but I must say, I really love it! I wouldn't say it tastes like spaghetti, but it is an alternative to it for someone counting calories and carbs.

The Spaghetti Squash absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients you cook with it, as it is mild in flavor. After I am done cooking it in the microwave, I get rid of the seeds, add a layer of spaghetti sauce then top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and bake in a 350 oven for 40 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. I usually have a wheat roll with it along with some veggies if I eat it during dinner. For lunch, I just usually have a wheat roll with it, and it's a nice change from sandwiches or salads. It is delicious, and my two youngest kids love it!

You can also use reduced fat shredded Mozzarella or Cheddar cheese in place of the parmesan cheese. Add some leftover Easter ham and make a cheese sauce to go over it, bake in a 350 oven for 30-40 minutes- yummy!

The only pain of cooking a Spaghetti Squash is getting all the damn seeds out of it before you scrape it with a fork to turn it into "spaghetti". Otherwise, this veggie is on the top of my list of diet foods that I highly recommend!

Astrology Today:

2008-03-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hey dumbass- when you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning I bet you didn't think that this day was going to be so miserable. Have a glass of wine and a hot bath tonight- no, wait, knowing your luck the wine will make you drunk and you'll drown in the tub falling asleep from the wine. That's just the kind of luck you're having today. Tomorrow promises to be better, honest.

Lavash Bread (Pita Bread, Tortilla) Pizza

2007-07-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Here in New England, we're lucky to get some yummy pitas and wraps by a comany called Joseph's. Their Joseph's Flax, Oatbran, Whole Wheat Flour Lavash Bread is a staple in our diet- one sheet of it is 100 calories.

Last night, I decided to try and make pizza with it, as I was hunkering for it. This is what I used:

1 sheet Lavash bread- they are 10 inches by 9 inches- big pizza all for you
1/4 cup Prego Three Cheese Spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup Reduced Mozzarella cheese
2 cups of mushrooms, cooked in onion powder with a couple of sprays of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray

I baked it in a 375 degree oven for 8 minutes, and it was absolutely delicious and FILLING! All for 365 calories, just under my 400 calories that I allot myself for each meal. If you just have cheese pizza only, it's 335 calories per pizza.

Tonight, I am going to try it with a slice and a half of Oscar Mayer 98% Fat Free Smoke Ham and one pineapple ring, crushed for an additonal 15 calories more than the 2 cups of mushrooms! I love Hawaiin pizza, so I am looking forward to dinner tonight. That will total to 380 calories tonight, and I plan on having some sugar snap peas on the side for an additional veggie (I just love those snap peas raw- I could eat a whole bag of them in one sitting, if I let myself ).

Just thought I'd share with you all. Enjoy!

Looking for an indoor track in New Hampshire... HAHA

2007-06-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

Of course, the nearest indoor track closest to me that is open to the community is over an hour and fifteen minutes away. I've searched everywhere in New Hampshire, and that's the closest one near me. There is a mall in Bedford that supposedly allows mall walking before the mall opens for the day, but two problems exist for me: 1. too far away 2. I don't feel like walking the mall in the morning! Oh, and forget about walking the mall when it's open- all those people walking into you, and not to mention the temptation to buy things you don't really want or need.

If I had the money, I'd set up an indoor track for folks to use for walking, jogging, and running indoors and then afterwards, folks could go swimming in the indoor pool and relax in the hot tub or sauna. Take a nice, hot shower afterwards. Forget the exercise machines, give me a walking track!!!! I don't want to lift weights. I don't want to ride the elliptical- my youngest daughter has one, and the longest I last on it is 2 minutes, due to the fact it kills my knees. Treadmills are boring. I don't mind the exercise bikes, but they, too, get boring. Biking around an indoor track, on the other hand, might be fun!

Give me a nice track, with some visuals around it to feel like you're outdoors. Grow a garden there, have some butterflies flying around. Have a rock garden with a flowing brook around it and a waterfall at another area. Maybe have the sound of birds on speakers (I don't recommend having birds in my indoor track in case they, er, crap on you while you're walking. Not to mention, they need to be fed and cared for. A nice tape of them chirping softly in the background is good enough for me, for those who don't bring their walkmans.

How nice it would be, in the winter time up here, to be able to put on a pair of shorts and a T shirt, put on your Sony Walkman to your favorite music and just be able to walk in peace, warmth and safety. Who feels like walking in the bitter cold during the winter, especially at night? Winter brings earlier sunsets, and it sucks for folks who's only chance to exercise is at that time. It can be very scary for a woman to walk alone anywhere at night, even though it is my favorite time of the day to walk.

Why aren't there more indoor tracks for folks to use? And why do those places that have them close down early?

Ah, if I only had some money.........dream, dream, dream!

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray has calories and fat!

2007-06-06T01:23:00.000-07:00

Folks, be careful and make sure you read the labels VERY carefully before using certain "low" or "no" calorie foods in abundance. I made the mistake of using the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray, ICBINB spray for short, in all of my recipes replacing all butter and margarine, thinking I was saving calories and fat. Come to find out, it almost as bad as butter or margarine in high quantities!

A bottle of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray has over 900 calories and 90 grams of fat! One teaspoon has 20 calories and 2 grams of fat. A tablespoon has 60 calories and 6 grams of fat! I was using two tablespoons (120 calories, 12 grams of fat- eek!) of ICBINB spray in place of the oil for popcorn while microwaving it, as it gives it a nice buttery taste. I thought there was no calories, so I didn't hesitate using it generously on foods like popcorn, to get my butter taste. Imagine my surprise when I found out my 120 calorie snack doubled and had accumulated 12 grams of fat along the way, using the spray in that quantity! YIKES! No wonder I wasn't losing any weight replacing butter and margarine with the spray. Shame on me for not investigating the ingredients.

Hopefully, you all already know this, and I am the only dolt out here that was foolish enough to think that the entire bottle would be calorie and fat free. I mean, why don't they specify on the bottle that there IS calories and fat after a certain amount of sprays? Even just list one teaspoon is the equivalent to 20 calories and 2 grams of fat so people are aware that there is indeed calories and fat in it the more you use it. Folks like me, who missed the memo that there was oil in there (well, duh, what else would be in there!), do foolish things like replacing butter and margarine in everything they cook, thinking they were safe from excess fat and calories.

Now, I'm not saying not to use it- it still is a heck of a lot better than spreading a mound of butter on your toast or corn on the cob. Just make sure you don't go beyond the "5 sprays", or the calories will start to add up. Keep in mind, 12.5 sprays is 10 calories and 1 gram of fat, and that one tablespoon of ICBINB spray is 60 calories and 6 grams of fat, as noted above. It still is much better than butter at 102 calories and 11 grams of fat per tablespoon or margarine at 90-99 calories and also 10-11 grams of fat per tablespoon. Just make sure you don't spray hoards of it on, or you won't benefit from it at all. :)

Wendie Plan in Calories and Points

2007-05-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

Many folks, including myself, hit weight loss plateaus. Very frustrating indeed! You get on a roll, lose a certain amount of weight, then......nothing. You workout longer, watch every morsel, and perhaps you even cut out a few more calories everyday, and still, nothing works.

What to do? Well, one afternoon, I was looking for an answer to my dilemma, anything to help me get the weight off again, even if it was just a half a pound a week. So, I went searching on the net, and I found the "Wendie Plan". Those who are on Weight Watchers may be familiar with her plan. However, I am not on Weight Watchers, preferring to count calories myself. So, using the Wendie Plan, I figured out how many calories are equal to Weight Watchers points, and have decided to try and see if it works. Others who are counting calories have tried this method with very good success. I am going to try it myself, and chart my progress.

For those who, like myself, would like to just know what this method is in calories only, I have created a chart below that lists the Weight Watchers points and the equivalent of calories on the Wendie Plan. I am going to have my Super High Days on Sundays, as that is the one day a week our family has a sit down dinner, or goes out to eat when we're doing something together or visiting family or friends.

I'm hope this point/calorie conversion will help you out! Please let me know how you're doing on this, if you're following the Wendie Plan. I'd love to hear from you! Good luck, and here's to our weight loss success!

Weight less than 150 pounds:

Day 1- 20 points, 1000 calories
Day 2- 25 points, 1250 calories
Day 3- 21 points, 1050 calories
Day 4- 35 points,1750 calories (Super High Day)
Day 5- 20 points, 1000 calories
Day 6- 24 points, 1200 calories
Day 7- 22 points, 1100 calories

Average calories per day: 1200
____________________________

Weight 150-174 pounds

Day 1- 22 points, 1100 calories
Day 2- 23 points, 1350 calories
Day 3- 23 points, 1150 calories
Day 4- 37 points, 1850 calories (Super High Day)
Day 5- 22 points, 1100 calories
Day 6- 26 points, 1300 calories
Day 7- 24 points, 1200 calories

Average calories per day: 1300
_________________________

Weight 175-199 pounds

Day 1- 24 points, 1100 calories
Day 2- 29 points, 1450 calories
Day 3- 25 points, 1250 calories
Day 4- 39 points, 1950 calories (Super High Day)
Day 5- 24 points, 1100 calories
Day 6- 28 points, 1400 calories
Day 7- 26 points, 1200 calories

Average calories per day: 1350
__________________________

Weight 200-224 pounds-

Day 1- 26 points, 1200 calories
Day 2- 31 points, 1550 calories
Day 3- 27 points, 1350 calories
Day 4- 41 points, 2050 calories (Super High Day)
Day 5- 26 points, 1200 calories
Day 6- 30 points, 1500 calories
Day 7- 28 points, 1400 calories

Average calories per day: 1450
_________________________

Weight 225-249 pounds-

Day 1- 28 points, 1400 calories
Day 2- 33 points, 1650 calories
Day 3- 29 points, 1450 calories
Day 4- 43 points, 2150 calories (Super High Day)
Day 5- 28 points, 1400 calories
Day 6- 32 points, 1600 calories
Day 7- 30 points, 1500 calories

Average calories per day: 1600
_________________________

Weight 250-274 pounds

Day 1- 30 points, 1500 calories
Day 2- 35 points, 1750 calories
Day 3- 31 points, 1550 calories
Day 4- 45 points, 2250 calories (Super High Day)
Day 5- 30 points, 1500 calories
Day 6- 34 points, 1700 calories
Day 7- 32 points, 1600 calories

Average calories per day: 1700
_________________________

Weight 275-299 pounds

Day 1- 31 points, 1550 calories
Day 2- 36 points, 1800 calories
Day 3- 32 points, 1600 calories
Day 4- 46 points, 2300 calories (Super High Day)
Day 5- 31 points, 1550 calories
Day 6- 35 points, 1750 calories
Day 7- 33 points, 1650 calories

Average calories per day: 1750
_________________________

Weight 300-324 pounds

Day 1- 32 points, 1600 calories
Day 2- 37 points, 1850 calories
Day 3- 33 points, 1650 calories
Day 4- 47 points, 2350 calories (Super High Day)
Day 5- 32 points, 1600 calories
Day 6- 36 points, 1800 calories
Day 7-34 points, 1700 calories

Average calories per day: 1800
_________________________

Weight 325-349 pounds

Day 1- 33 points, 1650 calories
Day 2- 38 points, 1900 calories
Day 3- 34 points, 1700 calories
Day 4- 48 points, 2400 calories (Super High Day)
Day 5- 33 points, 1650 calories
Day 6- 37 points, 1850 calories
Day 7- 35 points, 1750 calories

Average calories per day: 1850
___________________________

Weight 350 pounds or more

Day 1- 34 points, 1700 calories
Day 2- 39 points, 1950 calories
Day 3- 35 points, 1750 calories
Day 4- 49 points, 2450 calories (Super High Day)
Day 5- 34 points, 1700 calories
Day 6- 38 points, 1900 calories
Day 7- 36 points, 1800 calories

Average calories per day: 1900

2006-12-10T21:18:00.001-08:00

Christmas Dinner this year

2006-12-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

Ah, one of the favorite times of this year for our family and friends is our annual Christmas dinner. Every year, I change things around on the menu, to which they all love and enjoy every year. I always make sure each person has at least one thing on the menu that they enjoy, along with new things that I add to keep it interesting.

This year, my oldest daughter, who is 15 years old, told me "Mom, I think the appetizers should be the Main Course this year! You make the best appetizers, and I'd rather have those than the turkey dinner with mashed potatoes!"

So, I decided to compromise with her, her siblings and the other kids who come for Christmas dinner, whom all agree with her. I will still keep my traditional appetizer time at 12:30 PM, dinner at 3:30 or 4:00 PM and desserts around 6:30 or 7:00 PM. However, I decided, listening to the kids and their wants this year, that I would mainly focus on the appetizers and keep the dinner to just turkey and the trimmings instead of several meats and a variety of vegetable sides. Needless to say, they're all excited- hopefully, our adult guests will be, too- although, I have no doubt they will be thrilled, as they always love the appetizers that I make every year and stuff themselves into oblivion and barely get their appetites back three hours later for dinner.

So, here is our Christmas Dinner list for this year:

Appetizers-

Sweet and Sour Kielbasa

Cocktail meatballs

Cheese, Pepperoni, Cheese spread and Crackers

Spinach pastry puffs

Shrimp cocktail

Fruit and dip (grapes- red and green, watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe and honeydew melon)

Stuffed olives (with cream cheese, a family favorite my Mom used to make!) as well as Stuffed Celery

Antipasto salad

Crab Rangoon

Shrimp toast

Juices- Eggnog, CranGrape and others

Our Dinner, which is much less than the variety that I usually have, usually with several meats and veggie side dishes:

Turkey

Mashed potatoes

Sweet potatoes

Gravy

Green bean bake

Cranberry sauce

Stuffing

Homemade bread and butter

Juices, Hawaiian Punch- red, orange

And, get this- the children all decided less pies, and more of their favorite desserts that they don't get all year long! I MUST make French Silk pie for my friend Robin and Pecan Pie for my best friend Jamie as well as myself and my husband, as well as Pumpkin Pie- one of Robin's sons loves this, so I have to make it for him:

Desserts:

French Silk pie- Robin's pie, I call this one!

Raspberry cake- for my son, who wanted this instead of his usual Blueberry pie that he loves so much!

Apple Crisp- both of my daughters wanted this AND an apple pie- I told them they had to choose between one, as there are too many damn apples to peel for both desserts. They chose the Crisp for this year. :)

Pecan Pie- a favorite of Jamie's, my husband and I- not giving this up on Christmas day!

Pumpkin Pie- a favorite of my friend Robin's son- must have this one!

Boston Cream Pie- my youngest daughter wants to have this as well, I figured why not

Cookie assortment- chocolate chip, oatmeal, Mormor’s Syltkakors and others- got to have those cookies!

Sodas- Coke, Diet Coke, Ginger Ale, coffee, tea, hot chocolate- the only time of the meal that I allow soda- I figure we all don't need to get dehydrated on Christmas day, heh heh.

Making this list out tonight, along with the grocery list, is making me hungry. :)

Hoping everyone is enjoying their Christmas season so far!

Blast from the past- the band Jigsaw

2006-12-03T23:15:00.000-08:00

Ah, the 70's- what a fun time to grow up! All kinds of music to please even the most fickle music fan. From hard rock, to soft rock, disco, and folk, many great bands made names for themselves back then that are still popular today, while others had one hit wonders, though their songs are far from forgotten.

One such "two hit wonder", if you will, band that I always loved but could never understand why they weren't as popular back then like other bands was Jigsaw. Funny, how they didn't get much press back then, nor were they considered a favorite of many, until recently. All of the sudden, it seems folks from the 70's remember the two songs this band had and claim how much they loved them! How can this be? Where was the love for this band back in the 70's when these guys, a classy band that wrote romantic ballads, put out two great hits, one of them, Sky High, and the other, Love Fire?

Another thing I don't understand, is why there is nary a mention about these guys on the internet. I mean, nada, nothing, zip. I knew of a couple of band members names, and even tried looking them up, to see if anything came up. Nothing. Why?

The only reasoning that I can come up with is that it is very possible that there were so many talented bands that emerged in the 70's, that Jigsaw got lost in the shuffle. They were a mix of soft rock and disco, so they had no main category of music that they exclusively belonged to. The drummer, who seems to be the lead singer in this band, has one of the most beautiful voices that have ever touched my ears, how he hit those notes back then without cracking is amazing to me to this day. How I wish I could have seen them live back in the day, and wish they had been more popular. Perhaps if they had had different management or promoters, maybe they would have more hits out and had been more popular.

Anyhow, for those other Jigsaw fans besides myself, I bring you their two hits from You Tube (thanks to user Billy42 and DiscoVisionSF) and Daily Motion (thanks to user xyzmikey):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOu7JlQqiaA- Original video of Sky High posted by DiscoVisionSF at You Tube, thanks, DiscoVisonSF!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vQdX-u5Iws - Sky High (the band is in the video in this one- great find, this one has the lyrics posted in the vidoe- thanks, Billy42!!!!!)

http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/search/jigsaw/video/xora1_jigsaw-love-fire - Love Fire- small introduction to the band, only pictures of the band are in this video, but hey, it's the song that counts!

Goons or no goons in Hockey?

2006-12-01T23:21:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time I ever watched a Boston Bruins game. I was four years old, and Bobby Orr was on the team along with Phil Esposito, Pie McKenzie, Gerry "Cheesy" Cheevers, Derek Sanderson, Don Marcotte, Ken Hodge, Don Awry, just to name a few. Back then, hockey was a fun and passionate game to watch. I was in awe of all these guys skating around on the ice in leather skates, a time of no helmets and very little safety equipment, trying to get a rubber disc in the net with their sticks. Passion, grit, hard work- these guys never stopped trying to score a goal, no matter what the score was or how late in the game it may be. Goalies were fair game, if they dared to wander from the crease!

Guys tried so hard to get goals, that the passion on their faces was just incredible. They would fight for that puck, if need be. Guys fought for themselves- no one had to stick up for them, there was no need for an "enforcer" aka "hockey goon". All the guys could skate, shoot, score, fight and play hockey. Many of these guys played for the love of the game, got paid peanuts and worked second jobs during the off season to help supplement their incomes, as a hockey income wasn't enough to pay the bills and feed a family all year long. Oh, and most of those guys had no front teeth by the time they were in their mid twenties. Bobby Orr, the best defenseman to ever lace up skates in the game of hockey, was the best well rounded player ever to grace the NHL. He could score goals, but also stand up for himself, he didn't need to goon to take care of business.

Now, we have what I would call a European type of style of hockey played in the NHL today. Hardly any hitting or checking is done, fighting is down from years ago, and even the role of the Enforcer, which was created to help keep the meanies away from guys like Wayne Gretzky, is being fazed out little by little.

I somewhat blame the Wayne Gretzky era along with the insurgence of the European players for this boring brand of hockey we watch today- remember Wayne, supposedly the best player in hockey? Sure, in terms of goals and assists, this guy was amazing, but was he a well rounded player? No. How many hits did Gretzky throw in his career? How many did he receive, should any player be daring enough to try to get near him without Dave Semenko charging after them, ready to pummel the player who dared engage Wayne into a physical game of hockey? Could you imagine Bobby Orr not throwing a check or fighting for himself during his tenure in the NHL? I think Bobby would rather die a thousand deaths than to have someone stand up for himself, when he was perfectly capable of doing it himself. What makes players like Wayne so special that they can't take care of business themselves, and why are they paid higher salaries than the likes of Orr and former NHLers who played a hard working, passionate game of hockey every night? Why are these guys getting paid millions of dollars every year, when all that's expected of them is to produce goals?

The Gretzky era, to me, was the turning point in hockey. Star players no longer had to play physical- somebody else would do the dirty work for them, while they just chased pucks and tried to set up other players to score. Hence, a new brand of hockey was born, and a new job position opened up for all the teams- The Enforcer. Slowly, but surely, teams were no longer playing every man for himself, as their enforcer would take care of the meanies on the opposition, at a much lower cost than the rest of the team.

I sometimes wonder the fairness of it all. Key players get paid more to put the puck in the net, while enforcers, who get their faces beaten up every night- from broken noses, black eyes, teeth knocked out, bloody lips and noses, get paid peanuts and very little playing time. Cosmetically, these guys place their looks on the back burner so players like Gretzky can look might purty out there every night, while they happily chase the puck down and try to score, without having to face one check (or throw one), never stand up for themselves, all to the tune of a high salary, often in the millions today. Truth be told, a lot of these millionaires don't earn their money every night, but that's getting off topic here, heh heh.

I was watching a game on NESN Thursday night, and they had PJ Stock, a retired former Bruin enforcer, and Ron Duguay, known more for his time on the New York Rangers (oooohhhhhhh, la la, Doogie!) on during an intermission, promoting their "Friends of Hockey" games being played in Boston. Just about every Bruin fan loved PJ for his heart, he was and still is definitely a fan favorite and probably always will be. PJ was discussing how the game is changing and that it is less passionate than from when he played in the league, which was just a mere four years ago. He acknowledged that the role of an enforcer is becoming diminished in the league now, and that some guys who have a lot of passion for the game but have limited hockey skills, are losing their jobs to more skilled players. Although I miss PJ very much in Boston, I have to admit, his limited skills were what got him demoted to the AHL, where his career ended sadly due to an eye injury in a brawl while he played for the Phantoms. We are seeing more and more skilled players on the third and fourth lines now in the NHL- that's a great thing indeed. However, we're not seeing much passion and hitting now, which is a bore for the fans.

Ron Duguay had said that even he misses the old time hockey along with the fans. Hockey has definitely changed over the years, going from hard hitting, passionate playing, fights and brawls to a more European (my opinion, not Ron Duguays!) type of hockey where there's no checking involved and barely any fights. Not appealing to many old time hockey fans like myself, to say the least, and apparently Ron and former NHLers agree with the fans.

Back to the argument- do we need enforcers? Well, many fans want the fighting in hockey. My opinion? The heck with the enforcers, make every guy earn his paycheck on the team and play passionate hockey for themselves. Never mind expecting the third and fourth liners doing all the dirty work- all players should hit, fight, and play a passionate game of hockey. If they don't, let them ride the pine and give the guys who care more about the name on the front of the jersey than on the back of the jersey play. I would much rather watch guys get into a fight while in the heat of the moment during the game, then to have two goons say at the face off "you want to go?" and then watch them drop the gloves after the face off is taken, just for the sake of fighting. I'm not saying every guy on the team has to fight, but at least throw some checks out there, and stand up for your teammates at least, if you see one being taken down unfairly or you witness one of your teammates being the recipient of a dirty and illegal check- go after that player and throw a check on them, send them message that this won't be tolerated.

That's my take on enforcers, and I'm sticking to it! :)

Have a great day!

How I love the Christmas Season- especially the lights!

2006-11-29T23:32:00.000-08:00

I've always loved Christmas. Ever since I was a child, I couldn't get enough of the lights, ornaments, Christmas Carols, Christmas cards in the mail as well as friends handing them out in school, and the good cheer that this time of year usually brings out in folks. Of course, gifts are fun, too, but that's not what Christmas is all about for me.

Seeing my Dad string up the Christmas lights outside was the highlight of the season. I would sit on the lawn some nights, and just look up at the lights, in awe. He used to smile, watching me some nights from the window, asking me when I was going to come in. Finally, he would ask me if I wanted to go for a ride and see all the lights around the neighborhood and on other streets in town. Of course, my answer was always yes! Those were the best times, just Dad and I, hot chocolate in a thermos, driving around town seeing all the different Christmas lights and displays. Sometimes, we would get out of the car and look at the displays up close outside of some churches and homes.

Then came the visits with Santa that was always something special- we went to a department store to visit Santa while having our picture taken with him. Afterwards, we would go out to dinner, do some shopping, and then go around (again) to different towns and see different homes all lit up. There was always a reason to go see Christmas lights, in my eyes!

Of course, the decorations back then were nothing even close to what we have today! I can just imagine how the little ones of today must feel, seeing a bunch of Santa's and sleighs on the lawns, Reindeers, globes with snowman, along with the lights. I don't think my poor father would have gotten me back in the car, if I had spotted a globe with a snowman out front on someone's lawn. I am buying one hopefully this year, and I am sure, knowing me, I'll sit out there one night or two and admire- surely, my Dad will be smiling from heaven, watching his 42 year old daughter still in love with the lights and sights of Christmas!

The one thing I do miss during the Christmas season, is having a real tree. Unfortunately, I found out years later that the reason why I was so sick towards the end of the Christmas season had to do with the fact that I am allergic to pine trees and the pollen on it. My mother-in-law, bless her heart, told me to try washing the tree before bringing it indoors to decorate. I tried that, but unfortunately, my resistance to pine trees is very low. It saddens me, as I love pine trees, and there's nothing like the scent and beauty of a real tree in your living room. We have two beautiful fake trees, but there just not the same, know what I mean?

Right now, all of my children are past that "awe" stage as far as Santa goes, I don't think my youngest believes in Santa anymore. :( To be honest, I miss those years very much. My youngest loves the lights as much as I do- she reminds me so much of myself as a little girl, her excitement with the lights. She, too, sits on the front lawn of our house, and looks at the lights when we first put them up. She's so funny, every night, she makes sure the lights are on for when Daddy comes home from work!

Back when all of our kids were small, we would take some hot chocolate along with a snack, and go out several times in the season to see all the different lights and decorations, and of course, they would visit Santa as well. The place we went to see Santa had a Reindeer carousal and a couple of other rides that the kids loved to go on- it was all outdoors. They no longer have this place, unfortunately- the last time they opened up was five years ago. :( My children, along with my husband and I, were bummed to hear that they were no longer doing the outdoor Christmas scene with Santa and rides, as there was a lot of memories there from past Christmas'. I can still see my oldest two kids, balling their eyes out, the first time they ever met Santa. My youngest loved him right away, and was never afraid of him like her older siblings. We have a lot of laughs about that.

We are putting up our lights on the outside next weekend. Hopefully, someone's darling little one will enjoy them as much as my children have enjoyed other folks (and ours, of course!), as well as this big old kid at the age of 42. :) I know my youngest daughter and I will sit outside on Saturday night, admiring the lights together, and I will think of my Dad and how he loved the lights and decorations as much as my daughter and I do. I just know, he will be smiling up in heaven, wondering if the two of us will ever come in from the cold. He must be proud to have one of his grandchildren share the love of Christmas that he once had when he was here with us. Merry Christmas, Daddy- I love and miss you!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season, filled with great cheer and lots of merriment!

Guns N Roses Concert- Worcester, November 8th

2006-11-29T23:28:00.000-08:00

My husband and I pondered together, just what did we want to do for our sixteenth anniversary celebration in October? As hubby and I went back and forth, thinking of the obvious outings we could go to, everything that we both suggested seemed so boring.

Dinner? Yeah, sure, why not? Movie? Nah. Bowling? No thanks, not this year. Hockey game? No, not fair to hubby, as he is a casual fan of hockey, and besides, I hate the Patriots and would never attend a football game with him, even if my life depended on it. Although, I have gone to baseball games with him and the kids, I don't mind that sport. Still, baseball season was done in Boston, so we wracked our brains, itching for something different to do this year for our anniversary.

Then, it hit me, as I was reading a message board I belong to for one of my favorite bands- how about we get tickets to see Guns N Roses? Hubby said "sure, why not? We haven't been to concert in years!"

Well, that sounded great, until my kids got wind of the idea. You see, they all love Guns N Roses, too! My son, who was going to turn 13 on November 9th, said that he would like to go, and celebrate his birthday listening to Axl bang out tunes. Both of my daughters nodded in agreement- my oldest, who just turned 15 on Nov 28th, and my youngest, who is 10 and 1/2, also said they wanted to go. So, hubby and I, who were to celebrate our anniversary late this year, by a couple of weeks, got tickets for the whole family to see Axl and his new band in their glory.

Folks thought we were nuts, bringing the kids. We heard several excuses as to why they shouldn't go, but honestly, we as a family enjoy this band, and I figured where our seats were, we wouldn't see much going on up front. I had to assure several friends that we were not getting floor seats, because of past experiences at Axl's concerts. Anyhow, we all went and had a blast!

At 11:45, Robin started the "Welcome to the Jungle" riff, the crowd jumped to its feet, screaming and clapping. We all got chills, waiting for the long intro to "Jungle" to be done, as we all wanted to see the King of GNR in person! When he finally came out on stage, and started singing, I got goosebumps all over. I don't think there was a member in the audience that wasn't on their feet, singing, clapping, and just having a great old time while Axl "sssshhhhhnnnaaaaa nnnnaaaaaa naaaaaaaaaa naaaaaaaaaaa knees knees" his way through "Jungle". "Sweet Child O Mine" had everybody singing again- I don't think, young or old, that there was one person in the audience that didn't know this song by heart, and sang loudly and proudly along with Axl.

"My Michelle" saw Sebastian "Baz" Bach making a guest appearance, joining Axl on the stage- they were awesome singing together. Sebastian Bach was the first opening act for the concert, along with Papa Roach. My kids, hubby and I weren't too crazy with Baz's opening act- we really couldn't understand a word he was singing, and when he talked to the audience, his vocabulary is very limited to mostly obscene words. Still, Baz was awesome on "My Michelle", and my kids and hubby really enjoyed Papa Roach. I had never heard of Papa Roach before, so it was new music to me. They were great, considering I had never heard of them before I got to the concert.

My son was thrilled, when at midnight, he realized he was officially 13. Smiling and singing away at this concert, he hasn't gotten over it yet, that he was there, watching Axl perform. When the show closed with "Paradise City", everyone was on their feet again (like they were most of the night, with exception to the slow songs and all the solos), singing and enjoying the last song of the evening. It went by so fast, Axl was hilarious, even joking with the audience about having a "moment of silence for Brittany and Kevin" just as he was about to sing "November Rain." When the audience started laughing, he laughed a little and said "now, that wasn't very nice!"

Great, great show, well worth seeing. Great way for us to celebrate our late anniversary, and I dare say, my son will never forget the beginning hours of his special 13th birthday!

Oh, and two great message boards I frequent for all the latest GNR news:

http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/board/index.php - Here Today, Gone To Hell! - all the latest updates are here from GNR management, courtesy of the Administrator of this board, a poster named Jarmo.

and

http://www.rosesofvelvet.com/forum/index.php - Roses Of Velvet Another great message board to discuss GNR.