08 Dec '10

Note to Self:  Never do a grave after a day spent cooking at Bettys Cookery School!  I was exhausted--but the cookery school bit was fun.  The grave afterwards not so much...  The forecasted snow never materialized (thank goodness for small favors!), so the class was on.  I made a bowl of porridge before I left home and headed out.  We made Steak and Ale Pie, Mediterranean Tart and Chocolate Cardamom Tarts.  Bettys was up to their usual standards so we had croissants, shortbread cookies, a broccoli and leek quiche for lunch with a panzanella salad and a berry pavlova.

I was so tired at work all I ate was a pot of yogurt, a handful of nuts and a bite of the chocolate tart.  Probably not the best plan but I was so tired I couldn't think straight!

07 Dec '10

I'm tired and achy!  I hope I'm not coming down with something.  I was a porridge and chilli kind of day, with lots of errands and appointments in between.

06 Dec '10

Bummer!  For the first time, I haven't lost any weight.  Today I'm off to Edinburgh's Christmas Market, so I doubt if I stay with the Plan.

Later...  I didn't do too bad, all things considered.  We had a late lunch/early dinner at a Chinese place after getting stuck behind a broken down locomotive just outside Darlington.  It took almost 3 hours to get a "rescue locomotive" to the broken one.  Edinburgh was very cold and slushy!  Now I'm home and ready to go to bed.  My feet and ankles hurt, probably from being cold and wet for a long time.

05 Dec '10

Just finished up 6 day shifts.  Arg!  I'm pretty sure 6 day shifts are longer than 6 grave shifts, probably because I don't get enough sleep.  I have a 2-day break then it's back for 4 graves and I'm off to the German Markets.  If the trains are running in the morning, Jeff and I are off to Edinburgh for their Christmas Market.

Food-wise, today was like yesterday.  The noodles are OK but the stuffing is better.  Now I'm off to get my stuff together for my trip tomorrow.

04 Dec '10

The temperature has finally gone up!  So now the snow is soft and slushy.  I hope it goes away soon.

It was porridge for brekkie, veggie wraps for lunch, raspberries and yogurt for a snack and roasted chicken and noodles for supper.  Very yummy.  I've gotten in 1-3/4 miles every day this set.  Now I'm off to watch the episode of NCIS I recorded last night and then it's bed time.  One more day shift left!

03 Dec '10

Another day just like the days this week, although instead of prawns on my salad, I had 1/2 slice of pizza.  It was yummy!  It's very cold and it's snowing again, so I'm off to bed in case I have to get an early start.  Just 2 more days to go!

02 Dec '10

Another day just like the other day.  Still cold, still too much darn snow!  Same meals as yesterday, too.  But it's warm in here tonight, so life's good!

01 Dec '10

OK, it's really cold in here, so this is going to be short!  Same as yesterday, plus some frozen raspberries.  Time to call the landlady about the heat--or lack thereof.  Brrr!  More snow today and more expected over night.  Bummer!

30 Nov '10

I got up at 4 am to turn on the heat and check the weather.  More snow overnight and the heat did not come on.  It did however come on at some point because it's warm in here now.  Anyway, I got reaqdy to go to work and left just a little after 5, not having any idea of the road conditions.  I had to drive down Pye Lane on the wrong side of the road because the tractors had been thru going to Shaw Mills but nothing had been back.  The Pateley Road wasn't bad, so I took the long way around to work.  It took me 45 minutes, including some time waiting on the MoD guards to push some little thing that was stuck in front of the base.

I called my landlady this morning and asked her if her son or husband could come down with a tractor and moosh the snow so I don't get stuck.  When I got home tonight, I discovered they'd done a great job on the parking area!  They're such nice folks!!  [That's one of the e-mails I have to send!]

Anyway, I made porridge, then had a salad with shrimp for lunch and a yogurt and raspberries this afternoon.  I stopped by the APO to post some gift cards and pick up a package from Margaret.  I got home and nuked my current favorite meal--baked chicken, stuffing and steamed veggies.  So good and so on Plan!

I have a few more e-mails to send, then it's stretches and off to bed.  Maybe I'll shoot for turning the heat up at 3 and maybe by 4:30 the bathroom will be warming up.  One can but hope...

29 Nov '10

It's a cold and snowy morning--but I've lost another lb!  31 total!  Yippee!  It's porridge time.  I really need to run some errands but there's a lot of snow out there...

I managed to get out and get my errands taken care of, then come home and do some laundry.  The roads, except for Pye Lane which runs right beside my house and my driveway, weren't bad.  I managed to get the rest of my Christmas shopping done this afternoon and get the gift cards ready to mail.  We got a bit more snow this afternoon, so hopefully I can get up early tomorrow morning and check before I have to head out.  I had some whole grain penne pasta for supper with some tomato sauce and parmesan chesse.  I'm just getting my lunches ready for the start of 6 day shifts tomorrow, then it's stretches and off to bed.  I very stupidly took a nap this afternoon, so I may have t it the Tylenol PM tonight :-(

28 Nov '10

I was very tired after that last grave, so I slept late.  Jeff and I had a booking out at the Kings Head in Masham for dinner at 6.  At 4:45 he called to say he was heading over from Harrogate; at 5, I went out to start the car and brush the snow off.  At 5:30 he called to say he couldn't get out of Harrogate!  So I called the Kings Head and made a big bowl of chili instead :-)  I'm not too bothered that it was probably 2 servings of chili, since it's all I had to eat today.  So now I'm watching TV and catching up on a few phone calls.  What else are you supposed to do on a snowy Autumn night?!  It's a blizzard out there!

27 Nov '10

I got up early for my grave and was very hungry so I had a couple of hard-boiled eggs before I went in to work.  Had porridge, the last of my Thanksgiving leftovers and a yogurt at work.  It's incredibly cold--for this time of year anyway--so I'm off to bed!  This finished off a set of 6; now I have 2 days (a day-and-half, actually) before I start 6 days on Tuesday.  It's going to be a busy break, after I have a short (I hope) nap!

26 Nov '10

Another night just like last night, but without the sliver of pecan pie :-)  It's been snowing all night, so the Birstwith hill was a bit of a challenge.  But I made it fine, which is all that counts.

25 Nov '10

I'll finish this when I get off in the morning.  I'm dropping down to 60g of oats for my porridge; recently it's seemed like too much so I'll see how a smaller amount goes.

60g of oats is definitely a more rational quantity of oats and surprisingly, I didn't notice that I was hungry any sooner.  I also had my Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, chili maple parsnips and cranberry sauce, followed awhile later by a very small sliver of my pecan pie--al it was all delish!  I had a yogurt right before I got off.

There are so many things I'm thankful for it's hard to know where to start:  I'm thankful for my family; I'm thankful for my friends; I'm thankful I have a job; I'm thankful for my health, which--all things considered--isn't too bad.

Now it's time for bed.  I'm also thankful for a warm place to sleep :-)

24 Nov '10

I just got off my 3rd of 6 grave shifts and it's snowing!!!  What is up with that!?  I had porridge and a turket dinner last night.  I also blew a circuit breaker in the snug this morning, so I'll finish this after I get up and can see what I'm doing.

Later...  I got the bulb changed after a bit of fooling around this afternoon.  I'm not real sure why I have 6 or so screw-in bulbs when all the sockets in this place are bayonet, but there you have it.  We have a little snow but not exactly an accumulation.  Snow in November--what a concept!  I'm baking a pecan pie so I can have a little sliver tonight and let the guys have the rest.

23 Nov '10

Another carbon copy sort of day.  Porridge, veggie sticks, hummus and hard-boiled eggs for lunch and chicken, potatoes and green onions for dinner.  I think I like like the stuffing/chicken combo better than the potato/chicken combo.  But that's OK because tomorrow thing switch.

It was actually warm in my house when I got home!  Fingers crossed on the heat!

22 Nov '10

WooHoo!!  30 lbs lost!  That's the first short-term goal taken care of!  WooHoo!

And--I have heat!  Life is good!

I had a bunch of errands to run  this morning before my nap for graves, so I gave brekkie a miss and headed out.  Not a great plan!  I was hungry so I made myself a roast beef sandwich for brunch.  I'll finish this entry after I get off my mid in the morning.

After I got to work, I had my usual porridge then cruddites (cucumbers, radishes and red peppers) with hummus, some yogurt and chicken with potatoes, green onions and corn.  That dish still needs a bit of work, but I'll post the recipe later this week.

The heat situation still isn't completely fixed but it's better than it was...

21 Nov '10

It's Sunday and I've broken down and decided to get a couple of electric heaters!  I started the day with my usual porridge and now I'm off running errands.  I'm an idiot and left my Id card in the library so I'm using the time to catch up my blog.  I love my netbook!

I made a trip out to Masham to make my holiday arrangements and decided to stay for Sunday dinner.  I had garlic and stilton mushrooms and roast beef.  Not really on the Plan, but late enough that I probably won't eat again, except for a few raspberries.

20 Nov '10

Well, this is a day late, mostly because it's perishingly cold in my house and I can't stand to work in the den!  So I'm up at the base library with my new toy, attempting to get caught up.

Got up saturday morning, hd a bowl of porridge and went over to Jeff's; we headed off to Greensted to see a very old church.  It was about 12:30 when we got there, so we had lunch at a pub called The Harvester; it was pretty good.  I had salmon with new potatoes and green beans, plus it came with a salad bar which is fairly unusual for over here. 

After lunch, we went over to the church.  It was really neat!  It's partly timber (the Saxon part) and part brick added in Tudor or maybe Stuart times.  It also has a wooden bell tower which was added in the late 15th/early 16th century, I think.  Pretty neat.

When we finished, we headed over to Lakenheath and Mildenhall.  I got a cover for my netbook and did a bit of commissary shopping at Lakenheath then we went to Mildenhall for Taco Bell and petro.  I had a chicken chalupa (those are so good!) and a soft taco.  after much fooling around, I did manage to get the better part of 3 liters of water.  But it's too cold in the house for stretches, so I'm a bit of a slacker there.

The heat is supposed to be fixed on Monday...

19 Nov '10

Another carbon copy day, food-wise.  The Chicken Sate stir-fry was still fabulous, even after the 4th day!

I'm almost to my first short-term goal of 30 lbs--3 lbs to go.  I'll pribably do another 30 lb goal, maybe 2.  My intermediate goal is to shop at a store in Harrogate called East.  According to their web-site, they do 'Ethnic Clothes'--whatever that means.  I love their stuff.  Right now they're showing the cutest little black dress in black velvet for the holidays.  It only goes up to an 18 (which equals a US 16), so I'm not going to buy it, but I did go to their web-site yesterday and print a picture of it so I can post it for motivation.

I got in 4 walks each day of this set, or an additional 4 miles.  I didn't count the trip in and out and I don't count the trip down to the cafeteria for my lunch salad, since I would make those trips anyway.  I only count the extras.  It's 6 graves next set and I hope to get in 5 walks a night.

I'm watching a little TV tonight, then it's stretch and bedtime.  Jeff and I are off to Greensted (about 3+ hours south) to see a 1200-year-old church, built in the style of the Norwegian stave churches.  Should be fun!

18 Nov '10

Another carbon copy day.  The Chicken and veggies with peanut sauce is spectacular!  My heat is supposedly fixed; I'll believe that come morning.  I'm tired and heading to bed real soon.

17 Nov '10

Another carbon copy day.  Yawn!  Anyway, porridge for brekkie, a salad for lunch (and I don't miss the other half package of prawns!), a yogurt and my Chicken Sate with veggies, rice and spicy peanut sauce.  Very yummy! 

I stopped by the commissary on the way home and got 2 bags of frozen raspberries, so hopefully I can add the raspberries back in.  I'm thinking they'll be good as long as I eat them while they're still frosty--we'll see.  I had my usual 3 liters of water and I made 4 extra trips up and down the hall (+ the 2 I would normally make).  Oh--and I did some push-aways (for lack of a better term) in the corner for my shoulder; 4 sets of 10.  I've been doing them for awhile but I keep forgetting to mention them.

It's time for stretches and bed.

16 Nov '10

It's cold!  And it was pretty darn foggy today--it was a good day to be at work :-)

I had the usual porridge of breakfast, followed by a salad for lunch.  Sainburys seems to have increased the size of their packages of prawns--they certainly increased the price!--so I divided a package in 2 today.  It was just right!  Then I had a yogurt right shortly before I left work.  I came home and nuked my chicken, veggies and rice with peanut sauce and it was fabulous!

I'm going to turn on the gas fire in the living room and warm up a bit before I head off for stretches and bed.  Day shift tomorrow.

15 Nov '10

Woo Hoo!!  3 more lbs, for a total of 27 lbs!!!

I'm just having my porridge--more later.

I went to Borobridge with one of my friends to look for gloves for my grandson.  While we were there, we stopped for lunch; I had a brie and bacon ciabatta, which was very tasty, if not exactly Plan food ;-)  I stopped by the butcher in Ripley and picked up chicken on the way home and made the Chicken Sate with the Spicy Peanut Sauce I made before but this time I stir-fried some veg with it for my suppers on my day shifts Tuesday-Friday.  I also had the last serving of the stew, which was very tasty.

I'm doing a load of laundry; once I get it in the dryer, I'm off to stretches and bed.

14 Nov '10

Met my niece and her friend Rachel at Bettys for brunch this morning.  I was ferociuosly hungry by the time we ate!  But it was fun; we all had the Breakfast Rostii and I had an orange juice and a new coffee, Nepal Snow River.  Very tasty!

I got some Christmas shopping done then came home and did some stuff around here.  I was cleaning out the fridge and had the couple of dill pickles in the jar.  I also had a yogurt, then my stew.  That stew is fabulous but those are 4 very small servings!

It's still very cold in here so it's about time for stretches and bed.

13 Nov '10

It's wa pretty cold today!  I got up and had my porridge, then went into town to do some shopping.  I finsihed up at the commissary and picked up some stuff for lunch.  I had a roast beef sandwich for lunch, then later a pot of yogurt.  I had another serving of my stew, which is really good, but pretty darn small.  I'm not sure I think that recipe makes 2 servings, much less 4!

The problem with the radiators/thermostat still isn't fixed, so I've mostly been hanging out in the living room where it is warm with the gas fireplace.  Stretches and bedtime soon.

12 Nov '10

Today would have been my mom's 81st birthday.

I set my clock for noon, but I didn't get up until 2:30; I was tired!  I got up, went to the butcher and the commissary, then waited for the Bone Shaker guy to set up my bike.  That's all done and now I'm waiting on my stew to cook.  It smells great, the samples I've had tasted great and I'm hungry!  This is a recipe from the Campbell's/Swanson's web-site and I'm impressed!  I didn't do the serving suggestion, but I might try to jazz it up a bit tomorrow.

Hearty Beef Stew
From: Campbell's Kitchen

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 2 hours 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Aside from its exquisite taste, the best thing about this stew is that it takes only 15 minutes of your time...next, it simply simmers on the stove-top until done.

Ingredients:

1 pound beef for stew, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 3/4 cups Swanson® Beef Stock

2 medium onions, cut into quarters

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups whole baby carrots

2 medium potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces

  1/4 cup water

Directions:
Season the beef as desired. Coat with 1 tablespoon flour. Heat the oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until it's well browned, stirring often. Add the garlic to the saucepot and cook and stir for 1 minute.
Stir the stock, onions, bay leaf, thyme and black pepper in the saucepot and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
Add the carrots and potatoes to the saucepot. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the beef is fork-tender and the vegetables are tender.  Remove and discard the bay leaf.
Stir the remaining flour and water in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth. Stir the flour mixture in the saucepot. Increase the heat to medium.  Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with buttermilk biscuits and a mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes, sliced almonds and Ranch dressing.  For dessert serve chocolate chip cookies.

Nutrition Information

Nutritional Values per Serving
Using Swanson Beef Stock: : Calories 344, Total Fat 13g, Saturated Fat 3g, Cholesterol 49mg, Sodium 314mg, Total Carbohydrate 35g, Dietary Fiber 5g, Protein 23g, Vitamin A 171%DV, Vitamin C 23%DV, Calcium 7%DV, Iron 22%DV

11 Nov '10

Another carbon copy grave, although this time without the raspberries.  I also got in 4 more walks up and down the hall, which makes it 6 extra miles I've walked this set.  (1/4 mile round-trip x 4 trips/shift x 6 shifts)  Yay me!  And that's 6 miles on a sore knee which doesn't like all the rain we've had recently, too!  Anyway, I'm tired!  It's time for stretches and bed.

10 Nov '10

Another carbon copy grave, except Steve brought in Red Pepper Hummus and a bagette so I had 2 thin slices with the hummus.  I got in my 4 extra trips down the hall and back, a few extra exercises for my shoulder and my 3 liters of water.  I'm dragging now after the 5th grave so it's time for stretches and bed.  One more to go--and Friday afternoon they set up my bike trainer.  Yippee!

09 Nov '10

Another carbon copy night plus a small brownie.  Porridge, salad, yogurt, raspberries (they looked good at the commissary, although the taste wasn't quite there), cumin chicken with rice and veggies.  4 extra trips up and down the hall.  I'm tired.  2 straight mornings of appointments then only 6 hours of sleep.  It's time for stretches and bed.

08 Nov '10

Woo Hoo!  Another 3 lbs, for a total loss of 24 lbs!  It's a good day!  The Bone Shakers folks called (and woke me up--dammit!) and they'll be coming ut Friday afternoon to set up my trainer.  Another yippee!  So now I'm off to grave 3 of 6.

It was a very usual night, what with porridge, salad with prawns, yogurt and cumin chicken with rice and steamed veggies.  Got in my 3 liters of water, plus 4 trips down the hall and back (in addition to the trip in and out).  Now I'm home, killing time until it's time for my nail appointment at 9.  Then it's stretches and off to bed.

BTW--I forgot until I got up Tuesday afternoon, but Jeri made cookies last night (choc chip) so I had 1 and I also had a small bit of cheese on a mini oatcake.  Gotta be honest...

07 Nov '10

Just finished up the 2nd of 6 graves.  I'm beat, still 4 more to go and I have appointments this morning.  It was trying real hard to snow on the base but it's warm enough (if 35F can be warm!) that it'sw still pretty slushy.

Last night was mostly the usual suspects, food-wise.  Porridge, salad with shrimp, yogurt, strawberries, chicken, wild rice and steamed veggies.  I walked an extra 4 trips tonight so I'm doing between 1-1.25 miles.

I'm going to do some stretches, start a load of laundry and head to my first appointment.

06 Nov '10

It's the morning before 6 graves.  I had some shopping and a few errands to run before I get some sleep.  I stopped by the butcher in Ripley and picked up 6 chicken breasts for my dinners for the next 6 nights.  I'm having that with wild rice and steamed veggies.  I'm making Cumin-Rubbed Chicken Breasts which I got off the Food Network.  I doubled the rub ingredients since I'm doing 6 pieces.

Cumin Grilled Chicken Breasts
2008 Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved

Ingredients

Cooking spray

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (5 to 6 ounces each) pounded to 1/2-inch thickness

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Spray a grill or grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high heat. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil. Combine cumin, salt and pepper and rub spice mixture evenly onto chicken breasts. Grill until grill marks have formed and chicken is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from heat, let rest for 5 minutes, then slice into 1/2-inch thick slices. Serve over coleslaw, if desired.

Per Serving:

Calories 170; Total Fat 6 g; (Sat Fat 1.5 g, Mono Fat 3 g, Poly Fat 1 g) ; Protein 29g; Carb 0 g; Fiber 0 g; Cholesterol 80 mg; Sodium 360 mg
Excellent source of: Protein, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Phosphorus, Selenium

I'll also have my porridge, a salad for lunch with chopped prawns and a few crackers, some raspberries and a pot of yogurt.

I forgot to take my new pedometer to work with me but I still increased my walking.  In addition to the 1 trip down and back I always make, I did an additional 4 trips down and back; the first 3 of those were easy, but I'm feeling the last one :-)  Now it's time for stretches and bed!

05 Nov '10

Tsk!  Tsk!  Tsk!  This morning got off to a usual start with a bowl of porridge, then a drive down to Mildenhall for their Yuletide Bazaar, which didn't start until 2 pm today.  So we did some shopping at the BXtra and had lunch as Taco Bell.  I had a Chalupa and a Mexi-Melt plus a small Coke, which I only dramk about half of.  We went over to Lakenheath and hit the Class 6, BX and Commissary then went back to Mildenhall for the bazaar.  We prowled around that for awhile and I sampled a few things then had another chalupa for dinner.  I had about a half a mug of black coffee and I've made it thru a little over 2 liters of water.  Not a great day, but I'll do better tomorrow.

I'm going to work on the rest of liter #3, do some stretches and get some sleep.

04 Nov '10

I got up this morning and had my porridge, made a bottle of water, then headed off to Harrogate District Hospital.  I thought allowing 1/2 hour to get there and get parked would be plenty, but it just shows how wrong I can be...

I am the eternal pessimist!  I didn't have high hopes for this appointment, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I was surprised to find out the dietician was an American woman!  There were 5 other women, three of whom I didn't think were over-weight, 1 was borderline and 1 was over weight.  I think the movie Bridget Jones' Diary has a lot to answer for!  Hollywood is not going to convince me that a size 14 is fat!  No wonder women have such poor self-esteem and poor body images.  The group was a one-off thing; Harrogate NHS has no weight management program.

I didn't pay a lot of attention to what I ate for the rest of the day :-(  I had a yogurt and some raspberries, but they were pretty tasteless, so I didn't have many.  Maybe I'll try strawberries for awhile...  I had a bit of cheese and some imitation crab.  I was going to have some salmon, but I didn't feel like cooking.  I'll put that in the freezer for next week.  I'm going to make cumin-rubbed chicken for my dinners on my graves.

I'm going to watch a bit more TV, finish the last of my 3 liters of water, stretch, read a bit and go to bed.  I have to get up at 6 am tomorrow, so I need my sleep :-)

03 Nov '10

Yippee!  I'm on break!  Last day of pork chops and stuffing, too.  It was a usual sort of day, except no raspberries :-(

It's a short break (only 2 days) then 6 graves.  There's lots to do.  I have my appointment with some diet group at Harrogate Hospital; I asked to speak to a dietician months ago and this is what I got.  I'm not real big on group therapy sessions, but I'll go and check it out--I don't have to go back if I don't like it.  My plan for tomorrow is to go to my appointment, hit Sainsburys for some fruit and Mars bars (they're not for me!)get some packages mailed (including the Mars bars), straighten the dining room and kitchen and call my land lady about my radiators which aren't staying on for some strange reason.  Brrr!  Friday a friend and I are going to Mildenhall for their craft bazaar.  Busy, busy!

I'm going to watch a bit of TV, stretch and get to bed.  What an exciting life I lead...

02 Nov '10

Third of 4 day shifts--it's all downhill from here!  Another day of the same, except no raspberries (they grew beards in the fridge--don't eat the bearded strawberries or raspberries!), but I had a bite of cake instead :-(  Oh well, it was only 1 bite--and a small one to boot.

While I was eating my supper (left-over pork chop with corn stuffing), I ordered a netbook--an ASUS 1015 (blue) from amazon.com.  I'm having it shipped to one of my friends since amazon.com won't ship it to an APO.  Jerks!  As long as it arrives NLT 10 Dec, I'm not bothered.

It's stretches and bedtime.  My smooth tire has come in at Bone Shakers, so soon I should have my bike set up to ride inside.  It's dark and pouring--not my idea of cycling weather.

01 Nov '10

The start of Week 6!  I've lot another pound for a total loss of 21 lbs.  Yippee!  Not a great showing for the week, but it's in the right direction.

I had the usual porridge for brekkie, salad for lunch, raspberries and yogurt for snack and pork chop and stiffing for supper.  I actually managed to get a bit of sleep last night so today wasn't quite so awful as yesterday--plus Steve was there to make coffee.  Our favorite, Revolution Blend from Arcimbola (or some such spelling), a deli over on Kings Road.

I'm currently shopping for a netbook.  New toys!

It will be stretch and bedtime soon.  I do know how to live, don't I?

31 Oct '10

Happy Halloween!  It was a lo-o-o-o-ong day shift today, but I only have 4 this time, so that's a plus.

I had my usual porridge for brekkie, then a salad with fake crab for lunch.  I had my raspberries and yogurt this afternoon and I having my pork chop and stuffing dinner.  Very yummy!

One thing I keep forgetting to post from Friday:  When I went to the salon to get my hair done, I've lolst enough weight that the gown they give you to keep your clothes nice actually closed!  The last time I was there, there was a sizeable gap in the front, so this is definitely a positive result.  Also, I didn't have to wedge my bum in and out of the chair!  All this is very motivating.

And under the headfing "Better Living Thru Chemistry":  Prior to the cruise last month, I had myself seriously hooked on Red Bull to stay awake for 12 hours and then on Tylenol PM to come down off all that sugar and caffeine (and other things).  So when I got back from the cruise, I cut the Red Bull, cold-turkey, which is a shame, because I quite like Red Bull!  I also cut the Tylenol PM although I have a mild case of insomnia as a result.  I'm resisting taking any of the Tylenol PM to tide me thru the insomnia.

I'm going to try to get some sleep tonight after my stretches.  This is the end of Week 5 of The Plan, so I have weigh-in #6 in the morning.  Yippee!

30 Oct '10

OK, this was a bit weird. I wrote a post, published it and it disappearred! I'll try again...

I slept in this morning since I'm a bit tired still after all those graves. I got up, had my porridge and then got most of my errands run. Now I'm just waiting on supper to finish.

Glazed Pork Chops with Corn Stuffing

1 3/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Stock
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 stalk celery, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
4 cups Pepperidge Farm® Corn Bread Stuffing
Vegetable cooking spray
6 boneless pork chops, 3/4-inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons spicy-brown mustard

1. Heat the stock, red pepper, corn, celery and onion in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the stuffing and mix lightly.

2. Spray a 3-quart shallow baking dish with the cooking spray. Spoon the stuffing into the baking dish. Top with the pork. Stir the brown sugar and mustard in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth. Spread the brown sugar mixture over the pork.

3. Bake at 400°F. for 30 minutes or until the pork is cooked through.

Makes: 6 servings (1 pork chop and 3/4 stuffing per serving).

The stuffing is a bit dry, but otherwise I think it's good.  I've already set back my clock, so it will soon be bedtime.

29 Oct '10

A little slow getting this posted :-)

I got a few hours of sleep, then drove up to Ripon to get a perm and get my watchband shortened.  I picked up a ham salad sandwich at Gregg The Baker before my appointment.  Ham salad just means it's ham with some veggies on the roll.  Sometimes I think it's really interesting how we can have the same names for 2 (or more) different things!

Anyway, I got my perm; it's a bit curly right now (well duh!) but it should relax a bit over the next week or so.  I like it--and my hair is finally out of my face which was the whole point.  The jeweller took a link out of my watchband (they're BIG links!) and now it's not slipping around anymore.

I stopped by the commissary and picked up a few things, but by the time I got home, I was pretty tired, so I had some raspberries, a yogurt and a roast beef pita and called it quits.  I watched the new NCIS and went to bed (after my stretches).

28 Oct '10

Last night--6 of 6!  I'm tired!  It wasn't much to write about tonight--porridge, yogurt, raspberries and cottage cheese, crackers and cruddites times 2.  Very boring :-)

I'm goin to do a few stretches, get some sleep and get a haircut and a perm.

27 Oct '10

Just finished up 5 or 6 graves.  Another carbon-copy day (or night as the case may be)!  The only change was no raspberries :-(  They're getting kind of crappy since the season is ending.  I'm going to have to find a new fruit. 

I'm tired--it's stretches and bedtime!

26 Oct '10

4 graves down, 2 to go.  It was almost the usual tonight--I started with porridge, but for lunch I did cruddites and low-fat cottage cheese with some fat-free ranch and a few crackers.  Then it was on to the raspberries and yogurt, followed by left-over chicken with stovetop and steamed veggies.  It's time to stretch and go to bed!

25 Oct '10

WooHoo!  Another 6 lbs, for a total of 20 lbs lost!!!!  I'm off to work now, so I'll write more in the morning!  I'm so motivated!!!

It was porridge and then salad tonight (I'm so disappointed that the veggies with hard-boiled egg, salsa and fat-free ranch still isn't nearly as good as I remember!), followed by raspberries, yogurt and baked chicken with Stovetop Stuffing and steamed veggies.  Also had the final couple of bite of the pulled beef before I washed the pot--probably shouldn't have, but it was good stuff :-)

I have to stay up for a nail appointment, then it's off to bed.  I'm going to be very tired by the time I finally get to bed.  Oh, well--I have to get my traditional orange and black nails for Halloween!

24 Oct '10

Another lo-o-o-ong night at work!  The usual porridge and salad, although this time it was salsa, hard-boiled egg and ranch dressing.  That wasn't nearly as good as I remember it; maybe I'll have to get up early enough to run by Sainsbury's and pick up some prawns.  I had a yogurt and raspberries and finshed off with a chicken breast, Stovetop Stuffing and steamed green beans.  Very yummy!  Gary brought in a lovely Canadian Extra Mature white Cheddar which was really good!  Sometimes I find the extra mature Cheddars to be a bit 'gritty', but this one was really smooth.  Very nice!  I had a small wedge (2 bites) just to taste, so another success with the snack table :-)  It's stretch and bed time--I'm really tired!

23 Oct '10

It was a pretty typical 1st grave day.  I had some appointments, so I got up early and pot a big ole pot of "Texas Beef" in the oven than ran my errands and did my appointments.  I had porridge when I got to work and a "Texas Beef" sandwich--oh and a half of an enormous dill pickle.  Shortly before I got off work, I had raspberries and a yogurt.  I got home late because Steve forgot he had to give Gary a ride home (compound fractured thumb with pins and separated collarbone do not make for a safe driver :-) ), then I did my stretches and went to bed.  Here's the Texas Beef recipe, which isn't exactly part of The Plan, but is real tasty, in moderation.

Texas Beef

1/2 c brown sugar
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1 t chili powder
1/2 t seasoned pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz bottle ketchup
3/4 c water
2 c chopped onion
3-1/2 - 4 lb chuck roast

Put the beef in a casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over beef. Cover and bake at 275°F (or 300°F for high altitude) for 6 hours. Remove from oven and shred beef with a fork. It will fall apart easily for you. Serve on hamburger buns, alone with mashed potatoes or even over noodles.  I've always done this in a crockpot but.it works better in the oven.

22 Oct '10

I finished up the frittata for brekkie and another half sandwich for lunch.  Jen and Rachel came over and we hit the commissary, which was fun.  After that we went to Wagamama's for supper, where I had my usual chicken yakitori and curry chicken katsu.  watched the new Season 8 NCIS and now it's stretch and bedtime.

I didn't do much today, but I did get the car unloaded and the living room straightened up.  It's just been too cold to ride, so I'll be glad when my smooth tire comes in and Bone Shakers gets it on the rim so I can ride inside.

21 Oct '10

Third day of break.  I had some more of the lovely fritata with some toast again.  It's pretty tasty!

It's gotten pretty chilly and apparently my thermostat is not happy.  I got up this morning and the boiler was on but the radiators were cold.  What is up with that?!  If it keeps up, I'll have to give Gwen, my landlady, a call.  Right now it seems to be pretty random, since it's afternoon now and the radiators are getting warm.

I had a half of a roast beast sandwich today for a late lunch.  I'll do my raspberries and yogurt in a bit and finish off my chicken for dinner.  It's Wagamama's for dinner tomorrow night!

20 Oct '10

Second day of break, so I had the second serving of the Leek and Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata, but his time with some sourdough toast.  The toast was just what it needed:  something crunchy along with the creamy eggs and veggies.

I had kind of a lazy day, watched a little telly and picked up the stand for my bike so I can ride it inside.  I think this will happen a bit earlier than I expected; it was a nice day, but it was pretty chilly!  I've had the gas fire on all day.

For dinner I had the Chicken Sate with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce again, but this time with a serving of mushroom rice.  It was very good and the sauce was good on the rice, too.  I also had some raspberries and I'm currently working on my 4th liter of water for the day.

In keeping with my lazy day theme, I'm going to do my stretches, read a few chapters in my book and head to bed.  I was snoozing in front of the TV, so I decided it was time to call it quits.

19 Oct '10

Since it's a break day, I thought I'd do something different for breakfast, since I'm getting a bit tired of porridge, so I thought I'd try the Leek and Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata from The Riverford Farms web-site.  I had some leeks in my box this week, so I was off to a good start.  What I didn't realize because I haven't done much breakfast cooking recently is that I should have prepped the leeks and sun-dried tomatoes the night before.  Live and learn...

Leek and Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata

2 T olive oil (I used EVOO)
3 leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced (white and light green parts)
8 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped (I sliced mine, with good results)
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
6 eggs, beaten

Preheat the grill.  Heat the oil in a oven-proof skillet, add the leeks and cook gently for 10 mintes, stirring occassionally to separate the rings.  Add sundried tomatoes and parsley and season with salt and pepper.  Pour the eggs over the leeks and cook gently for 10 minutes.  Place under the grill, cook for 5 minutes until set.  Cut into wedges.  Makes 4 servings.

I think the might also be nice with a small amount of grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese and maybe some sourdough toast.  I just did the frittata this morning.

I went out for my first short bike ride after that, which is a good thing because it just started to rain.  It went fairly well, although I'm still pretty inflexible so getting on the bike is a bit of a challenge.  I'm still a bit scared of riding on the road (plus, I forgot my helmet, which made it that much more scary!) but I managed.  I'm going to hang the helmet with the bike so I don't forget it in the future.

I've already finished 1 liter of water, so I'm off to get some chicken for tonight (Chicken Sate with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce) and more fruit, among other things.

Later...  I did my grocery shopping and then stopped by Betty's for a latte.  When I got there, they were featuring a Lemongrass and Ginger Tisane, so I got that instead.  I had a little sugar in the drink, but I left the pastries alone.  I made the Chicken Sate with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce when I got home and it's awesome!  It's off the Food Network web-site.  I think the sauce might actually be as good as (or maybe better!) than the Williams-Sonoma sauce.  It makes 4 wservings, but I only need 3 this week (I'm doing Wagamama's for dinner Friday night), so I had some extra of the Sate.  Tsk!  Tsk!  Although I really haven't had all that much to eat today, so I think it's OK.  (Hopefully...)

Chicken Sate with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup lite coconut milk

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 shallot, sliced thin

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce (or 2 additional teaspoons low sodium soy sauce)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon lime zest

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast pounded slightly and cut into 1-inch strips

8 (8-inch) bamboo skewers, soaked for 20 minutes

3/4 cup Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce, recipe below

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or cilantro leaves

1/4 cup chopped toasted peanuts

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the chicken stock, coconut milk, soy sauce, shallot, garlic, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime zest, and ginger. Add the chicken strips and marinate for 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade.  Spray a nonstick grill pan with cooking spray and preheat over a medium-high flame. While pan is heating, thread chicken onto skewers. Grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, until meat is cooked through and has light grill marks.  Serve chicken skewers with Peanut Dipping Sauce, and garnish with basil or cilantro and chopped peanuts.  Yield: 4 servings (2 skewers and 2 tablespoons peanut sauce per serving)

Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

1 teaspoon red curry paste

1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped

Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Sauce can be made 1 day ahead of time, and will keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.  Yield: about 1 1/4 cups

I guess the forecasted cold snap has arrived.  It's pretty darn cold out there right now!  I think I'll read for awhile before I do my stretches and hit the sack.

18 Oct '10

Woo Hoo!  Another successful week!  Down 2 more pounds for a total of 14 lbs (or 1 stone as the Brits say) lost!  And another successful day of avoiding the snack table, aka the bane of my existance.

Today was a carbon copy of yesterday (and probably the past 3 if the truth were known).  Porridge for breakfast, salad with shrimp and fat-free Catalina dressing, yogurt and raspberries and my chicken/stuffing/
steamed veggies for dinner.  (I'm sorry to see the last of that; I'll probably do it again soon.)  I also had my 3 liters of water, a cup of black coffee and a skinny latte this afternoon; the latte being the only deviation.  Since I don't add any sugar or syrups, I just count it as part of my pint of milk and don't worry about it.

I need to make sure I have everything I need for my Leek and Sun-dried Tomato Frittata for breakfast in the morning, then it's stretches, a few chapters in my book and bedtime.  It's drizzling a bit right now but hopefully this will go away so I can ride my new bicycle tomorrow.

17 Oct '10

It's the end of week 3 and overall, I think it's been a success, so far.  All the usual suspects for meals today:  Porridge for breakfast, salad for lunch, yogurt and raspberries as a late afternoon snack and dinner of baked chicken breast, stovetop stuffing and steamed veggies.  3 liters of water and 1 cup of coffee.  Nothing much on TV tonight so I'm heading to bed early since I haven't been getting a lot of sleep this set. 

3 weeks of ignoring the snack table, which must be some kind of record!  Louie even had a nice hunk of Cheddar cheese there today and I stayed away.

Tomorrow is the start of week 4 and my 4th weigh-in and I'm really looking forward to it!  I have such a sad life ;-)  I need to get up early enough tomorrow morning that I can weigh and log in before work...

16 Oct '10

Second of 4 day shifts--and another successful day.  Started off with porridge, then a salad for lunch.  I baked a Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting last night to take into work today and had a small sliver.  It was fantastic, but I didn't go back for more.  Yay, me!  I had my yogurt and raspberries near shift change and had my left-overs for dinner when I got home.

I ran out to Sainsbury's and got raspberries for tomorrow and Monday, sun-dried tomatoes for my frittata on Tuesday and filters for the water pitcher.  It's almost 8:30 pm and it's bedtime!

15 Oct '10

First day of a 4-day set.  I had porridge for breakfast and the usual shrimp salad for lunch.  I wasn't especially busy but a couple of the folks I know stopped by to chat and suddenly it was 6 pm.  I didn't even miss my yogurt, so I brought it and my chicken left-overs home to eat tonight.  I have no idea if there was even anything on the snack table, because I never went near it.  Now that's success!

Last night I took the 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts I picked up at the butcher in Ripley, laid them out in a roasting pan, sprinkled them with salt and pepper and baked (roasted?) at 350F for about 1/2 hour.  While they were roasting, I made a package of Chicken Stovetop Stuffing and steamed some veggies.  I divided all this up between 4 boxes and--voila!  4 nights of dinners.  I had the first one tonight and I have to say, sometimes simpler is better.  It was pretty darn tasty!

I think I'll put on my jammies early so I can watch a bit of TV while my cake bakes and do some laundry before it's bedtime.  It's a tough life, but somebody's got to do it...

14 Oct '10

Another successful day!  I got up and had my porridge for breakfast, which I have to admit, I'm getting a bit tired of.  I think I'll do something besides porridge for my next break; maybe a fritatta or something.  Anyway, I went in to town and picked up my bicycle.  Of course, since I wanted to ride a little, it was a crap day.  It never fails...

Anyway, I had a roast beast on rye sandwich for lunch, fooled around here and the base and watched a bit of television.  I'm very pleased that I haven't been hungry at all between meals.  I drank some water--it's harder to get 3 liters in on break days than when I'm working--and got ready for my set of day shifts tomorrow.  I'm having a roasted chicken breast, stovetop stuffing and steamed veggies.  Tonight, I finished up the last of the Curried Rice and Shrimp, which was almost as good on day 4 (4 servings, 4 days) as it was on day 1.

Time for my stretches, a few chapters in my book so the Tylenol PM kicks in and I get some sleep for a change and then it's bedtime.

13 Oct '10

Baking bread is hard work!  I got up this morning, had my usual bowl of porridge and headed off to Betty's Cooking School for a full day of Basic Breadmaking.  It was a good thing I had that porridge--it allowed me to stay on track and not have the croissant with the morning coffee.  I also managed to resist the afternoon cake, so it was a good day.

For lunch we had a lovely little quiche, a mixed leaf salad and some kind of berry dessert thing; I also had 1/2 a glass of the white wine.  I took a sports bottle with some lemon and lime slices, so I was able to resist all the cordials and other drinks and still stay on track with my water.

I left there with 2 Yorkshire Cobble Loaves, 2 Swiss Fitness Loaves, a Swiss stick and 8 dinner rolls.  I had the smallest of the dinner rolls when I got home and I must say--they were pretty tasty, even if I do say do myself : )  I'm going to put the rest in the freezer and freshen it up on Sunday to take to work.

I had my Curried Rice and Shrimp leftovers and now I'm off to do stretches, read a bit and get some sleep.

12 Oct '10

Another good day!  I had my usual porridge for brekkie (kinda late), fooled around the house for awhile, then went into base and got petrol and did a small commissary run.  I got my nails done (Coconut Kiss!, a great purple), came home and made lunch (a roast beast on rye sandwich; very yummy!) then went in to Boneshakers to pay for my bike.  It will be ready for me to pick up on Thursday.  I also got a little computer to keep track of my miles and a stand so I can continue to ride (and watch TV) when the weather goes to crap, which will probably be any day now.

I had another serving of Curried Rice with Shrimp for dinner and now I'm heading up for stretches and bed.  I have to get up a little early for my Betty's Basic Breadmaking class in the morning--could be dangerous!  I plan to take a sport bottle with some sliced fruit so I can keep up with the water while I'm there.  I did a good job on my water today (probably just under 3 liters), but I need to figure out a way to get more raw veggies in my Plan when I'm on break.  On the plus side, I haven't been hungry, so I'm happy with that.

11 Oct '10

I've lost another 7 lbs!!  That's 12 lbs. TOTAL!  It's definitely going faster (and easier!) than I thought it would.  And the amazing thing is, I really haven't been hungry--except for right now :-)  I'm kinda hungry right now, but I need to make supper and that will solve that problem.

Supper is on the stove and I'm looking forward to it!  It smells great!  Why is it, the one thing you're sure you have so you even look, is no where to be found?!  I had to run out to Waitrose and get curry powder!

Here's the supper recipe, from the Real Simple web-site:

Curried Rice with Shrimp

1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloved garlic, chopped (I used 3 and grated them)
2 t curry powder
1 c long-grain white rice (or Basmati rice)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1-1/2 lbs peeled and de-veined large shrimp
1/2 c fresh basil (I did chiffonade strips)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 6-8 minutes.  Add the garlic and curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes.  Add the rice, 2-1/2 c water and 1/2 t each salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.  Season shrimp with 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper and nestle them in the partially cooked rice.  Cover and cook until shrimp are opaque throughout, 4-5 minutes.  Fold in the basil.  Makes 4 servings, 431 calories each.

While this cooked, I worked on getting my water for the day, since I slept all day :-)  I had a good appointment with the doctor before I went to bed.  My shoulder is getting better.  It was a beautiful day here in North Yorkshire and I had a lovely drive back from Otley in the soft Autumn sunshine.  The stone houses were honey-colored in the sun and the fields were all jewel tones, with the occasional stand of trees turning butterscotch as Autumn progresses.

A little later...  I have to say, the Curried Rice with Shrimp was fabulous!!!

10 Oct '10

This is the last shift before break!  Yippee!  I had porridge, 4 hot wings (= 2 chickn wings, so not all that bad), 3 chips with queso (I meant to only have 1 but I was weak :-) ), some veggies (most of a red pepper and some cucumber slices) dipped in queso, raspberries and a pot of yogurt.  Maybe not the best choices, but I'm not hungry either, so I'm calling it a success.

I'm going to do my stretches, then it's off to acupuncture and a doctor's appointment.  I'll sleep a bit after about 11 or so and then I'm on break.  Lots to do in the next 4 days, including getting my new bike and taking a basic breadmaking class.  I'm looking forward to a productive but relaxing break.

9 Oct '10

5 down--one more night shift to go.  Salads and left-overs are getting a little boring, so I'm going to change it up a bit tonight.  I had the usual porridge (and a big thank-yu to Steve who came thru when I left my oats at home!), shrimp salad, raspberries and yogurt and left-over pan-seared steak.  It was all very good, but I'm glad to see the back of it.  I ran out of limes, so I had an orange and a lemon in my water and it was pretty good.  One of my friends wanted to hear the Berlin Death March story--a long (and very hilarious story, despite the name) about a hike thru a forest near Berlin in the cold, the snow and the dark in search of a restaurant that wasn't open--and this kept me laughing and away from the snack table.  Another success!

It's stretches and bedtime, thank you very much!

08 Oct '10

It wasn't quite as foggy this morning driving home, once I got away from the Hill.  I'm still on nights (2 more to go), so things are still a bit boring.  Had the usual porridge, shrimp salad, raspberries and yogurt, and seared steak with mushroom gravy, noodles and steamed veggies.  One more of those to go and then it will be Lean Cuisines for the last shift.

I had another good night of avoiding the snack table, mostly because I purposely stayed on the other side of the room!  Whatever works...

My rat tail silver should be in the post early next week so with any luck, it will come in before I start days on Friday.  That was probably the big excitment for Thursday :-)  I've started a load of laundry, but I think I'll be asleep before it finishes.

Stretches and bed time!

07 Oct '10

It's very foggy outside!  Thursday was a good day; slept all day, then stuck to The Plan all night.  Another successful day of avoiding the snack table too, so life is good.  Had porridge for breakfast, a shrimp salad for lunch, yogurt and raspberries (I think the season is just about over--they're not keeping long) for a snack and left-over pan-seared steak, noodles and steamed veggies for dinner.

It's bed time, right after I stretch.  I'm finally beginning to think my should might be on the road to recovery, which is a plus!  I have more and more time when I don't even notice it--which is a huge improvement over constant pain :-)  Whatever it was I did, I hope I don't do it again.

06 Oct '10

I've been a bad blogger!  I'm not doing a good job of keeping up with this when I'm on graves.  Tuesday and Wednesday were both pretty boring--hence no entry--but I'll try harder.

Both days it was the usual porridge for brekkie and salad for lunch, then Tuesday I had a baked potato with steamed brocolli, salad and queso and Wednesday I had a small steak with mushroom gravy, noodles and steamed veggie.

The steak was a recipe I got off the Swanson web-site and made a few changes:

Pan-Seared Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Sirloin Steak (1 lb), cut into 4, 4-oz portions (I used tenderloin fillets since I'm not a big sirloin fan)
1 T unsalted butter
2 cups (about 6 oz) sliced small mushrooms
1 shallot, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T flour
1 c beef stock

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Season steaks as desired.  Sear steaks on both sides until desired doneness; remove from pan and keep warm.  Melt butter in skillet (do not drain any fat that might be there).  Add mushrooms, shallots and garlic and saute until tender.  Add flour and cook 1 minute.  Gradually add stock, stirring to avoid lumps.  Bring to a boil and cook a few minutes until hot and bubbly.  Serve gravy with steaks.  Makes 4 servings, 177 cal per serving.  This was really good with egg noodles and steamed veggies.

It's stretch and bed time!

04 Oct '10

I LOST 5 LBS!!!!!

I got up this morning when I woke up--about 9 am or so; the first time in several weeks (or longer) that I just let the sun wake me up :-)  What a gorgeous day!  Sunny and probably in the mid-50s.  Lots of errands today, so I'd better get started...  I need to find my Sterling checkbook, since I have a couple of cheques to write:  1 for the rest of my Christmas Market trip in December and one for a quantity of rat-tail silver a lady I met on Portobello Road has been hunting down for me.  Then I have to do the paperwork for my new bicycle...  Another L425 or so.  I need to do my grocery shopping (or at least the non-Commissary part) and run by the Ripley butcher shop for 4 4-ounce tenderloin steaks.  The recipe called for a lb of sirloin, cut into 4 oz portions, but I'm doing the tenderloin.  It's tastier and I'm not a big fan of sirloin.  That's all my mom ever did and it was frequently 'livery'; I saw an episode of "Good Eats" and Alton Brown explained why that happens, but I forget why.

Anyway, I'm having a bowl of porridge and I'll have a big glass of water to start re-hydrating and I'm off!

Later...  I got most of my errands done, although I need to pick up the cheque for my bike tomorrow.  I had a roast beast sandwich for lunch with several glasses of water.  I am currently baking 3 potatoes; 1 for dinner tonight and the other 2 for dinner on this long set of graves.  When the potatoes are almost done, I'll nuke some brocolli, then add salsa and some queso.  I think I'll have some raspberries while I wait :-)

03 Oct '10

It was a very dreary day for most of the day!  About 6 pm, it started to clear in Edinburgh, but otherwise it was dull.  Edinburgh more than made up for the naff weather!

I got up almost as early this morning as I do for work.  Ugh!  I made porridge (and a good thing that was--it kept me honest for the day) for breakfast and headed over to Jeff's.  We drove to York and took the 0840 train to Edinburgh.  It was great!  I had a Starbuck's skinny latte while we were wating for the train and a couple of cups of coffee on the way.  First class rocks!  We got to Edinburgh around 1215 and went to Khublai Khan for lunch.  They have a 2 course deal that was pretty good.  I had carrot and ginger soup followed by 2 trips to the BBQ bar.  For the first trip I had some noodles, lots of veggies and a few strips of beef and for the second trip I had a little rice and the rest veggies.  It was very yummy and I didn't stuff myself so I think I'm OK.

We went to the National Gallery to see the Impressionist Gardens exhibit and it was great!  Lots of Monets, as you would expect, but a lot of other folks too including 4 Pissarros, 4 Van Goghs and a Sargent.  There were lots of paintings, but it was a totally different focus to the exhibit I saw in August in Rouen.  They did a fabulous job putting this exhibit together.

They kicked us out of the gallery at 5 pm, so we wandered over to Costa Coffee to wait on the return train.  I had another skinny latte while we waited.  There were engineering works at Haymarket (I think), so the train was a little late.  We got back to York by 10 pm and after a small adventure finding the place to pay for parking (L13.50!!  Jesse James needed a mask and gun for that!) we headed home.  I haven't had as much water today as the rest of the week and I can tell!  I'll have to work on re-hydrating tomorrow.

I'm a little hungry, but it's too late to eat.  I'll drink a big glass of water before I go to bed.  It's stretches and off to bed...

02 Oct '10

Today started out like a carbon copy of the past 2 days (porridge for brekkie), but I decided to change it up a bit.  I made a tomato, mozzarella and basil salad with a twist for lunch.  Washed and halved some cherry tomatoes, drained and halved 2 150g tubs of boccocchini (and I've got to learn how to spell this word; basically bite-sized fresh mozzarella balls), chiffonaded (another word I need to learn to spell!) a pack of fresh basil and put it all in a large bowl.  Added a lot of freshly ground black pepper and set it on the snack table with a bottle of balsamic viniagrette for people to salt and dress as desired.  I had that for lunch.  I'm still not a big fan of tomato skins, but I'm getting used to them.  The flavors were awesome!  I think it was fairly popular.

Anyway, I had that around noon and then my regular shrimp tossed salad around 5, so I gave the baked potato a miss and just had my raspberries and orange yogurt when I got home.  I had 3 l of my citrus water at work and 2 cups of black coffee; I think I need to drink another big glass of water before bedtime.

I'm doing a load of laundry right now.  Once it's finished washing and I toss it in the dryer, I'm off to bed.  Tomorrow I'm off to Edinburgh and the Impressionist Gardens exhibit.

01 Oct '10

Another carbon copy day, food-wise.  As long as the stuff is good (and that chicken was fabulous!), I don't mind left-overs.  My grandma would be so proud :-)  I wouldn't touch left-overs as a kid.

A couple of things of note:  Today was first Friday, so our management always gets pizza for the crews.  I didn't even go near the table with the pizza--never even opened a box.  Yeah, me!  And I also successfully avoided the snack table!  I very quickly ran off and got my salad (plus another one for tomorrow since they don'tput out the salad bar on the week-ends) and had that with those lovely prawns.  I had my raspberries and yogurt right near shift change so I wouldn't me hungry when I stopped by the commissary.  If you're reading this in the UK and haven't tried the Muller Light Orange yogurt with dark chocolate sprinkles, you're missing a treat.  That stuff is awesome!

Ran by the commissary and picked up brocolli, cherry tomatoes, boccocchini (or however it's spelled--little bite-sized balls of mozzarella), basil, a jar of queso (don't panic, more about that in a minute!), salad dressing and a box of tissues for work since those cheap things they provide just about sandpaper my nose off my face.

Riverford Farms came through for me and put a 3-pack of (normal-sized vice shoe-sized) baking potatoes in my veggie box.  Yippee!  This was the first time I'd tried to change my order and I had to leave a message, so I didn't know what to expect.  Anyway, I'm going to bake the potaoes, then have 1 with some steamed brocolli, some salsa and 2 tablespoons of queso.  It's very tasty and as long as I don't go nuts with the queso, a nice healthy alternative.  The potato is healthy (and there's not butter or sour cream, which is usually what messes you up with a baked potato), the brocolli is healthy, the salsa is healthy and only 10-20 calories and the queso is only 40 calories for 2 T--what's not to like?!  I'll have 1 tomorrow night and then the other 2 for my first 2 (of 6) mid shifts next week.

I'm off to do my stretches and read a chapter or 2 before I go to sleep.

30 Sept '10

Another day of successfully resisting the snack table!  Yippee!  Tomorrow may be harder, since I'll be back on that side of the room, but I think I'll be OK as long as I stay busy.  That's my story--and I'm sticking to it...

Today was pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday:  Porridge for breakfast, salad with chopped prawns and fat-free Catalina dressing, Mueller Light Orange Yogurt with Dark Chocolate Sprinkles, raspberries (mmm--raspberries!) and Lime-Sauced Chicken left-overs with rice and steamed veggies.  Oh, and a black coffee and a latte, plus 3 liters of water.  Tomorrow (Friday), I get my veg box delivery and I'm hopeful that I got the order right and there will be a few baking potatoes in there.  We shall see...

I had to run by Sainsbury's after work tonight because I was out of the Orange yogurt.  Horrors!  That stuff is to die for!  It's almost as good as the Chocolate yogurt they did until '04 that they replaced with that NASTY Black Currant stuff.  What were they thinking!?

It's time for stretches and bed...

29 September '10

It's Wednesday and back to work for me.  I made a dinner that serves 4 last night and put 3 of them in boxes for left-overs.  I got up this morning and had oatmeal porridge for breakfast (80g Scottish oats, ~1/4 t salt and 1-1/2 c 2% milk).  I sliced an orange and the half of a lime left-over from last night's dinner, packed a packet of cooked shrimp, a pot of yogurt and a box of raspberries and went to work.  I got a salad and a few crackers from the cafeteria for lunch and added my shrimp and fat-free Catalina dressing.  It was great!  I had the Lime-Sauced Chicken for dinner when I got home.  All-in-all, it was a good day.  I only ate what I took in to work (except for the salad, which was part of the plan so that's OK) and I stayed away from the snack table!  That miserable snack table is the bane of my existance!!

I also had a mug of black coffee and about 3 liters of my fruit-flavored water.  That coffee was the only caffeine I had today--it's cold turkey on the Red Bull!  [That may be what I miss the most; in addition to the jolt from all the chemicals, I really do like the taste.  Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of the diet version.]  Surprisingly, I had no trouble staying awake.  It was probably all the water--and the many trips back and forth to the sand box ;-)

It's off to do my stretches, read a chapter or so in the latest book (a very light historical romance) and to sleep.

28 September '10

I realized after I read over yesterday's meals that there were no veggies!  This is harder than I thought...

Got up early this morning, did my exercises (knee strengthening and shoulder) and had blueberry juice and a toasted English muffin for brekkie.  Got my nails done and had a cup of black coffee--which my nail lady tells me is no longer politically correct.  Please!  Apparently, it is now coffee with no milk...  Another change I won't be making.

Anyway, met Greg in at Bone Shakers in Harrogate and ordered a new bicycle!  It's a TREK mountain bike, which they've ordered while I work on the VAT-off deal; it's about L425 with the VAT off.  They're throwing in a more padded seat and longer (wider?) handle bars.  I should be able to start riding in about a week.  Greg, wicked person that he is, tried to tempt me with Betty's, but I resisted--mostly because I'd only paid for an hour of parking and also because I have to go to work this afternoon.  Hey, all that matters is that I resisted!

I had a roast beast sandwich for lunch.  I'm going to slice up some cucumber and a red pepper and pack a single serving pot of hummus and some raspberries (mmmm--raspberries!) for a snack at work.  I'm also going to slice an orange for a water.  Not only do I need to increase my veggies, but also the water.  [Thanks to the girls at the Spa on MS Boudicca for that idea!]

It's a day late, but here's the "before" shot--or maybe the "beginning shot".

Today was a good day--no cheating!  I got home from work and made Lime-Sauced Chicken

Lime-Sauced Chicken

nonstick cooking spray
4 medium (12 ounces total) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 of a medium lime
1 cup apple juice or cider
2 t cornstarch
1/2 t instant chicken bouillon granules

Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray.  Preheat skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until tender and no longer pink, turning to brown evenly.  Remove from skillet; keep warm.

Meanwhile, remove strips of lime peel from lime using a vegetable peeler (I didn't bother with this part).  Cut peel into thin strips and set aside.  Squeeze 1 T juice from lime.  Combine lime juice, apple juice, bouillon and cornstarch; stir to disolve.  Carefully add to skillet after chicken has been removed.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir 2 minutes more.

To serve, cut each chicken piece into 1-inch diagonal pieces.  Spoon some sauce over each.  Garnish with reserved lime peel.  Pass remaining sauce.  Makes 4 servings.  From The Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter's Cookbook.

I had this with some long grain and wild rice (package said it made 3 servings but I divided into 4 servings) and some steamed mixed veggies.

27 September '10--The start

This is the beginning!  I got up this morning and weighed myself--305 lbs.  I'm definitely not proud of that, but I have to start somewhere.  I'll weigh myself every Monday morning.  My first goal is to lose 30 lbs, which if I go for a steady weight loss of 2 pounds/week takes me thru the holidays and out to about the end of January. 

I started today with a toasted English muffin and a small glass of blueberry juice.  For lunch it was some chicken salad.  I'm making veggie sticks (red peppers, cucumbers and brocolli) to have with hummus for a snack this afternoon.  I also have a pot of yogurt and some red raspberries if I get hungry.  I think dinner is going to be chicken satay; I'll make chicken with a lime sauce, wild rice and a steamed veggie for my dinners when I'm working days this week.  The chicken breasts I got at Waitrose are bigger than the portions in the recipes (note to self: pay attention when you buy them in the future), so I'll get 5 servings instead of 4 out of the recipe.  I'll add the recipe later when it's handy.

It's kind of a dull, wet Autumn day, which seems like the sort of day to stay inside and get organized.

Later...It's a lot more work to eat healthy than to just grab whatever junk looks good.  But I've made a good start on having my salads ready for my day shifts.  I wasn't hungry so I gave the veggie sticks and hummus a miss until tomorrow and went with the raspberries (mmmm-raspberries!) and a pot of vanilla yogurt.