A Treat

Mother's Day isn't exactly my favorite holiday. It's stressful. My DOM passed away a few years ago so it's bittersweet. MJ's mom is hard to please. So, I decided not to try. It was going to be what it was. Of course, I decided this after we had gone to pick up dinner fixins from Harris-Teeter. I'm a huge beef fan. The music from the "Beef, It's What's for Dinner" commercials could be my theme song. We picked up a few ribeyes (on sale), some chicken breasts (BOGO), asparagus (on sale), onions, garlic and a rotisserie chicken for lunch. Well, after lunch I didn't feel like doing anything. And my MIL let us (read me) off the hook. She said that would be enough.

Okay, you know my grill situation. I can't have one b/c of the fire code in Alexandria. Well, those beautiful steaks kept calling me from the fridge and freezer. The slacker in me kept turning the volume down. Then a beautiful thing happened. MJ's brother-in-law walked in. He was hungry. He didn't want to do the prep, but he'd man the grill. A plan started to form. You see I had picked up some packets of grill seasoning from good ol' HT. MJ and I got prepped the meat. I made a quick marinade for the asparagus and we were ready to go. My SIL and I went to pick up some microwaveable sides and life was good.

What do you like on the grill? Do you grill your veggies like I do? Are you a charcoal snob or will you use gas in a pinch? I must say I prefer charcoal, but my SIL's Weber gas grill is kinda nice. There's something to be said for instant temp. control.

Lunch

I just had my Jenny Craig lunch. The container said Beef Chili with Beans. They lied. It was beef flavored bean chili. ICK! You might be asking yourself why did she buy the chili when she knows that she doesn't like beans. Well, I'll eat a few beans, but they are not my favorite by a long shot. And I love chili. I haven't had it in a while. My dad used to make chili that would burn so good. It was thick beef chili. He made two batches, one for TY and me with no beans and one for him and our mom with those alien pods. As it is the little container is no bigger than the soup bowls you get, so I jazzed mine up with some tortilla chips (good use of today's snack pack), salsa (gotta love the free items) and a little fat free sour cream (a limited item). The trouble is I can still taste those beans.

When I am able to create my own meals, I want to make my own chili. And it's not going to be that burn your mouth going and your keister coming out kind either. I want to use a mix of ground beef and turkey to create a leaner, lower fat version. There will be no beans at all in mine. I will be looking for ways to pump up the fiber though. So, for all of my cooking friends, start going over your recipes. I'm looking for any and all suggestions for my chili.

Free Food

Two of my favorite words in the English language. Well, Let's Dish (DC, MD, VA) is giving away a block of their Signature Scones to anyone who donates their Facebook status, Twitters or blogs about the free scones. Hey, it's worth a shot. I hope it is still good when I take this posting into my neighborhood Let's Dish. If not, then I'll pick up a brunch item for Mother's Day and get my freebies that way. If you're in the DMV, check it out.

I'm back

After an unplanned hiatus, some personal issues, and a weight gain, I'm back. For you regulars, I apologize for just dropping out on you like that. For any newcomers, well, I have a tendency to disappear every now and then. I'm going to work on that so that it doesn't interfere with what I do here.

I'm still on Jenny Craig. It's kinda of hard some days. I know in my head what a portion should be, but sometimes what I want to eat just tastes so good that I want a little more. And you know what happens then, a little more becomes a lot more. I'm trying to focus on the things that I like that I know are good for me. I'm not a huge fan of strawberries, but I'm beginning to like them a little better. MJ and I will share a few. I'm helping him get his fruit in and that makes me feel good.

I have never believed that any food should be avoided. However, if you have issues with control, maybe stepping away from the trigger foods isn't such a bad thing. Or is there an alternative to having the trigger food? I know that a turkey burger isn't the same as a sirloin burger, but what's better in the long run?

The Unthinkable Happened

I lost my appetite! Yes, me of all people. Can you believe it?! I certainly couldn't. I have been mildly depressed since Saturday. Let me tell you how bad this was. I didn't even want to look at food. I mean no Tastespotting or FoodGawker. I didn't even want to go into the grocery store. I was starting to think that I was sick.

Well, I found out that it was one of the side effects of losing weight. You see I've lost nearly 18 pounds since I decided to change my eating habits. People have been reassuring me this is a good thing. What if I've lost my cooking mojo? Okay, I'm just being a little overly dramatic. Please forgive me. I know that losing the weight is the important part. I guess I now have an opportunity for a little creative license with my fave dishes. I have a chance to tweak them in a way that I'll get the flavor w/o so many calories or fat. You know I'll keep you posted.

How's your journey going? Have you kept up or fallen off the wagon? What sacrifices are you willing to make for your health?

A Breakthrough

I'm not going to lie to you, but JC food is expensive. However, my consultant and I talked about the cost and this week I'm allowed to have my own cereal. Not only that, I will be able to make my own turkey burgers in the coming weeks. I have to be careful about what I put in and on those burgers. There will be no full fat cheese, mayo (unless it's fat free), bacon, etc. That means I must get creative. C, my consultant, says a good turkey burger can be made w/a pound of lean ground turkey, a can of green chiles (love those), some onion and garlic. For my topping, I'd use a nice mild salsa.

How would you jazz up a pound of ground turkey to make juicy and tasty burgers? And please don't say, switch the turkey for an 80/20 mix of ground sirloin and chuck. You'll make me cry.

Week 4

So far the food has been pretty good. It's not restaurant quality by any means, but most of it isn't tasteless or bland either. What bothers me about this is that I miss making my own food. I'm a hands on kinda gal. There's nothing inherently satisfying about poking a few holes in plastic and popping the dish in the microwave. And then there's that whole size thing. I'm used to so much more. I know that was part of the problem. What's girl to do?

Well, I am allowed to have almost all of the veggies that I want. Corn is kind of a no-no. I stick to your basic greenies with a few orange, red, and purples thrown in. Say for instance tonight's dinner was chicken fettuccine. What can I do to spruce it up? Hmmm, I can saute some mushrooms, onions and garlic and a 1/2 tbsp. olive oil and steam some broccoli or asparagus. Then, toss the fettuccine with the veggies. I'd then have a full colorful plate w/o being deprived.

What do you do to renovate your frozen meals? Do you add your own special seasonings? Do you cut up a few carrots or slice a few scallions? Think about it and get back to me.

Down-6.2 lbs since 01/16/09