In Weekend Warrior #62, a facelift is being revealed. A friend commented a few weeks ago that it would be fun to see my face on the angry tomato. I asked another friend if she could help. Ta-da! Neither Tish nor the angry tomato was harmed in any part of the process. 😀
I do still have a large amount of writing to do to catch up here. I have been slacking off, but I had a good reason. I had a family vacation trip. We went back to Cape Breton. I took the camera my friend let me borrow, and I will share some of the pictures I was able to take. I haven’t given myself a deadline for the vacation blog stories. I may actually separate it into more than one story.
This upcoming Tuesday, I plan to share a special Treasure Seekers story. Keep an eye out for it. I think it is going to be fantastic!
Okay, housekeeping is out of the way, and I am back! This weekend, I have been working a bit extra at work. I am actually thinking of doing a few hours every Saturday morning, on the days where it is possible. Vacations are expensive, and we need to buckle down and get the budget back under control. It is nice to save up for vacation, and we managed to do okay, but now we have to get a little extra cash flowing in, after spending while we travelled. We had an unexpected trip right after returning home. We got the message that my husband’s grandfather passed away while we were on the road, going home on the last travel day of the vacation. He was 92, almost 93 years old. We did get in a last visit before going home from our vacation. We were able to take a day to catch up on errands and laundry before hitting the road for Pubnico a second time in a week. We took the ferry across from Saint John to Digby both ways. It is half of the travel time to take the ferry, but twice the cost. So we are home again. It is good to be home, even though I love taking vacations with my family. The vacation itself was nice.
I have been feeling the effects of two weeks of travel, combined with a new schedule for work. I am tired. It is totally understandable. I need to keep active today, though, as I do not want to give in to a nap and mess up the new schedule before the week even starts. That is challenge number one today. I was catching up on TV after work last night, and that with a new wine review on my Facebook wall sums up my Saturday in a nutshell. Today is going to be more productive.
I cat sit for a few different people. I like cats, so I don’t mind. Sometimes I get paid in cash. Other times it is a gift. I also like to do it as it helps to know who to ask when we have pets to pet sit at our place too. We had someone to come and feed our fish while we were away. It all works out.
Today is the last day for cat sitting this time. It took 3 days for the shy cat to emerge to see me. She peeked on the first day. I didn’t see her at all on the second day. Yesterday she was out, was timid in her movements, so I waited until she seemed a little more comfortable, then I got out the cat toy. I played with her, and I think I made a friend. Today I hope to see her again. I even had a few kitty kisses yesterday. I figure she smelled cat food, but it was still cute.
The other cat has been there for a while and has memories of previous times of me cat sitting. She is not shy at all and loves to be brushed. I was brushing her when the other one started checking things out. Before I left, both cats had some brushing done. They like it, so if I have time, I spend a little extra time with them to let them know I understand that they are a little lonely without their owners around. I think they like the little extra attention. I like getting to visit with cats since we don’t have any pets other than our fish right now. It is going to be a wonderful change when we get our cat and dog. I am really looking forward to having new fur babies to love!
I have a project that has taken me WAY TOO LONG to finish. I have asked some friends to help, and I am expecting one of them to drop in later on. I can’t get into too much detail, as it is a gift and a surprise. I may not have it finished on time, but I am going to do some serious work to see if I can get it finished and sent out to the recipient soon. I do love making gifts for people. I will take a picture before sending it in the mail. I think it will be a nice surprise for this person if I ever get it finished!
Not if, when. I need to work on this. I need to finish the projects I start. I have to get some things accomplished so that I can move on to other things. Don’t get me wrong, I do finish some things, I just need to work on finishing all of the things. Then I can feel better about taking on new projects.
Which brings me to my first book. People are encouraging me to drop it for now, and write the second book instead. That may work for some people. Book 1 is in my heart, and I need to release it into the world. In my mind, if I put it aside, it may never get finished. This is why I am not into book 2, even though I know it will also be an important book, maybe with more impact and reach than the first one. But I made a promise to myself that book 1 will be written first, and I am sticking to that promise. I don’t think it is being indulgent, as it is its own story, with its own purpose. I worked on the second draft over the vacation, and plan to schedule it in wherever it fits in the next month to get it ready for editing and launching on September 30th. I gave myself time to finish, and I am planning to do just that. My second book is going to be ready before the end of the year. I know what I have planned for it, I just need to finish book 1, then move into book 2 and write it as fast as I can! With the excitement I have for both books, this will not be a problem at all.
Well, Weekend Warriors, what do you think of the new Weekend Warrior angry tomato? I think my friend did an amazing job of turning me into the angry tomato. How is your summer going? Did you do anything exciting this weekend? Let me know in the comments. I love to read about what other people are doing!
It has been a while since I felt up to writing a regular Blog story. I am sorry if you were missing me and my writing, I needed a break. I was on a really good streak there, for over a year. Some people write their Blog stories ahead of time. I usually sit down and pound it out on the keyboard right before I publish. It could be an hour more or less, and I usually come up with a title, topic, and story. This week I am going to share something a little different in Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story. Part 57 Prep Cooking Tips is going to be a top 5 list of my own Prep Cooking Tips!
I have written about the importance of prep cooking in my own journey to become a healthier version of myself. I have found that I am less likely to eat unhealthy if I take the time to prepare healthy choices for my lunches, and sometimes even breakfasts and suppers. Everyone deserves a treat now and then, as long as it is within reason. I tend to give an inch and take a mile or ten. So, I know that prep cooking works, and I must get back into the habit of it.
I had plans last weekend but I got sideswiped by an unexpected injury. I was walking, which is supposed to be something that is good for me. I somehow managed to pull some muscles in my foot. I was in a lot of pain for 3 or 4 days. I am taking fewer painkillers now, and hoping that the weekend is nice. I am going to plan a short walk. I have to build up my tolerance a little more slowly, as it has been some time since I walked for longer than it takes to go get groceries. Now that I am on the mend, it is time to start walking a little more each day. It is a plan.
These tips may seem like common sense to more experienced home cooks. I think that if you plan ahead the prep cooking will go more smoothly than if you don’t.
1. Determine what type of meal you want to cook. Go through recipe books, Pinterest, and websites. Most of your family favourites can be made in bulk and frozen, to reheat or cook when you are ready to eat them. Write down the recipes in a planner for when you are going to eat them if you want to be really organized. People plan meals by the week and month. There are lots of guides for this online, depending on what suits your fancy. Since I am a fan of the Trim Healthy Mama Plan, when I get serious, I will be planning according to their guidelines. You can make this as simple or as complicated as you like. The more effort you put into this, the better results you will get. It is up to you.
2. Now that you have recipes selected, write down your ingredients list. Include everything for each recipe. Then check your cupboards and pantry for the ingredients that you have on hand, and cross them off the list. The remaining items will become the start of your grocery list. If you are feeling like you have extra time, go through the fridge and cupboards and toss the expired items. It will be better to replace them before starting the cooking step, and finding that you need to get more of something that is mouldy or gone bad.
3. Next, you will need to think about utensils, pots, pans and storage. Do you have what you need to prepare and store what you will be cooking? This limits me a bit. We are a household of 2 adults. We live in a mini home. There is not a lot of storage in my kitchen. I have had to become creative with storage methods. I have 2 shelving units and a bookcase in my kitchen. They work for now. I also prefer glass containers for anything that needs reheating later on. So the plastic storage is available, but not used for prep cooking storage, unless it is something that will not be going into a microwave. I also use more Mason jars than I have room to keep organized. They are another way to store soups, salad in a jar, and pantry items.
4. Go to the grocery store to get what you need. This can be pricey the first few times if you are starting from scratch. If you are on a budget, use coupons and flyers. Get as many deals as you can. If you have like-minded friends, TEAM UP! If you have 3 friends to join in, and you all buy enough for 4 batches of a different recipe, then you have 4 meals prepped, and you will have CHOICES! Working together with friends to make homemade healthy meals is a great way to have a productive social gathering! Take turns hosting once or twice a month. Make it a THING, and make it FUN! Have snacks. Get more done faster, including clean up! (This can also be teenagers if they are a part of your family. They won’t be able to help with the budget, but they would be happy to help if it means they get some cookies or a movie night aw a thank you!
5. Don’t Give Up! Start with one recipe, doubled up. Then make something different the next time. Keep building recipes until you have a good variety, and you don’t have to cook for the whole month in one day. Spread out the work over time, and you will have a freezer full of healthy food in a few weeks. When you feel like cooking, make something. When you don’t you have a plan. As long as you keep rotating what you make, it will pay off!
Tonight I made Cheeseburger Pie for supper. It is in a 9 x 13 pan. It serves 6 to 8 people. There are 2 of us. When I have it for supper, I have 2 pieces. When I have it for lunch, I have 1 piece. I will have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I plan to freeze one or two portions, for whenever I am craving a burger. Sometimes you just want that burger so bad…that it is good to plan ahead and have a cheeseburger pie portion in the freezer ready to heat and eat. When I want a BigMac or a Mozza Burger, I make Big Mac Salad. With cheddar, it is a BigMac SALAD, and with Mozza, it is an amazing Mozza Burger SALAD. No buns makes it a salad! I even put the sesame seeds on top!
BigMac Salad for Lunch
Cheeseburger Pie
In case you aren’t on my Facebook, and you want to know what Cheeseburger Pie is, I am going to share a link to the recipe. It can be found with other recipes on the Trim Healthy Mama website, and if you check out the recipe, you can also take a look at the THM plan and other recipes. They even have products for sale there. I am not affiliated, so I leave things up to you. I love the recipes, and I also am happy that I know it is a plan that does work for me WHEN I WORK THE PLAN!
Here is the recipe for Trim Healthy Mama Cheeseburger Pie
I plan the next Trust Your Gut to be two weeks from today. I am slowing down, but not bailing. I have more stories to share. 🙂
There you have it. Do you Prep Cook? Have you had friends join you to conquer the kitchen? Let me know if you have tried and true favourite recipes that you use, and love.
#TrustYourGut
In Weekend Warrior #54 And the Academy Award Goes to…I am writing about my weekend as I am watching the Academy Awards. This was a weekend of big and small things. I made a significant decision in my life. It was important, and it will affect me for the next few years.
I have been searching for my new glasses for about a month now. I went out again this weekend with the intention to buy this time. I went back to Costco, where I learned that yes, I could get a temporary shopping pass twice a year, and I could get a member to buy me gift certificates to buy my glasses with there. It seemed like a lot of hassle to me, after I thought about it.
I went back to Pearle Vision. When I couldn’t find the paper in my purse with the frames I had tried the other time I was there, the salesperson walked away. I had told her that I was at Costco and that I was planning to buy my glasses. She lost that sale because she didn’t want to help me finalize my purchase. I had a friend with me, and she wanted to try another store.
I went to Hakim Optical with her. I was worried that they were going to be more expensive, and they were, a little. The prices are not listed on the frames, which made it a little scarier. Vogue was the most expensive store I had visited. I just hadn’t found any glasses that I thought were the pair I wanted to wear for two years or more at this point.
I have written about this on my Facebook page. There was a moment, at the last store. I was looking at a wall of glasses (they have the most frames to choose from of the 4 stores I visited) and my friend missed a pair that I am now saying picked me. Yes, just like the wands on Harry Potter, these glasses stood out from the wall and drew my hand to pick them up. It was magical. That was it. I found them. I got help with the sunglasses, and I am pleased with them as well. I will be sharing my new look as well as a new eyeshadow technique (new to me, anyway) a week from now, as it is less than 20 minutes into Monday where I am now. I might just try something different with my hair, too. If it works, I will be happy. If not, it will be time to plan to go and get my hair cut in a few months. I have been letting it grow, with a new style in mind, but I do not know if it is going to be an option for me. So I will see what happens when I play with my hair and makeup and new glasses, and I will share that in a week.
Sunday had a slower pace. I have gotten up at my normal time, did a little creative work, and went back to bed. I slept in. How I love sleeping and not having to set an alarm. I worked a little on the computer and helped another friend. I ran the dishwasher and did some laundry. I am starting to get my gumption back. This is good, because it is MARCH already, and I have yet to get my spring cleaning done! If I leave it too late, it becomes a miserable job in the heat. I know this. Spring turns to summer overnight here. One day it is cool and rainy, and the next the heat wave hits. Just like that. So I need to get my act together and get some cleaning done. I started tonight, which gives me hope that I can keep it going and make things better here. I have other things to do too, and I find I need to start wherever I feel like I can, and then I can keep going. A start was made today, and this is a really good thing.
I did watch The Academy Awards. They just finished, and I loved all of the dresses. THere were a few beautiful gowns, and I think my favourite look was the one of Sandra Bullock tonight. I really thought she looked beautiful.
That is a wrap for this weekend. I must say that for me this week, it was a win. Hands down! I made an important purchase, planned an extra blog post for next week, and I got some chores done around the house. When you look at the big picture, that is a win for me!
#WeekendWarrior
Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues. It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on. Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real. The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale. If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Homepage for this blog. I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 37
This week I have not stepped on the scale, or measured inches. I did go to Zumba Monday and missed it Wednesday because of circumstances beyond my control. I hope to start going twice a week again starting Monday. The day I made it I had 5,187 steps. That might be the highest step count I have ever had at a Zumba class.
I mentioned that last week I was on the scale at the doctor’s office. I was up. I didn’t want to face it. Bahahahahaha! My chocolate chin is where it all went. I swear. I wasn’t going to put a number on it, but as I am sure that I lost half of it already, I can face it now. 😉 I had gone back up to 312 lbs. I knew things were bad, and not as bad as the worst, but I was right. Making small changes to ease myself back into eating more on plan than off plan is working. I am sure the 12 lb chocolate chin is 6lbs or even less right now.
If I don’t laugh at it, I will curl up in a ball and cry as I eat the rest of the Halloween chocolate and chips. I am going to have my Thursday glass of wine with some Smartfood Gouda & Chive popcorn. Maybe more wine if I want to, but not necessarily. I need to get back on track one meal, snack and day at a time. I am happy today that I made BigMac salad for lunch yesterday. It was SO good. I am probably having it for lunch tomorrow. I made a pot of chili tonight. I am trying. That is better than not trying, and I can live with that. I couldn’t live with a 12 lb chocolate chin.
I think it is time to look at a new NSV. If you are new here, that is a non-scale victory. I admittedly love chocolate. Chocoholic, right here. I can make chocolate treats on the plan. But I am thinking about something bigger. Bolder. Goal achievement status.
I keep seeing commercials that catch my attention. Something I saw tonight made me think I need to get focused, and I think I found my next reward. I am not going to have to only go to twoville for this, I am going to need to be in onederland. That big.
More than one goal. As if I am just working for the big one, I am not going to make it. If I set the goal too high, I will fail. I know it. I can plan clothes shopping trips as I need them in the short term. I am also gearing up to start wearing more makeup. So those things can be small goal rewards. This may have to be the end of the journey prize! What on earth am I planning?
Well, I think it is time to set my sights on some other forms of chocolate. The inedible kinds. There are chocolate coloured dogs. I want a dog. We aren’t ready yet…sad, I know, but it is a major decision, and I want to be sure that I am 100% ready for the responsibility of taking that dog home. I now have an idea. How do I make it bigger?
BLING! I make beaded jewellery, and I am working on my website to launch it. I am not expecting it to be an instant source of income (although I wouldn’t have a problem with that), but I rarely make jewellery for myself. Bigger. Have you figured it out yet?
Diamonds, my friends. I am going to talk to my husband and set some realistic goals, and buy myself some diamonds. But not just any diamonds. For this plan to work, it has to be chocolate diamonds. I want Bling rewards!
I might be too far into the wine to be rational at this point, but I don’t think so. I am planning to up my game and work hard for something tangible. Something that won’t affect my blood sugars, and won’t cause me to be morbidly obese anymore. I have been saying that I am worth it, and it is high time I start planning to show it. So there you have it. I am setting the chocolate bar for myself, 😉 and you know what? I am looking forward to saving up for something really special.
#TrustYourGut
P.S. I am on time with this one!
Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues. It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on. Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real. The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale. If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Homepage for this blog. I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 30
I am happy to say that I am doing better. Not 100% organized or on the plan, but better. I did get in 2 Zumba classes last week. Due to things happening in my life that I have to deal with and work through, I was not at Zumba this week. The good news is that I will be going back. No worries there, I have to keep going. I need the outlet, and it is good to get the workouts fit into my week.
It is hard to climb and claw my way back out of a slump. Sometimes life has other plans. The good news is that I am cooking again. Cooking means less junk food. That is a great thing. The easy way out is not always better, in fact, it is usually the wrong way. I attack a lot of my own problems from the wrong side, not the easy way first. I just use my stubbornness to my advantage and push my way through whatever is going on.
I have said prep cooking and planning are key points for my success. I have said that I need to stop making excuses. I have actually made progress with both of those tasks. However, I am still not ready to commit to being on THM 100%. Why? There are two reasons. One is that it is a lot of work. I have to plan and cook. It would be great if my husband was following the plan with me, but he is not. There are just some things he refuses to eat. So that is one of my lingering excuses. The other is a fear of success. The success itself would be wonderful. But then
The other is fear. Fear of success. The success itself would be wonderful. But then what? After I find my way to being healthier, and the need for the push is over, then I would have other, new issues. I may need plastic surgery for excess skin. I may give in a little more until I find that I am putting the weight back on. I may lose my gumption halfway and fall off the wagon and revert to my old ways.
Let’s face it, I didn’t become morbidly obese overnight. I didn’t choose this path for myself. I choose what to eat and drink. I choose to not exercise and do things that I find more fun. I choose to listen to the monster that wants junk food instead of the beautiful inner spark that longs for freedom, and the power to defeat that monster. So what is it going to take?
I already know. I have to want it bad enough to do the work. I have to want it bad enough to plan it out. I have to want it enough to have to go shopping for a new wardrobe. Hmm…I may be on to something with that last one.
The biggest reason for anyone facing weight issues is themselves. You have to pick a path, follow it, and commit to seeing it through. Here is the kicker. At least for me, it is. You have to believe in yourself. You have to believe that you are worth the effort, and that you are going to stick to it, and that you are going to come out OK on the other side of changing your entire life. You simply have to do it, succeed at it, and change your life for the better. Shut that monster up with salad. Don’t forget to drown it with water, and feed the inner beauty healthy morsels of amazing food choices. Take her out for a walk. She needs to get fresh air and exercise to thrive. A little sunshine is always a nice treat.
She is worth the effort, and so are you.
Trust Your Gut.