An Experiment or For Real - Lifestyle Changes are For REAL

Arrival of eggs - 24 hours in transit

Almost a year and a half ago, I set out to lose a little weight - for real.  I was beyond what type of diet would work best to drop a few pounds quickly and I really needed to drop a few pounds forever.   I chose the low carb way because it was recommended by my doctor and after a few weeks of doing it, it was EASY.

A lot of things in life we do because they are easy and quick.   A lot of times, when we set out to do things in that manner, we do them unprepared.  That unpreparedness leads us to sporadic and likely not lasting results.  My 20 lb weight loss goal moved to be a 47 lb goal after I had managed to make the diet a lifestyle change.  Now at a 50 lb weight loss, I do have the feeling that I can achieve anything.

Unpacking - Did they make it!?

I can change my life in some pretty drastic and unimaginable ways and be successful and HAPPY.   It all depends upon how I set out to define both the successful and the happy.  Weight loss is great. Not having a job is not so great and now, I'm redefining myself in a way I did not think would be possible or in a way in which I could possibly be happy.

One of the goals I have is that I am only going to do things I truly enjoy for the next 15 years.   That's quite the statement when I have two kids who are in Jr. High and Elementary school.   I realized the only way I was going to be happy in my career would be to surround myself with those efforts.  I was never ever going to be able to replace my past position which was incredible in allowing me to do all relatively good things with an extremely exceptional and wonderful community of like minded folks.

What this means for me is an extreme hit to the bottom line.  After an analysis of my personal costs and what I had access to, I realized I wasn't so bad off and if I did a few key things in the right way....I'd be fine, maybe even happy.  I just didn't know if those that have no option but to follow me would think so.  I'm going to share just one of the major efforts I've undertaken to change my overall lifestyle.  The food budget.

Why the heck is there a picture of bubble wrapped eggs on this particular blog?  It's because I brought them with me on my vacation.  A vacation planned YEARS before I ever set out to lose a few pounds.  A vacation that was essentially paid for and perhaps today, doesn't fit my new lifestyle but one I am determined to make not only a great vacation - but one which will lead the way for how I live my life going forward - No matter how poor or wealthy I may find myself.

Looking good....

Since we had 1 free bag check per flyer...I thought what the heck...I 'll packed the eggs in my checked luggage.   Yep, 18 eggs.  Along with almost everything else in my fridge and freezer at the time.  Where we are staying - we have a full kitchen and inside laundry.  I figured if they didn't make it...I'd be doing a lot of laundry.  I had looked into buying groceries at our destination and it would be pretty expensive and more importantly would take away time from our experience.  I planned we would bring enough for breakfasts, most dinners and the occasional lunch. By the time I was finished, I had two luggage bags full of 80 lbs of food.

Thus...the eggs in my luggage.

 With my new low carb lifestyle and my process of reinventing myself and only doing good things, I find myself with a limited and one could say, stretched budget.   My grocery budget is $500 a month.  It sounded do-able.  I looked back at what I had been spending on groceries before my reinventing ...and that was about it.  What I didn't look at was how often we ate out.

They look amazing!  

Oh...I failed at first.  And now I'm starting to gain ground.  The first month - I missed the grocery budget by almost $500.  I was still buying boxes, I was still even though we weren't eating out, we were eating fast-food at home.  I realized that really is what processed boxes are - a relatively fast-food and very expensive.  I also started using our freezer for something more than decorative ice cubes and ice cream.  I freeze lots of things and I buy in bulk now.  I rarely go to supermarket, I find myself pulling out the recipe box and lining up recipes I have items on hand for.

I recently dreamed about my grandmother.  She passed away in 1999 at 98 years old.  She experienced years of drastic economic crisis living through both World War I and World War II and the depression.  She had a big purse.  Inside that purse she carried a small picnic, an arsenal of bathroom tools; clippers, tweezers, kleenex, bandaids, chap stick and toothpicks at all times.  I remember being on a trip with her and complaining because I was hungry and we were nowhere near or stop for lunch.  She pulled out of her purse a baggie with a pickle and butter sandwich in it.  That was the best sandwich I have ever had to this day.  She was so happy to share it with me. I'm trying to be more like her.

This little exercise of bringing my groceries on vacation, which involved 24 hours in transit which included at least five hours of driving, two domestic flights and not including the at least hour it took me to carefully wrap the eggs box covered with bubble wrap and shipping tape inside box covered with bubble wrap and shipping tape....was one step in that direction of being more like my grandmother.

One small crack but still usable!

I always wondered why she had pickle and butter sandwiches?  I know now, it's because both items won't spoil, regardless of temperature in a purse for at least 24 hours and they were relatively cheap items at those times and pickles were usually made at home - in fact all the items could be made at home.  I may even try to make my own pickles.  That will be right after I build the chicken coop and the greenhouse....

Happy Carb Counting and Budget Pinching!

Hearth and Home and a 50 lb weight loss.

Beautiful jacket made by Leona!!

I've hit an incredible milestone.  One, I actually never set out to accomplish.  I've slid to 122 pounds, a 50 lb weight loss.  I don't know how long I'll stay here.  I had no expectation of getting here, but here I am.

I ate an ice cream cone...gave me a stomach ache and tonight I had a slice of homemade pizza...a real slice, not just eating off the toppings.  It was an incredibly thin crust so I suspect it was around 23 carbs.  I also had a meatball sandwich for lunch.  I have, in fact consumed 75 carbs today.  I'm actually still in a low carb range.   Just a reminder, low carb is a diet of 130 carbs or less a day.   I normally am at 30 to 50 carbs a day.

It's getting colder.  I wore my favorite jacket today.  My incredible friend made it.  Thank you Leona. I received 12 compliments on it today!  It's true, I counted.  I had thought I had lost it.  I have been mourning it's loss for at least 3 years.  I had to move to find it.   There are a few things in this world which bring you home.  With the smell of fires lingering in the air, I feel I'm home, with my amazing wool masterpiece of a jacket, I feel I'm home. With my homemade cheese and pepperoni pizza, my kids feel like they are home.  Tonight..for the first time, they both told me, it was the best pizza they had ever had.

Harvest of Memories cover photo

I've made some serious life changes in the last few months.  I've had to make a lot of changes, I've had to come to accept a few things I don't think I would have ever accepted.  I'm growing up at 44 and I have yet to really figure out where I'm going to go, beyond the point of knowing I very soon need to start sharing with you my story.  How I got to here, from there.  Why I left the best place on earth to pursue magical dreams only to seek out the comforts of home.  On Dec. 13, I'll launch a new blog called Falling Out of Oz.   I hope you'll join me there.   Until then...enjoy the smell of the hearths in your neighborhoods, hold your loved ones close, have a lovely Thanksgiving.

This holiday try the pumpkin cheesecake and the spaghetti squash muffin recipes.   But more than
anything...believe in yourself at this time of reflection and thanks.   I've been working on editing a book of poems I wrote a LONG time ago, highlighting it with pictures of my kids at the same time of when I experienced the poems, it's been a lingering project.  The book of poems is called "Harvest of Memories" and it will be the 2nd edition and available online through Amazon..hopefully by the new year.

For those who know me..I miss you!! Happy Thanksgiving!  Happy Carb Counting!

Experimenting with Spaghetti Squash and -2 and Counting

Spaghetti Squash Muffin with Sour Cream and Salsa

I have just discovered a very yummy way to have something bread like without the flour!  I'm head over heels in love with how incredibly easy it was and the different things I could do with this new information astound me.   I have been trying to figure out how to use spaghetti squash as a base for things like eggs Benedict, a tortilla like wrap...I just see that there are a lot of possibilities with the squash that I just LOVE to eat.

Today, I was messing around and decided that I'd see if anyone had made spaghetti squash muffins.  I found a few recipes, but I didn't have all the ingredients.  One was too simple, I almost didn't take it seriously.  I was desperate so I thought, okay I'll try this one.

Super simple:

Take your spaghetti squash that has already been cooked and prepared.  If you don't know how to do this, please look it up, there are several ways but I prefer the oven method.

1 lb of spaghetti squash - prepared - 31 carbs / 8.8 fiber
4 eggs - 4 carbs

Whisk the eggs, pour over spaghetti squash and mix together.

Spray muffin pan, spoon in mixture into muffin pan.  Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.   AMAZING!

This made 12 muffins so 3 carbs each!!  Eat up! Tsp of Sour Cream and Salsa add a 1.5 carbs.

I had one with butter...and then I had one with sour cream and salsa and then my mind went nuts with all the ways I could serve this.  As a side with grilled chicken or steak.  As a base for my eggs Benedict, add other stuff to the mixture for a breakfast muffin or a lunch muffin with cold cuts and cheese....So pleased with myself.  You must try.

-2 and counting.  I am now 2 lbs below my target weight.  I'll be changing up my workout at the beginning of December to tone.  I want to try to make sure I don't gain weight in the process of toning so I'm actually a little excited to be starting that process with 2 lbs to spare. 

I'm also celebrating a new low carb coaching participant this week!  Yeah!  I hope to be able to help as many people as possible achieve their weight loss goals and change their lifestyle so they never have to feel like they will gain the weight again.  If you are interested in having a low carb coach, just let me know, I work virtually and in person so please don't let distance keep us apart.

Happy Carb Counting!  Gobble up some spaghetti squash as part of your Thanksgiving dinner!

Hop Scotch with the Bathroom Scale

How important is to weigh everyday?

There have been many times when I thought my scale was broken.  Usually the thought crossed my mind when I was on a really long weight plateau or when the scale was going up instead of down, I would shake the scale a little and be like..."come on...give me a good number!"

Yesterday, my son told me after his escapade in the bathroom where he supposedly washed his hair that the scale seemed broken.  I asked him what could possibly have broken the scale?  Did he drop something on it?  No.....unless his jumping up and down on it had something to do with it stuck on 255 lbs  Hmm.  I guess I'm really lucky it made it this long without breaking sooner as I'm sure, whatever version of hop scotch he was playing with the scale, was likely happening every time he took a shower.

Now what!?  I'm not really in the mood to go find another scale, but I suppose I'll have to.  I'll mess with it, see if I have any mechanical magic in my hands to make it come back, but being that I burned out the motor in the coffee grinder this morning doesn't give me much hope.   How helpful is the scale anyway?  Since I've already made my goal weight, I could just go to the gym in the morning and weigh there...right?

We'll see...I'm going there today.  What I dislike about using multiple scales is that they are all different.  The weight I get at the doctor's office is always different than what I had on my scale.  It causes a sense of anxiety when I use another scale. Will it say I weigh more? Will I not have made my goal weight on this particular scale?  Great...now I'm dreading the gym.

I read an article about how weighing everyday isn't healthy.  They suggest weighing twice a week or even once a week.  Weighing everyday for me was a good reminder that I was watching my weight.   So I disagree, yes some days I did weigh more than the day before and that made me correct.  I don't know what I would do if I would have gone a whole week without weighing and find out that I actually went up a lb instead of down a lb.  For someone who lost on average less than a 1 lb a week that's a full week set back.

Anyway, I guess I'll be scale shopping....anyone have any recommendations?

For those following my pumpkin experiment on how long a pumpkin can feed a family. I still have pumpkin bisque left that I'm eating...I can't believe that 1 pumpkin provided me with so many meals. I'm experimenting with banana squash.  I'm going to make lasagna next with the banana squash replacing the lasagna noodles.

Happy Carb Counting!

PS...Just continued messing with the scale and I fixed it!!

The Great Pumpkin Week! More Meals with Pumpkin

The pumpkin that made many meals!

Almost a week ago, I stocked up on some squash and two baking pumpkins.  On that Thursday night before Halloween as my daughter carved up her pumpkin, I boiled mine and started to make pumpkin puree. Since then, I've made a Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Bisque, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Chicken and Pumpkin Chili, Pumpkin Pancakes and Pumpkin Cupcakes!

 I still have plenty of pumpkin puree left, needless to say another baking pumpkin just waiting to be carved and turned into puree.  Good thing it will store for several months because I'm pretty sure I won't be able to eat much more pumpkin!  My kids have already caught me trying to put pumpkin in everything and they are starting to revolt!  Enough with the pumpkin!

What else am I going to make....I am going to try pumpkin bread and whipped pumpkin (like mashed potatoes) and I will make another pumpkin bisque, that was just too good to not make again!

This post is focusing on the Chicken and Pumpkin Chili - which was EXCELLENT!  I loved it and the kids didn't even notice the pumpkin!

I followed a basic chili recipe and used boiled, then baked and shredded chicken.

Here is the carb count by ingredient:

1 tablespoons oil - 0 carbs

Chicken and Pumpkin Chili

1 lb. chicken breast - 0 carbs
1/4 cup chopped red onion - 4 carbs / .6 fiber
1 tsp garlic powder - 2.2 carbs / .3 fiber
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder - 6 carbs / 3.8 fiber *
1/2 tbsp paprika - 1.85 carbs /1.2 fiber
1 tsp ground cumin - .93 carbs /.2 fiber
1/2 tsp salt - 0 carbs
1/4 tsp ground pepper - .25 carbs / .1 fiber
1 cup chopped yellow pepper  - 6.9 carbs / 2. 5 fiber
14 1/2 ounces of diced tomatoes with basil and garlic - 24.5 carbs / 7 fiber
15 ounce can of kidney beans - 66.3 carbs / 27.2 fiber
1/2 cup pumpkin bisque - 2 carbs / .133 fiber
Shredded Cheese

8 servings
Carbs per serving 14.25 fiber- (lower carb version would be to skip the beans and it's only 6 carbs a serving!)  with 5.41grams of fiber.

Super good and seems to taste better second time around!

Next up...Pumpkin Pancakes!

Happy Carb Counting!

Pumpkin Out!! Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake and Pumpkin Bisque

Pumpkins!  Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin carvings and Roasted Seeds

I have spent this Halloween, All Saints and All Souls Days preparations thinking about all the different ways I could use pumpkin.  In the past, the closest I would get to a pumpkin would be with a carving knife the night before Halloween.  This year, we carved, but we are also roasting the seeds which include he time consuming husking of the seed and actually making something with pumpkin.

Long Island Cheese Pumpkin - good for pies!

I really never knew that there was a difference in the type of pumpkins one could use for baking.  On
the visit to a local farm to pick our pumpkins, I received an education in all things pumpkin and picked up a book on how to prepare pumpkins for not only dessert but also for main meals.   The other incredibly interesting tip I learned is that Squash, Pumpkins and Gourds will store for up to 6 months!  That a particular squash can be used as a substitute for lasagna noodles (I'm going to try that!)  I have had to modify a lot of the recipes  because they aren't low carb but I've had some success.


Here is the Pumpkin Cheesecake ingredients and counts in the entire cheesecake:

Steaming Pumpkin

Pumpkin - 1 1/2 cups - 12 grams carbs /1.5 grams fiber
Ground Almonds - 1 cup - 20 grams carbs / 11 grams fiber
Eggs - 4 - 4 grams carbs
Cream Cheese - 16 ounces - 16 grams carbs
Cinnamon - 1 tsp - 2 grams carbs
Honey - 2 tsp - 10 grams carbs

Total Carbs - 65 grams
Total Fiber - 12.5 grams

8 servings - 8.125 carbs per serving with 1.125 fiber grabs.  Add whipped cream add another 1 gram carb.

A wonderful dessert (also good for breakfast)!

The pumpkin I carved and boiled for cooking provided me with about 10 cups of pumpkin!  I made a wonderful Pumpkin Bisque with I love more than the cheesecake and would be something I would expect to have in a 5 star restaurant.   AWESOME.  I used a tip from the pumpkin cookbook to save the water from boiling the pumpkin to use in the soup.  I do believe that helped with the flavor.

Here is the ingredient carb count down for the bisque:

Pumpkin - 1 cup - 8 grams carbs / 1 gram fiber

Fabulous Pumpkin Bisque!

Chicken Broth - 1 1/4 cup  - 1.25 carbs
Heavy Whipping Cream - 1 cup - 7 grams carbs
Small Onion  - 7 grams carbs / 1.2 grams fiber
Two cups Water - 0 carbs
Butter - 1 tbsp - 0 carbs

Total Carbs - 23 grams
Total Fiber - 2.2 grams

6 servings  - 4 carbs !!! a serving with .366 fiber.  EAT UP!

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your pumpkin!

Happy Carb Counting!