My Flog for June 30

Well, a month is over, tomorrow it's time for a different number - I hope. Maybe it's not as small a number as I had hoped it to be - but that's okay. What I am doing is very do-able, and there's always another month ahead, right?

• Breakfast - Toast and coffee
• Lunch - Pasta salad leftovers from last night - still yummy, but scarce
• Dinner - Home-made Pizza - my little one has tomatoes, onions, pineapple, red pepper and cheese - lots of cheese, both cheddar and mozzarella - my protein plus my calcium....Yummy
• Snacks - Banana, Cherry tomatoes, diet Pepsi

PS: My little pizza had everything mentioned above, but actually it wasn't all that little, but I stuffed it all down anyway. Hence, tomorrow morning when I weigh myself, I will probably find all the weight I spent the last month losing. Kinda sucks, don't it?

My Flog for June 29

Well, this day is almost done, and if I can stay awake much longer I'll watch America's Got Talent at 9pm. Lousy week at work, but tomorrow I get a day off, and Howard and I both get paid, so tomorrow may be better. Hopefully. Yawn. Good night.

• Breakfast - coffee and toast
• Lunch - Yogurt/Fruit - guess who went to work with no debit card, but was lucky enough to scrape $2.52 from the bottom of her purse
• Dinner - Pork chop, pasta salad, stir-fried veggies - all yummy
• Snacks - Banana, milk, and......oh oh......a very SMALL scoop of ice-cream. Tummy says thankya!

My Flog for June 28

My butt and I went on bus to work this morning, and spent the day pricing junk, mostly, old stock at - get this - thrift store prices. I guess the manager thinks I'm well qualified to mark at thrift store prices. One more day, then I get a day off....can't wait. The thought of many many days off in a row, ie, for the rest of my life, is looking more and more wonderful day by day. We'll see.

• Breakfast -Coffee and toast
• Lunch - Ham and veggie sandwich on whole grain bread
• Dinner - Teriyaki chicken drummies w/broad noodles
• Snack - Banana, 4 strawberries, yogurt/fruit, diet Pepsi (actually the same one from last night, so it was a bit warm and a bit unfizzy, but still drinkable. Just not great.)

And believe it or not - an alcoholic drink - Kahlua and Milk, just before bedtime - thought it might knock me out and I'd get a gooooood night's sleep, and it sort of worked. I still had a hard time getting to sleep, but I didn't wake up until four-thirty.

My Flog for June 27

It took me over an hour to get to work this morning, alternating riding bike until my butt couldn't take it any more with walking until my knee couldn't take it any more. But I did make it, and then I worked hard all day, except for my lunch break of course. My hubby was kind enough to come get me and my bike and give us a ride home in his big blue truck. My butt thanks him.
Then, clean the kitchen, two loads of laundry and get dinner - and now we have to walk to IGA for bread etc for tomorrow's lunches. Yawn.

• Breakfast - Coffee and toast (just so it doesn't get boring)
• Lunch - Sandwich - ham and lettuce w/mayo & mustard on whole grain bread, yogurt w/berries
• Dinner - Potatoes, Onions and Wieners pan fried in Olive Oil - a very small serving though
• Snacks - Banana, a Vanilla Latte (thanks, Pauline) and a Hot Chocolate (thanks, Marina), 2 cherry tomatoes, and 0 Dunkin' Donut donuts

My Flog for June 26

Came home after a 'stressful' day at work, and hit the sack really early. Found out I wasn't going to get the hours I was promised when the manager went on holidays in July, only ended up with about 8 extra hours, so was a bit ticked off and a lot disppointed with that. Then I found out I am actually making the same hourly wage as someone who just started a bit over a year ago, even though I'm the one who supposedly takes over management duties when the manager isn't there. So guess who's asking for a raise, and probably won't get one.

However - yesterday my bike rode to work with me in truck, and waited quietly at a nearby post while I dragged myself through the day. Then I rode/walked home, which was nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but not quite. I'd ride until my butt bones got sore from the seat, then I'd walk a bit until my knee got sore, and alternated like that all the way home. It was a beautiful windless day, and I was listening to my MP3 player, so all in all, in was a good ride.

• Breakfast - Toast and coffee
• Lunch - Veggie sandwich, yogurt w/fruit, 1% milk
• Dinner- Honey Nut Cheerios w/2% milk
• Snack - Banana. banana, 2 strawberries

My Flog for June 25

Just  had three days off. First day I unhoarded tons of records, books and VHSes. Second day I walked and bussed around Richmond. Third day I did very little. But I did walk to Safeway to get milk, since my loving husband drank all the milk last night and only left a teaspoon for my coffee. Really.

• Breakfast - Toast and coffee
• Lunch - Green salad w/Thousand Islands dressing, strawberries, diet Pepsi
• Dinner - Veggie sandwich/whole grain bread, of course. Far cry from the A&W burger I was hoping to get. Rats.
• Snacks - Banana, grapes

My Flog for June 24

Today I left to bus to Cambie/5 Road to do a favour for my youngest son. I had to transfer buses at the Richmond Centre, and believing the bus I needed had a stop on Cooney Road, I got off on Granville near that stop. However, this particular stop had disappeared, so I left to hoof it over to No 3 Road on a search for a Number 410 bus. I crossed the road to one Bus Bay, then re-crossed it and hustled up the road trying to beat my wanted bus, which was zooming past me, to the bus stop up ahead.

Aha. Did it. Whew. Now I had an address, that being the 11000 block of Cambie, so when I saw addresses beginning with the 11 hundreds, I got off the bus. I noticed the numbers on the buildings on the other side of the street, were just a wee bit larger than the one I wanted, so I jaywalked across four lanes and started walking down the street the way I had come. Mmmmm. Townhouses. Was the unit number I was looking for a townhouse? I think not. That's when I realized the numbers on this particular side of the street were even numbers, and the address I needed was an odd number. I needed to re-cross this street too.

Now the traffic was heavier. I had to turn around and walk all the way up to No 5 Road, so I could cross at an intersection, and then, turning back the way I came, I found the strip mall that had my destination on its sign. So all I had to do was find unit 210. Sounds easy, doesn't it?

I walked all around, twice. Passed Domino's Pizza. Mmmm. Special on small pizzas. Yum. Passed a Subway. Yummy sandwiches waited inside. Mnnnn. Passed a Bakery, an Indian Tandoori restaurant, a Chinese restaurant.....the smells were playing havoc with my rumbling tummy. Finally it hit me - the unit number I was looking for started with the number 2, and that probably meant the second floor of a building, and the only part of the strip mall that had an upper floor was a part stuck on the side, sort of behind everything else. So it was with a sigh of relief I pulled open the door, pressed the elevator button, and then walked up the stairs. It was only the second floor, after all.

I really need Howard for my navigator, but now he's back to work, I may have to get a GPS to pack in my back pocket

So, errand done, I hopped on the first bus that came along, and headed for the Richmond Centre. I walked through the food court on my way to Indigo Books, sampled a sweet and sour chicken part from the Flaming Wok, and then picked up my knitting magazines. Then I went to Tim Hortons and had lunch, and then walked home. .

• Breakfast -toast and coffee, of course.
• Lunch - ate at Tim Hortons - passed by all the delicious donuts, all the marvellous muffins - and had chicken noodle soup and yogurt - and a bun
• Dinner - basa fish, teeny tiny new potatoes, and tons of green salad w/Thousand Islands dressing
• Snacks - sweet and sour chicken part, banana, strawberries, water...and coffee....

Before dinner, Howard and I walked to IGA for potatoes and onions, so we could bake the basa fillets, and then after dinner, Tanner and I unweeded the front garden bed. I feel wide awake for some reason - maybe I shouldn't have brewed a pot of coffee after I got home from the Richmond Centre. Oops.

My Flog for June 23

I wasn't hungry until I started watching Cupcake Wars on the Food Network, as we have just finished dinner, which was really really delicous. I hope somebody ate the last two drummies so I don't have to be tempted while I clear away the dishes.

Today I unhoarded. Bags and bags of books, VHS tapes and a couple of boxes of records went to a beautiful young woman who was the second person to respond to my Craigslist Free ad. The first was a fellow who wanted me to deliver the goods to Cloverdale. I guess Free wasn't good enough for him, but he was out of luck. Now my son can't call me a hoarder any more, although I don't think I really was. But I better not let him see my yarn stash.

• Breakfast - same old, same old - but happy with it
• Lunch - Honey Nut Cheerios and 2% milk
• Dinner - Teriyaki Chicken Drummies w/Minute Rice
• Snacks - Banana, diet Pepsi, another banana

There's still nothing in our freezer. I don't want to put a piece of meat in it, and then have to hang halfway in tomorrow to reach it. I could actually fall in and then where would we be. (Well, I know where I'd be - I'd be in the freezer.) I asked Howard to go to the corner store and get a bag of ice, but he said since he worked all day at Platinum, and then got off work and started doing his garden stuff, and he has a bad back, he didn't want to do that. He's not always helpful.

Anyway, now it's time for Dinner Party Wars, and I'm going to watch that.

Tamar's Rules for Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

1. Remember the cheese
2. Remember to take the plastic off the cheese.
3. Remember to put the buttered side of the bread on the outside - if not, your grilled cheese sandwich is toast. Really.
4. A sprinkle of garlic powder over the buttered side is really good - unless you're married to Howard, and you're not, because I am.
5. Day old French Bread sliced on the diagonal works for really delicious sandwiches.
6. If you're really trying to lose weight, don't eat them. Don't even make them, because the smell will drive you crazy and you won't be able to resist them.
7. No matter what else you do - remember to do numbers 1 and 2 or you'll never live it down, no matter how old you get.

My Flog for June 22

Summer's finally here - the last two days were warm and wonderful. Now I'm finished work for the day, I get to look forward to three day offs, which is just warm and wonderful too. Since I've been waiting unsuccessfully for my favourite landscaper to come to my overgrown, jungly garden bed in front of the house, maybe I'll get my garden tools on the go tomorrow.

Last weekend, Steve and I went to a garden centre, and while we were looking at fertilizers, I remembered the time way back when I was very thirsty, and Steve jumped to get me a drink. You'd think that was a very nice thing to do for a mom, right?

"We don't have anything to drink," I told him.

"Yes we do," he replied. "We have a bottle of 7Up." And off he went to get me a glass.

Being extraordinary thirsty by this time, I bottom upped the glass and it wasn't until I had a mouthful, I realized where he got the pop. Under the kitchen sink. In the old 7Up bottle I had stored the fertilizer liquid which I had already mixed with the appropriate amount of water.

• Breakfast - same thing as usual
• Lunch - veggie sandwich on whole grain bread (VSWGB), no fat yogurt
• Dinner - Honey Nut Cheerios
• Snacks - banana, diet Coke, 1 1/2 little tiny new potatoes (now, you may wonder why I consider potatoes a snack, but they were soooooo good, especially when they were stolen from Neil's plate.)

If I get eggs, I may make Banana Muffins later tonight. If I do make said Banana Muffins, I'll probably eat at least one. I have the Best Ever Banana Muffin recipe, which I will share with you -

BEST EVER BANANA MUFFINS

3 large bananas

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter

Mash bananas. Add sugar and slightly beaten egg. Add the oil (or butter.) Add the dry ingredients and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

You can even grate 1/3 cup chocolate and add....yum yum yum.

Plus you can double recipe successfully, but you would have to have 2 eggs.

LATER: Well, I didn't get any eggs, but I got a freezer. Now we can buy ice-cream and ice-cubes and I can drink freezing cold, fizzy alcoholic drinks. Get the recipes from Sheila.

My Flog for June 21

Well, I stepped on the scale this morning and I am NOT impressed. I guess I could blame it on that damn bed-time donut. However, I have dropped a size, which makes my too big jeans and shorts even bigger, and my too small clothes now fit me okay, so damn the scale. I don't have heartburn or acid reflux any more, plus I dropped my Real Age by 6 1/2 years, mostly because of the changes in what I eat - whole grain bread, fruits and veggies being the biggest helpers.

Three weeks, and in spite of feeling hungry a lot, I don't really feel like I'm on a diet. Like I said, if I want to eat something I will eat it - maybe not as much, but some. Maybe that's why the scale isn't very nice to me. I have been really honest with my Flogs though. Honestly. And I have been eating a lot healthier.

• Breakfast - toast and coffee
• Lunch - veggie sandwich on whole grain bread
• Dinner - a huge bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios w/2% milk - the rest of the brood are having home-made macaroni and cheese and I'm staying clear of that!
• Snacks - banana, fat-free peach yogurt, diet Pepsi, small chunk a' cheese (a gal needs her protein), and another banana

TAMAR ATE A DONUT

No comment.

My Flog for June 20

• Breakfast - ditto
• Lunch - veggie sandwich on 12-grain bread, yogurt w/fruit
• Dinner - Baked Basa fillet w/potatoes and onion, a few delicious new baby potatoes with Becel, ice-cream (just a little bit) and 4 Skittles (don't tell Tanner)
• Snacks - cranberry juice, orange pop

Worked all day, really tired. I guess I shouldn't have drank half a pot of coffee last evening, as I just couldn't get a good night's sleep. Then up at five-thirty and a long long day at work, where I actually worked hard. Sometimes I just get to stand behind the counter looking pretty. Of course that in itself is a hard job too.

Flog for June 19

Well, I left Surrey this morning with but half a cup of coffee in my tummy, so as soon as I got home I had to get my breakfast, which was the same as usual, of course. Then it was off to work for me, poor me. Howard barbecued wieners and pork chops on his brand new charcoal barbecue that Neil, Steve and their families gave him for Father's Day, and he spent his barbecue time reminiscing about various grilling adventures from his youth.

• Breakfast - Surrey Coffee, my coffee and 12 grain bread
• Lunch - Chef Salad w/Thousand Islands dressing
• Dinner - Pork Chop (just a wee little bit), wiener, veggies sauteed in Olive Oil, one-half corn on the cob w/Becel
• Snacks - hot chocolate, strawberries, banana, more coffee..

and that's it for today!

My Flog for June 18

Went to Surrey this morning, after my usual delicious breakfast of 12 grain toast and coffee. Glad I ate that, because Howard always refuses to stop off at any of the numerous Tim Horton's on the way, and thus makes it possible for me to not eat their delicious muffins, not to mention the donuts glistening and beckoning in the display case. However, Dolly did bring home a big box of Timbits, and as you will see with my bullet info, they didn't entirely escape from my greedy clutches.

• Breakfast - no change forecast for the near future
• Lunch - 2 teriyaki drummies and fried rice- leftovers don't scare me
• Dinner - pan-fried Sockeye Salmon, potato salad, coleslaw,
• Snacks - banana, 3 - or was it 4? Timbits (I can't remember) -  and an Oreo cookie, diet Pepsi

I can't remember if I ate anything else, but I don't think I did. Surrey does that to me. Did lots of walking, though, so I probably walked off the Timbits. Or the mayo in potato salads.

My Daily Flog for June 17

Today was a Walking Day. This morning I walked with Shannon and Dominik to see Tanner's Pre-School graduation ceremony, which was really cool. Lots of cute songs and big-eyed 5 year olds. Tanner wants to be a Chef when he grows up, so I must make sure he learns how to do low-fat low-cal delicious desserts.

In the afternoon I hitched a ride in Neil's tow truck and he let me off on a sidewalkless street with no crosswalk, on the wrong side of the road from Michaels, where I went to get yet another dolly. Then I decided to walk a bit, maybe as far as Richmond Centre, to catch the 401 bus, rather than hop on a bus right in front of Michaels, and then have the bother of transferring at Richmond Centre. I gave up after about a mile and a half, as the sun was blasting and my knee was hurting and my MP3 player was dead. Then when I got home I walked to the farthest corner store to get Howard some Halls for his hurting throat, and then a while after that, he and I walked to the IGA strip mall for beer and rice.

I dried two lots of laundry outdoors today, it was warm and breezy. I hung some T-shirts and sweaters on hangers on the line, as my clothespins were all rusty and yucky from being outdoors all winter, and when I went out to check on them, they were dragging on the grass. Seems the clothesline was in the process of freeing itself from Howard's shipwright knots, so I managed to haul the line a bit tighter and put one of my own silly little knitter's knots in it, which got the second load of jeans through the drying process.

• Breakfast - yup, toast and coffee
• Lunch - veggie soup and tons of fruit (now that's a change. Have to make up for last night's Apple/Rhubarb Crisp and Ice Cream
• Dinner - 2 teriyaki chicken drummies and enough Newfoundland Style Chinese Fried Rice to feed a small Chinese family
• Snacks - orange, diet Pepsi, banana

Supper was sooooo good. I love my NSCFR.

My Daily Flog for June 16

A day off! And Howard is at work! I miss him, though, which is really stupid, as he had me awake at 4:15 this morning, and I didn't get back to sleep until after he got up to go to work. So then I fell back asleep and didn't even wake up until after 9:00.

It took forever for my coffee to brew, then I had to drink it before I got enough energy to think. Then I decided to clean up the kitchen and my 'me-space', and even though I could have done it all in about an hour, I spent about 3 hours doing it, listening to my old records as I swept, dusted, cleaned, mopped, etc etc. I even watered my poor Aloe and Rat-Tail Cactus, both get very neglected on times but still keep on truckin'.

• Breakfast - this could tend to get boring
• Lunch - veggie sandwich/whole grain bread, 2% milk
• Dinner - OMG - is there enough room here? bbqed pork chop, roasted potatoes w/onion soup mix&butter, bbqed pineapple, and half a corn on the cob (but I didn't eat the cob.) I also made an apple/rhubarb crisp, but so far that is safe. Everyone is too stuffed to eat it yet. Burp.
• Snacks - orange, diet Pepsi, banana, yogurt

Geez, it's nice to walk on a clean floor. Nothing sticks to my feet any more.

WELL, I REALLY WENT AND LOST IT. APPLE/RHUBARB CRISP AND NESTLES NATURAL VANILLA ICE CREAM GOT ME GOOD. BUT IT WAS SOOOOOO GOOD.

However, now, after cleaning up the dishes and all that housewife crap stuff, my tummy is not very pleased. I feel hearburny and a bit nauseous. I sure hope I remember how crappy I feel the next time I'm lured by a delicious dessert - but I would be surprised if I do.

Let's hope one gigantic slip doesn't undo all I've done over the past 16 days. If it does, then I'll know life really isn't fair.

MY FLOG for JUNE 15

I can't believe exactly half of June is over, and I feel I'm doing pretty good with not eating a lot of stuff I love, like cupcakes and donuts and scones etc etc etc. (I did eat one donut, but that was Howard's fault. He forced me to buy some when I went to buy a dolly.) I spend a lot of my free time watching the Food Network, and I really think it helps keep my mind of food. Really. Strange, isn't it?

• Breakfast: toast and coffee
• Lunch: veggie soup, yogurt, banana 
• Dinner: Spaghetti
• Snacks: orange, pineapple and honeydew melon chunks, strawberries, and 23 Junior Mints (there were 24 in the box but I dropped one on the floor and it rolled under my desk - I'll just save it for another night I'm craving....), and, believe it or not, one boiled egg

It seems like I ate a whole lot of snacks today, but they were mostly FRUIT, not counting the Junior Mints of course. I can't really justify buying and eating them, but I don't have to. If I want something, I'll eat it. So there.

I'm not really craving tonight, just depressed because the Canucks didn't win the Stanley Cup. Depression means I can eat chocolate, I believe. Meanwhile, some stupid arseholes are busy tearing up downtown Vancouver, and I am very disgusted and ashamed about that. I just hope every one who was there with a good heart is able to get home safe and sound.

My Flog for June 14

Breakfast - same as usual, which is fine with me. I love my coffee and toast, and since I'm eating whole grain toast now it doesn't seem too bad. Although nice white bread toasted is my always favourite.

Lunch - same as usual, which is fine with me. I love my veggie and ham sandwich on whole grain bread with tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, green onions and Miracle Whip and mustard, orange pop

Dinner - barbequed chicken breast, mashed potatoes (and lots of them, it has been soooooo long) and peas, carrots and corn veggie mix. Thanks, Shannon, it was delish!

No snacks today. I never had time for snacks. Well, I actually just made time to eat a banana.

A little walk around part of the block, only 15 minutes or so, hardly enough to wear off the mashed potatoes. Working all afternoon, packing winter clothes this morning. Now Americas Got Talent is on and  I am also cleaning up after dinner every now and then. Garbage and recycling hauled to the curb. Now, an early night, maybe - to sleep and then to dream....

MY FLOG

June 13:

• Breakfast - multi grain toast and coffee
• Lunch - home-made sandwich - multi grain bread, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, ham
• Dinner - veggie soup
• Snacks - banana, diet Pepsi, 2 grapes (no kidding, they were yucky), AND a Frozen Mocha from my favourite coffee shop in Steveston - probably 1000 calories, but who's counting? (Not me.)

Working all day, now I'm utterly pooped, as I got up at 5 AM and have been on the go since then. I don't think I want to go to the store, I'll just do without milk for my morning coffee. Yawn. Bedtime. Hope I sleep better than the Canucks played tonight, 5 to 2 when they could have brought home the Stanley Cup and put everyone out of their misery. Now another game to get through on Wednesday night.

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June 10 - 12:

• Breakfasts - toast and coffee.......so?????
• Lunches - sandwich, of course....one each day....can't remember Saturday though
• Dinners - Friday: spaghetti and garlic bread, Saturday: stuffed pork chops with boiled potatoes, coleslaw, and veggies (thanks Dolly!) and Sunday: you guessed it, another blasted sandwich
• Snacks - cheezies, chips, grapes, bananas, sour cream donut from Tim Horton's, diet Pepsis....I can't remember, actually...

We went to Surrey Friday morning, and I didn't keep track of everything, and now I can't remember a damn thing. But I didn't go crazy, I don't think I did, anyway. I don't feel fatter, anyway.

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June 9:

• Breakfast - AHA -since we were on our way downtown at 4:40 AM, and Howard wasn't allowed to eat anything after midnight, and I followed that rule in sympathy, which I might say went unappreciated, we ate after his mini surgery - an A&W breakfast of undercooked scrambled eggs, undercooked bacon, white (and I mean WHITE) toast, and mmmmmmmmmmmm coffee.
• Lunch - sandwich of my own creation, multi-grain bread, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and green onion with Miracle Whip and mustard (shoot, I forgot the pickle), Diet Pepsi
• Dinner - veggie salad (see above sandwich ingredients but omit the bread) with homemade dressing, bbqed red pepper and a very large but tasteless turkey wiener
• Snacks - Banana, 1 (and I mean ONE only) Peanut Butter Cookie - don't tell Neil

We made up from two days of very little walking today, walking a almost a mile to get bus tickets for our trip to Vancouver, then walking around for about half an hour waiting for the surgery to open, then walking around Canada Place and then Richmond Centre. Wow. I even had a nap after I got home. So tired. Still tired. Yawn.

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June 8:

• Breakfast - ta dum ta dum. New milk for my next breakfast, since Howard got paid today. Yes!
• Lunch - ditto from yesterday. Exactly the same, right down to the apple juice!
• Dinner - don't know yet, haven't had it... Well, I still haven't had it, everyone was into that so-called game and no one wanted to get dinner...so I had another banana and a tomato...
• Snacks - Banana, 6 oz Screamer (which is a mixture of soft serve ice-cream and slushee stuff - Howard brought Chris and me one each at work. You'd almost think he knew I'm trying to lose weight....mmmm), diet Pepsi

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June 7:

• Breakfast - see 6 days below. Milk still has no lumps, and now I'm down to bread backs. Payday tomorrow? We'll see.
• Lunch - my half-baguette roast beef w/tomato, cucumber, lettuce, mayo, mustard and pickle sandwich, and a small apple juice. So yummy.
• Dinner - Well, the men barbecued. Pork chop and baked potato with butter and salt. Yum Yum. (Yum.) Plus beef/garlic ravioli 'n'cheese sauce, but I only had two of these. Burp.
• Snacks - 2 cubes of cheddar cheese, 1 pickle slice, diet Pepsi, plastic lemon fruity candy thing, banana

I probably ate more this day than other days in the past week, but that's okay. I thought my lunch sandwich would be my main meal, because I didn't know there was a barbecue in my future. That's okay though. Still had a good day.

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June 6:

• Breakfast - yes, I know, I need a change. The milk still isn't lumpy, so I'm happy about that. Howard gets a WorkSafe check tomorrow (hopefully) so maybe if I'm really nice to him, he'll buy me some new milk. And maybe even Honey Nut Cheerios!
• Lunch - Vegetable/Florentine soup, multi-grain roll/butter - I don't know what the Florentine part was, unless it was the burning sensation in my mouth after I ate it...hence my drink - Orange Crush pop.
• Dinner - a sausage dog - kinda like a hot dog but yuckier
• Snack - a plasticky piece of lemon flavoured chewy candy - it was yummy even if it did have the texture of Silly Putty (not that I've ever chewed Silly Putty.) Couldn't have many calories or fat grams, impossible, but that doesn't really matter as I'm not counting either. Coffee , more coffee, banana.

I don't know if that's all or not, as I've not gone to bed yet and the night is still young. Watching the Boston Bruins cream the Canucks is not good for one's appetite either.

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June 5:

• Breakfast - toast and coffee
• Lunch - roast beef sandwich,with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pickle, mayo and mustard on half a multi-grain baguette, hot chocolate
• Supper - one turkey wiener, potato salad and tomato
• Snacks - diet Pepsi and banana

We went for two short walks, probably about a mile and a half in total.

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June 4:
I'm going to need a looooooooong list

• Breakfast - same old, same old
• Lunch - Toast and cheddar cheese
• Supper - Hamburger and Potato Salad
• Snacks: fruit - lots of fruit- grapes, cherries, tomatoes (they are fruit, you know), granola bar, 5 Simple Pleasure cookies, water, banana, orange.....

I'm sure I ate more than this - is my memory fading as my hunger pains increase? The only time of the day I didn't feel hungry was just before dinner when the burgers were ready. What's with that? I ate anyway...
Walked a lot today - to No 4 Road and back, then this afternoon to the veggie market on Blundell/Garden City. Not a huge distance, probably about 2 1/2 miles, but that's not bad when one is limping. And to make matters worse, when I finished making the potato salad I dropped the Miracle Whip bottle on my toe. Good Grief.
And I've worn the bottom out of the rubber tip on the end of my cane. I've only had it for two weeks.
I really wish I had a Diet Pepsi, but guess I'm not getting one now. Poor me.

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June 3:

• Breakfast same as usual, toast and coffee. I'm glad the milk still has no lumps in it, as I don't get paid until the 15th of June
• Lunch was half a sandwich from the best coffee shop in Steveston - tuna, lettuce, cucumber, pickles, mayo, tomato and mustard on a whole grain bun, and a diet coke
• Dinner was a hot dog
• Snacks: orange, banana, and hot chocolate .... I guess that's it...although it's only 7:30 in the evening and there's a lot of fridge and cupboard time left before bedtime.

My knee is really bad today/tonight, lot of pain. I lay down on bed after work and put Howard's pillow under my leg, but I imagine he's going to want it back when he goes to bed. Walking in the store today it felt like my knee was going to bend the wrong way, and that sort of felt really really weird as well as painful. I doubt if I'll be going for a walk this evening, but if my husband asks me, I probably will go. We'll see.

He asked. I went. Walked up to Shopper's Drug Mart and I cashed in a lucky lottery ticket, TA DA! Now I am going to finish watching Flashpoint and I will definitely not even think about the Simple Pleasures cookies that are lying quietly on the kitchen counter.

I did however attack another banana on my way to bed.

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June 2:

• Breakfast: toast and Becel and coffee
• Lunch: crab cake, coleslaw, 4 fries - that was tough but I was strong, we went to Pajo's in the Park where they sell the best ever fish'n'chips - well, best ever in BC anyway, we won't even talk about fish back home when it's almost still flipping in the pan
• Dinner: corn on cob and pork chop
• Snacks: orange, diet Pepsi,cherry tomato and 4 cherries,banana, and a tiny tiny sliver of blackberry pie

If I were the Simple Pleasure cookies in the cupboard I would be getting pretty nervous right now, as I feel really really hungry and I just ate half an hour ago.
Howard and I walked around Gary Point Park, and then we walked to IGA. Right now I'm watching Cupcake Wars and really feel the need to bake something other than Lumpies and Records.
Just walked around the block, along Francis Rd to No 2 Road across Bowcock to Cooper then back home. No wonder I'm tired.

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June 1:

• Becel margarine and two slices of bread - Becel is good for your heart, but I had to put it on something so I chose toast. Coffee and 2% milk. That was breakfast.
• Chicken Teriyaki salad with tons of veggies - lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cucumbers and Sweet Onion no-fat dressing - and just a wee bit of that - from Subway. Diet Pepsi. That was lunch.
• Chicken breast cooked in spaghetti sauce with tomatoes, onion, and peppers, with rice. Sounds good, right? Wrong. I didn't put enough salt on it and it was crappy. Two small slices of French Bread with Becel. One teeny tiny bit of blackberry pie from IGA. Not enough sugar. That was supper.
• 5 cherries. 3 grapes. 1 honkin' big banana. These were snacks.

Now I feel so hungry I could eat a moose if it wandered in my back yard, but the chances of that happening are slim. Unlike me.
I also walked to IGA after work, clocking another mile or so on my cane.
I hope the Simple Pleasure cookies and the remaining French Bread make it safely through the night.

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Wild Weekend

Well, just because it was a weekend in Surrey doesn't mean it was a lost weekend, as far as food is concerned, although I must say I dd spend a lot of it grazing - a potato chip here, a cheezie there, a handful of both somewhere else. I didn't buy my usual 50 pound of toffee candy at Walmart though, and passed by the super muffins, although I did make a crappy rhubarb crisp and managed to get a small bowlful down without too much guilt.

I didn't keep up my Flog, as I was too busy knitting and walking and running around to garage sales with Nikkie's mom. But other than the stuff above, I didn't do too badly, I must say. In fact everything was going quite well until last night when I topped off my whole grain bread and veggie sandwich with a sour cream donut from Tim Hortons.

So now, it's the start of another week, and since Howard starts work again today, I have to catch the 8: 00 am bus to Steveston, and since he drove me to Michael's after work yesterday so I could buy myself a dolly, I told him I'd bus home - since I used today's ride-home-gas-money for that. (There's a Tim Horton's right in front of Michael's - hence the box of donuts we brought home.)

RIA'S BROWNIES - a decadent recipe

If you need a brownie treat, don't go halfway and buy the crap the supermarkets sell for a small fortune, but go all out and make a brownie worth eating. Best time to make it is when you have people to share it with, so you don't eat it all and have to wear elastic waisted jogging pants to work for a while.

You may not believe this, but my friend Ria actually makes Brownies that are waaaaaay better than mine. So here is her recipe, I hope she doesn't have it copyrighted, if so, I guess I'm in tons of trouble. Oh well, if I go to jail I think they just serve bread and water, so that may help me waist away for the rest of June.

RIA'S BROWNIES - THE BEST BROWNIES YOU'VE EVER TASTED - BETTER EVEN THAN TAMAR'S

(AND THAT'S THE OFFICIAL NAME FOR THEM)

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts - optional

Grease a 9" pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt. Blend into butter mixture. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Pour into greased pan and bake about 35 minutes. (My 10 cents worth - DON'T OVER BAKE)

While brownies are baking, make the fudge icing:

1/4 cup butter

2 Tbsp cocoa

2 Tbsp milk

1 1/4 cup icing sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts - optional

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Stir in cocoa and milk. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and nuts. Spread icing over brownies while they are still warm. Yum yum.

(I don't do the nut thing - but the brownies are fantastic without them. Trust me.)



I Don't Think I'll Ever Wear A Bikini

Well, it's only the 6th day on my quest to lose some weight, and it seems like a long forever. I think the only part of me that's actually getting smaller is my...are my...boobs. Doesn't bother me any.

I have felt hungry pretty much all the time, but I am doing what I set out to do, which was to give up my scones and muffins, gooey cookie bars and toffee candy, and other lovely things that have always found their way through my intestinal tract. I'm cutting back on junk food, in other words, and still eating stuff that I would normally eat for lunch and dinner, just not so much of it. Plus walking (hobbling?) a bit here and there. One would think that would work, wouldn't one?

I'm keeping track of what I eat on a Page  that I have re-Christened FLOG ( Food Log.) I read somewhere if you write down everything you eat, you have a better chance of not cheating. So far I haven't cheated. Much. Bloody Simply Pleasure cookies.

I don't feel too deprived, just a bit depraved at times, but that's nothing new.I had a hot chocolate from my favourite coffee shop yesterday, and the owner served me. His wonderful youthful staff all know I don't take the chocolate whipped cream on top, but alas, he didn't know, and topped it off with a huge chocolate whipped cream mountain. I scraped it off into the sink at the back of the store, but I know some of it soaked into the hot chocolate, but I figured what the heck. Then one of my favourite customers came and gave me two lemon tarts, one for me and one for my hubby. Mine is still on the counter. And last night, Howard wanted to walk to the corner store for a Screamer (soft-serve ice cream with that slushee kind of stuff layered in between) and all I had for a treat was a $2 scratch ticket which won absolutely nothing. No calories in these.

So far, so good.

A Saturday at Home with Cookies

Oops!

Get a Powerful Punch from a Punch!

Here is a favourite recipe that I just came across (on the kitchen floor, of all places.) The back of the envelope it is written on has a note to remind me to send $10 to school for Steve's recorder book, and since Steve just turned 25 and hasn't either been to school or played recorder in an awfully long time, I can't believe this note has been on the floor for that long. Especially since we've moved at least twice since then.

However - if you make this one, I won't have to tell you to enjoy, that will come naturally, and for all you mainlanders, you will find one more reason why Newfies are a happy-natured breed.

PUNCH

• 3 litres 7-Up
• 2 litres Collins Mix, which I find impossible to buy here in BC, very disappointed about that, so try to find a substitute in the pop aisle - maybe grapefruit pop?
• large cranberry cocktail (full of antioxidants and so goooood for you)
• about 1/2 cup of grenadine
• 26 oz gin
• flask of vodka
• maraschino cherries and orange slices to make it look pretty - although after a few glasses you won't care if it looks pretty or not

Just pour into your punch bowl (after you've taken it from the cupboard over the stove and washed all the dustballs and dead insects out of it) and enjoy.

A Perfect Recipe for Diets

Who needs recipe books? All one needs is the confidence one gets from watching Chopped! on the Food Network. The idea for dinner last night grew in my mind on the way home from work, where I spent the day unpacking yarn, shelving yarn, and selling yarn. (If you like yarn, you should come visit - we are overflowing with yarn right now. Thank heavens there are no calories in yarn!)

Anyway, it sounded easy. Chicken in a roaster, covered with spaghetti sauce and tons of onions. Well, three to be exact. Cook for an hour at 400 degrees, then add a big handful of red and green pepper slices and four quartered tomatoes, and cook for about another half hour or so.

It looked so very yummy, when I added the peppers and tomatoes I had to carry the roaster to everyone's hockey-watching eyes so they could see, and thankfully I didn't drop it upside-down on the floor like the chocolate birthday cake I made years and years ago for my husband -  no one lets me forget (I think the sight of the candles sputtering from the bottom of the cake as it lay supine on my floor was unforgettable to most.)

This beautiful chicken dish was served with rice and French bread.

Don't bother making it though. It was crap. I think I forgot the damn salt.

JUNE 1 - A BEGINNING? OR ANOTHER FALSE START...

Well, I have decided not to jump on the scale today, even though it is the first of June and that would be a good day to start seriously watching what I eat. Well, I actually do watch everything I eat, ever since I saw an ant crawling on my plate, and Nikkie got a hair on her grilled cheese sandwich at Zeller's diner a few years ago, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

 

(Actually, I have 3 very good rules regarding grilled cheese sandwiches:

1. always remove the plastic from the cheese before frying
2. always put the cheese between the bread before frying
3. a sprinkle of garlic powder adds a beautiful touch - yummy taste and a husband who's not all over you when you are dead beat tired and want to sleep

I digress.)

 

3 reasons not to start dieting today:

1. two new stores open in Steveston: a cupcake store plus a store that sells soft-serve
2. ?
3. ?

I really can't think of two more. Maybe I should reconsider and go jump on the scale...hang on...

180

Goodness, that's an awfully big number, but just know it's pounds and not kilograms, which would be even worse - I am not going back on the scale until July 1 to see if I can rectify the largeness of that number. Maybe I'll just try to grow from 5' 2 1/4" to maybe 7' 11" - and talking about 7 Eleven, I think I'll stop by on the way to work and get a couple of frosted donuts and a giant Slurpee....