Zesti's Daily Adventures w/ Journaling

[Zesti]

Yesterdays Eats:

Rise 6:30 - coffee w/creamer
9:30 - oatmeal with banana
Noon - Graduation Party with a Pig Pickens!
I ate pork, hamburger, hot dog, a little slaw and a little potato salad. When the Mother of 11 says to try the potato salad as it was handed down to her from her grandmother and given to her daughter who made it today. You try it.. So, I couldn't say No! But, I had a taste enough to give her my thumbs up! I stayed away completely from the cup cakes and the cake. Boy did I want them..But didn't give in. We were all outside, playing corn hole, talking and meeting new friends so I drank myself FULL with water and laughter..
Yeah, more smiles when I stepped on the scale this morning. Downward goes another 1/2 pound.
I came home and crashed into bed at 7pm. and slept thru the night until 5:50 this morning. Couldn't believe that! but woke up refreshed and still not hungry It's 10:30am

10:30 off to make some bean mayo, have a wonderful beef steak tomato I am want to get my teeth in to.
Lunch will be - chicken and cabbage, with the rest of the BEST CANTALOUPE EVER!!
Snack will be tomato sandwich on corn thins later, or before lunch, if can't wait.
I will be roasting Brussels sprouts while making lunch. So I have snacks planned for the evening. But, thinking I won't want/need them because I won't be staying up late...yeah..I love them cold..

[LittlePrincess]

GOOD FOR YOU GIRLY!!!! So proud and happy for you!!! *HUGS* I hope today was wonderful.


Blessed and Loved,
LP

[Zesti]

So glad to see you LP...Hope you are having a wonderful day too!

I think I will stop posting what I am going to do on my journal. It seems, too many times, that when I do, my whole day just goes to CaCA!..when I don't plan to eat, I eat much better. But, I do know that planning and cooking ahead keeps me on track longer and I actually forget that I am eating only healthly foods..Dejunking the house and keeping that way is a must for me..
Gosh, that's weird, or I am weird, or BOTH! I'm Ok with that!
Zesti

[omalani]

Greetings from Idaho, we drive into Canada today and will be there for 3 days before reaching Anchorage. I am excited but don't think I will be seeing Vancouver B.C. this trip. I have really been doing bad and am afraid to step on the scales. My SIL lets the kids order off the adult menu and they never finish it and it is killing me!! I think my grandson would be happy with a baked potato and that is inexpensive. I share my salad with them because they both like salad. Fast food is killing me and the cravings are driving me crazy! Before I left Lawton, I stopped at the YMCA and the water aerobics coordinator said to see her when I come back to town and she will rehire me because she appreciated all the volunteer time I put in to help her out. It would be great to get paid for what I do anyway and I get free membership too. I have offers from 3 freinds to come and live with them till I can get back into my house and get it sold. The divorce is on hold till mid-July, but I am doing well, except have little control of what food I have to be around. So proud of you Picnics are hard to get through, so much high carb food. Life is good.

[MsHeirloom]

Oma- Fast food places have salads with grilled chicken. Have eggs and even sausage for breakfast but skip the potatoes and bread. Carry fresh fruit with you. Buy pre-popped corn at the convenience store. You can do this. Where there is a will, there is a way.

[LINDA RN]

I agree with Pam

[Zesti]

I feel for ya'sister, that's for sure. I used to use all the excuses in the world. My favorite was "it's only this once and how often r do you travel across country"? Well, that ended up being a lot. It was the only time I ate Chicken Fried Steak Oh, and grits with lots of butter and pepper+salt..
But I had to make a choice. Even if NOT eating one meal wasn't going to change my weight at the time, it was going to change the way I thought, and that's the most important issue these days...
So, I we stopped at this diner in TX. I swear, everything was fried and boiled to death...But I was determined. I asked what was in the house salad. "lettuce,tomato and onion and a piece of green pepper. OK, I will have TWO of those, no dressing, and the grilled chicken with no baked potato and extra chicken even if I had to pay for it. Which I did...My DH ordered soup with his meal and his meal came with salad. I added his to mine. They served mine it with greens beans boiled in butter, I gave those to DH, he got grilled squash. I took that and mix it all in one bowl and that was my dinner. I ate until I was stuffed. Later, I thought HEY I CAN DO IT! We went back on the road. Hey, I lived without eating chicken fried steak!!
Now, I think of that time and how it made me feel. I think about that feeling over and over and over until the waitress comes to take my order. And, I stay strong and order something healthy, or the best of the choices on the menu I can find... Hey, not finishing with pie is also a healthy thing!
I did figure out, that if I continued to eat all the food that was left over on others plates (DH) and bring home all the "bad" choices in doggy bags. I be left with the same re-run meal. That is setting myself up to fail. I don't need that! I knew I wouldn't be around much longer to see them or my DH much longer from across the table if I didn't change something now....
Oh so many good memories, conversations come from across the table. I am learning it's just not all about food. That's Food For Thought!
I found with me, it's so important to live in the moment and not thinking about home, or the laundry sitting there, or what the new house will look like and how to redecorate it. Not worrying about any sort of life that is going on somewhere else, just the life in front of me for today. Those other days would come.

You can do this Omi, you already have! Smack that devil down GF and smack em hard!!
Love, Zesti

[Zesti]

Yesterdays Eats.
Rise: 6:30 coffee w/creamer
busy all day with projects.. Stopped to eat lunch and saw it was already 6:30pm

7pm Dinner: grilled chicken Stew with veggies, mushrooms, tomato, celery, radishs and white beans.
Side salad of- iceburg lett, red lettuce, fresh mushrooms, tomato, cilantro, balsamic vinegar/evoo dressing.

10pm. Movie - 2 grapefruits. So good! I am jsut peeling and eating like an orange! Thisi s my 4th big bag of these. I can't get enough!
12am. I want more grapefruit but went to bed instead. Fell right to sleep and slept thru the night..

[Zesti]

Todays Eats:
Rise 7am coffee w/coconut milk

11:30 still on computer. Will edit eats at the end of the day or tomorrow morning..

Yesterday Eats:
Rise 6am..coffee w/coconut milk
10am oatmeal with an orange.
4:30 - Left over grilled chicken on top of green salad with, fresh mushrooms, tomato, cilantro, radish, evoo+apricot balsamic. Cup of Cilantor bean soup.
9pm bowl of popcorn w/coconut vinegar and evoo. 1 large orange
11pm..bedtime..

[LINDA RN]

Did you try the steel cut oats yet?

[Zesti]

Linda,
Not yet. I am not due to go shopping for another 5 days. I wanted to use up all the Quakers first. It's on my list though. I am still enjoying it so much. The scale is still moving downward. I am hoping this is a sign that the Oats aren't slowing me down.

Yesterday's Eat:
7am..coffee w/creamer
2pm. Chicken and cabbage w/added parsnips, red pepper, onion and lots of celery..cumin
4pm. peeled 2 grapefruit and once orange.
7pm - salad I made earlier and popcorn with a little evoo and coconut vinegar.
10pm..DH eating got out crackers. I had a piece of lite cheese. TO MANY CRACKERS! ate grapefruit and orange, got out bean dip and corn thins...it's over! done!

While I was cutting up veggies for lunch. I had my "roasting" pan ready, adding everything I was cutting up for lunch and cutting up for my salad for dinner to the pan. With added yellow squash, zucchini, tomato, cilantro, scallion, red pepper and more celery.
I will add that to my left over chicken and add more cabbage for lunch today.
NO CRACKERS! NO CRACKERS! NO< NO CRACKERS!!

[Zesti]

Yesterdays Eats:
Rise 7am coffee w/coconut milk
Lunch 3:30 - baked chicken and cabbage with roasted veggies.
10pm: popcorn w/evoo and 2 grapefuits.
12am: snoozing.

I am going to roast a lot of veggies today and freeze. Today will be one of the last days until the end of summer that I will have my oven on! The FIFTH season of the year is always my favorite!! GRILLE Season!!
I had a HUGE head of cabbage I had to cut up. There was no room in my frig for such a HUGE thing.
Steamed it with a little cumin. Now, I am going to freeze in bags. It's wonderful to go to the freezer and all the work is done. I put the chicken in the pot, cover chicken with a layer of roasted veggies, then a layer of cabbage, sprinkle with salt and a little more cumin and bake @375 for about 45 minutes. I usually don't have to add any water because the cabbage covers that. I bake it until the cabbage is a little brown on top. That's the way I like it. The chicken comes out so moist and tender. It's a wonderful Go To meal to always have on hand and ready to go. When the chicken is pre-cooked I can even warm up in the microwave and it's even faster.

[Joyful Friend]

You make hungry, Zesti. JF

[Zesti]

Hi JF, LOL cuz on some days it does the same thing to me! sitting here posting what I wrote yesterday makes me think of what is in the fridge for today. It really helps to make sure I don't let anything spoil!
I do so much better being prepared ahead, even if it's just already cooked veggies. I can add those at the last minute to a salad or if I am making soup.
Today I am making chicken broth, and going to freeze some cherries until I figure out what I want to do with them. I have lots of banana's in the freezer now. Need to do something with those too. summer is here and I know I will put some in my smoothies. I have a too high potassium level already, so I don't want to eat to many at a time.
Yesterdays Eats:
Rise 6am --coffee w/coconut milk
10am: hungry today. Used left over beef from last nights DH's All LDL Stuffed peppers. I added squash, cut up fresh red pepper, mushrooms and covered with 1 real egg and 1/2 cup fake egg substitute. And, 3 corn thins with a little evoo on top for scooping. I wanted to use the egg sub all up.
This was really REALLY good! I will plan on doing this again soon for my actual lunch protein meal.

6:30pm - I started lunch - leftover boiled chicken my DH was using for his chicken Alfredo and noodle dish FOR ONE!!.
I took the chicken he didn't use, added cabbage and butter beans. Phone rang, it was my sister. Her MIL passed away. I didn't get off the phone until around 8:00 So,..

8;30PM - skipped lunch and went right into dinner day! Dinner meal above...
8:30: peeled 1 grapefruit, 1 orange. Had a piece of each. saved for later.

10:45 - later came. ate the grapefruit and orange, both are really big.

11:00 off to bed.

[Joyful Friend]

Be prepared with LDL foods keeps me where I want to be. Bananas are great in smoothies; they don't keep long in freezer--maybe 3 months. JF

[omalani]

Made it to Alaska and its like living in a post card even though it has been raining off and on. Did pretty good with ordering but the kids over ordered and I ended eating fries and leftover meat. Gina has empty cupboards so until I get to the store to buy LDL food. I have been eating LDL and since we have a fridge the leftovers are not a problem. I cooked a veggie stirfry and salad for dinner and had smoothies for breakfast. Yesterday I had a taco salad at potluck and all the ingredients were out to add what you wanted. I feel better already! Wish I had thought of the popcorn. Life is beautiful.

[Zesti]

Oh, Alaska sounds so BEAUTIFUL..I am looking at a long Alaskan Cruise for DH and I..He has been many times, I haven't been at all..
I used to bring left over FF home "for DH" of course! but, I don't do that anymore. I seem to find them in the freezer more readily then DH..So, if he wants them, he can make them from fresh potatoes, something I always have in the house. Having the potatoes don't bother me, the way they deep fry them in restaurants does. It's just not healthy stuff. Even frying or sauteing at home is a better choice if you have to have them..
I even do the fry bake at home these days when DH has to have them.
Now that you are settled for while and get some fresh ingredients in the cupboards, you'll feel so much better. Good thing God Stays Fresh! OOXX

Yesterday's Eats:
5:30 rise, coffee w/coconut milk
7am - went back to bed. ( we didn't go to bed until 1:am the night before. I was feeling like a "catch me up nap!"
9:30 - big bowl of oatmeal with roasted apples and acorn squash w/cinnamon and stevia.
I had left over apples I had to use up so I roasted together with the squash to make a bigger batch. Also have to have on hand if "sweet tooth starts to chime out loud.
2:30 - chicken and cabbage soup. Small amount of chic and cabbage, lots of broth and a few carrots.

5 large tortilla chips, just feel like munching. Stopped! had 3 garlic stuffed olives. And waited for dinner to be done!! Per DH "save your appetite"..ok I will try

7:30pm -Dinner. DH cooking. Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon, and Red Chowder..w/shrimp, canned tomatoes, onion, clams, carrots and celery. Yummy! Salmon was baked separately. I ate both my fillets. They were small..

11:pm off to bed. thought before falling off to sleep. Weigh in tomorrow...hmm
Down 1 pound since last week, which brings my total since the beginning of June to 3 pounds down so far.
This is the scary area...Once I get down into these numbers, I do something stupid! I have brought this to the forefront of my mind and am going to change that this time around!!
I do need fruit though. So I am running to the store just for that! and some steel cut oatmeal.
Since I have store Free Bucks it all going to be free. If I add the boneless pork sirloin chops, as they are on sale, I won't need to go shopping until the end of June. I have company coming then too! hmmm.
Oh, need organic popcorn and good creamer to stay with what I am doing now...

P.S DH made fresh salsa..YUMMY! AND, I have my corn thins...Great Timing!!

[omalani]

I am really struggling here in Alaska! The prices in the commissary are so high and the local economy is even worse!! When I buy fruit, the kids take it and eat it or worse, take an apple and eat half of it and throw it away. They don't like to drink water, so they make smoothies and use up all the fruit. I made some sweet kale salad so maybe they will leave that alone. I bought lots of dried beans so I can start using that. It is still cheaper to make your own beans. I miss my pressure cooker!! I ordered a Fago electric pressure cooker from Lowes, but it doesn't come in till 6/26. Corn costs almost $1 an ear. So I am enjoying the beauty of this place, but the cost of living is out of site. Waa waa, call a waambulance. Just me making excuses. Today is a fresh start and I am enjoying life to the fullest. I can feast with my eyes. Life goes on.

[omalani]

Haven't heard from you in a while, how are you? Have you been camping much this summer? I'm going to Wisconsin on Sunday and will be eating vegetarian food so lots of salads and veggies. I'm still working on the 20 lbs. I gained while staying with my daughter for 3 months. I don't do as well as I would like to but I enjoy eating and still keep the weight off so I am a lifer, CHOOSE LIFE!!

[Zesti]

Hi Omi,
Sorry it's taken so long to say "Hello". Summer has been real busy with camping, company and a lot of reading up on nutrition "stuff". I have missed everyone here. I have checked in when I could to read the boards and keeping up with everyone.
I miss my LDL foods, mostly the soups. Maybe because Fall is just around the corner, it just makes me think AND WANT cold weather and lots of soups.
Although, I have been off and on the program. To my surprise and MUCH RELIEF! I haven't gained. Haven't lost either, but I can deal with that! Don't want to press my luck so I am getting the kitchen all ready for LDL only! I must be craving beans! LOL..
Today I am getting my herbs from my garden dried and stored. I grew so many new one's this year and loved everything so much. I am really looking forward to the flavors in the soups that are waiting for me to create!
Tonight I am stuffing a zucchini with "taco flavors". Even DH will eat this. He'll have the melted cheese on his and I won't. I still haven't gone back to eating cheese. Just don't want it anymore.
I am doing one of the boats with just my eggplant mix, to eat at night for me.
Oh so much to catch up on!!...
I touched base with a cousin that lives in my area only to find that she and her daughter have an Urban Farm and it's ALL ORGANIC! YEAH! They'll grow anything I want..DOUBLE YEAH!! and it's closer to me than her house. Now I visit once a week. I am almost strictly grass fed and organic. Which I think has a lot to do with how I have been feeling lately, which is good! And, has a lot to do with the need to get some of the best spring veggies EVER in my freezer for winter.
I hope you are getting settled and getting some kind of organization in life. You have had quite the adventure.
Thanks for checking in on my
Zesti