Exceptions

I'm nearing the 6 month mark, yeah team!

Here is list of exceptions I've made, this will be a working list for the remainder of this Blog year:

*bit into crouton at Cheddar's
*rice in frozen veggie side dish
*rice cracker(s) in nut mix
*rice at Indian restaurant mixed in with biriani at Zona Rosa
*3 fried onion rings at J. Bruners
*breaded chicken fingers someone bought me
*French's fried onion in and out of green bean casserole
*a few bites of breaded leftover sesame chicken

*breaded chicken fingers/wings

*communion bread

*queasy end of January had lots of rice, noodles, and a few crackers
*breaded fried fish and chicken again and again (it's so hard when not eating bread to order in certain fast food places, this is my ongoing compromise--my job lands me in fast food about once a month)
*more breaded chicken
*a slice of Supreme Pizza Hut pizza 

*mashed potatoes at Texas Roadhouse 

*pancakes at Denny's 

*sandwich and cookie at Grad orientation 

*quarter pounder with cheese and crispy chicken sandwich from McD's on the ride home from Columbia, MO

*sandwich at prom

*lots of breaded sweets in Branson 

*potato at Dixie Stampede 

*chicken and dumplings at Lamberts

*calzone at Silver Dollar City

*random quarter pounder with Greg 

*5 handfuls of baked Cheetos 

January Intentions

We have a new member of the family his name is Gerald and he is both lovable and demanding.
Gerald is a 2ish year old Walker Tree Hound mix we adopted from our local no kill shelter.
He is an inside dog that makes sure I get my 15 minute walks in which is good since the winter months often make this a challenge. I have a conference at the end of the month that will make for some additional obstacles especially to my planking (I don't wanna plank!). I've noticed my water consumption has been mediocre lately.

January Daily/Weekly Intentions:
*15 minute daily walk, may be banked
*plank 1 minute each M-Th (if done take weekend off, may bank a minute the week of conference)
*Drink 48 ounces of water a day (club soda doesn't count)
*measure snacks based on serving size on label, only one serving of snacks/desserts a day

*stick with my eating plan and weekly Blog posts

Merry Christmas Eve

I have noticed my pants are longer and sometimes drag the ground.

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I made some Meringue Cookies they are so good!

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It's great spending some down time with my family.

Chocolate, Spaghetti Squash Pie, and Meatless Crumbles

I love chocolate I'm not too fussy about it either. I really love it with peanut butter. I really love it dark or milk. I really love Hot Chocolate and Hot Fudge on ice cream. I must confess I ate a bunch of it Thursday night. My Santa Elf (my co-teacher/friend) left me little treats this week each day, it was a lot of fun and it included chocolate. Christmas and food go together very well. Today I plan to make my Aunt Sally's Chocolate Cut Out cookies. I'm not going to eat any this year but my son especially likes them (with no frosting) and there are few things that he craves so that's a no-brainer since he plans to be home.

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I have created a recipe that I want to share, it's a spin off of spaghetti pie. I took baked spaghetti squash that I forked out the noodles and pressed into the bottom of a baking pan (9"x 13" or a wide casserole) I poured over it about a cup of milk mixed with an egg, I sprinkled this with parmigiana cheese. On top of that I put left over chili (or you could use spaghetti sauce). On top of that I put shredded cheddar (or mozzarella if spaghetti sauce was used). I baked this until bubbly at 350 for about 30 minutes and then let it set to cool, I serve it cut into pieces like lasagna. I packed a serving of it for my dinner this week when I had to work late, it is really good reheated. Hints: Don't make this all in one day. Bake the squash some time when you're already baking something else it can wait in the refrigerator a couple of days already forked or the whole squash. Have chili another night so that it really is the leftovers. I use jarred spaghetti sauce and add the meatless crumbles (see below).

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I recently discovered that I like meatless crumbles as a substitute for ground beef. I have used them in chili (above recipe was actually meatless) and spaghetti sauce and I plan to use them in tacos over the holidays. My daughter is vegetarian and it's a big plus when I can sub in this for some of our favorite recipes that normally have ground beef. I try to strive to choose products that are animal friendly. Below is the URL of a brand I've used that I thought had the best meaty texture.

http://www.kraftheinz-foodservice.com/en/productsandbrands/meats/bocaveggiegroundcrumbles

Packed Lunch Ideas (that require no microwaving)

This week I plan to take:

• celery with hummus
• lettuce wraps with turkey/cheese/mayo (I pack the lettuce separately)

Please add ideas as you have them in the comments, thanks!

Admitting

If I don't post it, it doesn't exist. This makes absolutely no sense but is a frequent running suppressed thought. I want to and have eaten large amounts of certain foods and I've had too much of this or that over the weeks. This has not occurred on a daily basis but often enough that it warrants pause and reflection. I am not seeing growth in my desire to eat mindfully: I am consistently mindful in the what but I am erratic at best in the amount.  I need to go back to reading and reviewing Lindsay Reinholt's book [note to self: add this to intentions for over Christmas Break? ponder this].


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The pumpkin bread I posted about is really great and I continue to enjoy it as a nice breakfast warmed with peanut butter spread on it.

Beans & Coleslaw

Almost weekly I get a craving for baked beans and coleslaw. I have enjoyed both of these for years but lately this is on a much deeper level. They are so satisfying and go together so well. My lack of certain carbs leaves me hungering for starchy foods and these two dishes are acceptable carbs and very filling.

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I'm struggling with packing my lunch lately. I'm unmotivated in the morning and even though I'm hungry at lunch time I just don't feel like really eating much at that time. In my current position I eat in my office as I do other things, this is not ideal. The two places where people eat are a bit of a walk and I really don't want to take the time to go there. [Note to self: January goal eat lunch with people?Ponder this idea]. I need to be more mindful about packing my lunch because this not eating enough at lunch leads to being overly hungry in the evening. Overly hungry leads to stuffing the food in and even though the choices are "appropriate" the urgency and speed of the intake is a habit I am wanting to curve. It bothers me to think that if I don't get a handle on these tendencies, once this year is up I will slip right back into huge bowls of popcorn and large plates of fries to satisfy my hungering physical and emotional voids.

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My pant size has gone down 1 since this past July - I am very pleased. I look in the mirror and my portions are much healthier. When I'm teaching I feel balanced as I move about the room reaching for things etc. Last year I often felt awkward about my size as if I was about to tumble. Now I am able to easily put on my shoes and do not get winded in ways I was 6 months ago. In the past when I started to see changes in my size I would reach for more fitted clothes to spur me on to more good deeds through the compliments of others. For now I am continuing to wear looser tops as I really don't want others to notice at all, in fact I dread it. My sisters and daughter may discuss such things with me and all would be well and good as they really know me. It's the need for casual compliments that I feel I need to do away with, not that the giver of the comment has done anything wrong it is my need for it that is a problem. As I wear tops that are less fitted my size is practicably unnoticeable and therefore I am going around with a 10-20 pound buffer. My mental being is free from the constant obsessing over who has noticed it (for the ups and the downs). This is very freeing much in the same way that I feel free by not weighing myself.

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Walking on a regular basis is everything! This week I shopped after work on Thursday and Friday and with the early darkness this left me with no chance for my "15 minute pleasure walk" on these evenings. The good thing is that even though I missed these walks I was actually active those evenings as I went around the stores. Furthermore yesterday (Saturday) morning I prioritized a 45 minute make-up walk as soon as daybreak hit, a glorious way to start the day. I am normally MUCH less active on weekends and this broke that typically cycle. Win! Win!

December Intentions

1) continue eating plan
2) continue 15 minute pleasure walk*
3) continue 1 minute daily plank#

*if I miss a day I make it up the next, I can't bank minutes

#if I miss a day I add a one minute chair sit against the wall the next day