So, I ate an apple!

I am not big on changes, I never have been, but sometimes you just have to make some changes and see if they work. I will start with the glasses. I normally like rimless glasses mainly because it looks like I am not wearing glasses from a distance. It took me forever to get used to those things on my face. So it is as simple as this, when I was getting new glasses the other day, several people (including my husband) said go with these, it's like you're making a statement. So I write the check out and await my new glasses. When we got home I kept thinking about how I hate change so much, obviously staying in the same rut hasn't served me well. So I decided that I would do things I normally would not do. When I walked into the kitchen, I realized I hadn't had anything to eat except for 1 slice of toast that morning. I got so hungry when it dawned on me that I started searching for something good to tide me over until I could prepare something for dinner. There on the table sat a 3 pound bag of apples I had bought for my husband, it's not that I won't eat apples or that I hate them, its just that the only way I like them is either saturated with salt or slathered with peanut butter. I usually peel them and layer them with calories, instead I got one of those shiny apples and washed it off sat down and ate it with the peeling on and only a tiny bit of salt. It was good (Who knew), I have been telling myself for ages I don't like them that way. I may not be big on changes, but changes I will make. They may seem small to you, but they are huge to me. Being healthy, eating healthy has been so rewarding. The benefits are better sleep, better health and maybe these changes will bring some excitement to this otherwise boring life I have landed myself in lately.

I'm mad!!!

I am, I am really upset with myself for giving into my emotions tonight. I made a terrible dinner, it was so bad that I tossed it after 3 bites. I made an effort. My husband ate about 1/4 of his before his hit the disposal. So then I start snacking, snacking and snacking. Who knows how many points I ate. I had such a great 2 days, then one minor disappointment and I just mess it all up. I am in a funk and I can't seem to get over it. I absolutely will not give up, but dang, dang dang this is hard. I am mad....There I said it.

It's Not Rocket Science Y'all...

Well it may not be Rocket Science , but it is a science, one that I am not smart enough to figure out on my own. You would think if they can put a man on the moon, that they could come up with a plan for us to lose weight and keep it off. Yes, there has been tons of research and yes, there have been many plans for losing weight and keeping it off. I found one of those plans, and I know it works, but make no mistake, you must follow the plan. There are so many choices on the plan that works for me ( and that's a good thing) but it can also be the hardest part of eating healthy. There are some things that I have to say no to, I am realizing this the longer I am on this journey. There are also things that I have to say yes to as well.

There really isn't any way I can draw out a plan and just go with it, there are just to many curves in the road. One bad choice sometimes leads me to another, and it takes me awhile to get back on track but there are some things I can do.

I can refuse to give up, when I feel defeated.

I can drag my sad self up and exercise

( even when I am not in the mood).

I can except the fact that this is not a precise science, it is not a magic number on my scale.

I can set goals, and achieve them.

I can plan my meals out, and when I have to, I can change those plans

There are a few things I can't do though,

I can't indulge in foods that ( I simply can't get enough of), I'm not saying I can't eat them, I just can't indulge.

I can't allow myself to believe that this will not require hard work.

I can't quit, that is where I draw the line.

At some point you have to quit saying I think I can, I think I can, and start saying

I know I can, I know I can.

Caution...Trigger foods ahead...

I think I was a little to sure of myself this week, I started out well, hit a speed bump and made a bad choice, then I made another bad choice. The food I chose was not bad, it was good. It was healthy, it was nutritious, it was yummy, but I could not walk away from it. So if something has the equivalent of 3 points and it is very filling, that should be a good thing, but for me it was bad, very very bad. What is 3 X 6? Yeah, its almost my whole days points. I wish the yellow CAUTION TAPE would have been taped all over this food. I am wondering if I am just not going to be able to bake at all (that makes me sad). I can't reason with myself on this one, I hit the skids this week, it was only 2 days and I will not let this get me down. Tomorrow will be better. I will make it so.

Soup's on!

First thing Saturday morning I put one bag of 15 Bean soup on to cook. I followed the instructions on the bag except I did not add ham. The Chicken bouillon flavors it enough. I made a potato base soup next. Just throw everything into the crock pot except the milk. When the potatoes, onions and celery are tender I add the milk. You may want to add a little corn starch, I like mine thin. Salt and pepper to taste.

To this base I add either:

*1 can of Broccoli and Cheese soup

*2% Velveeta Cheese

*Corn.

I made the Chicken based soup and then added the following ingredients:

Rice, Noodles, or White Bean Chicken Chili mix with 2 cups of the 15 Bean soup

When the soups are done just follow the steps below. I now have 35 cups of soup frozen and ready to toss in my lunch bag.

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With the cold weather coming on, I made some chili too and made use of the beans from the 15 Bean Soup!

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Just so you know , this did not take up my entire Saturday. I made a cake for my husband, had my son and his family over for dinner and unfortunately did laundry!

Time to put the chef's hat on.

Oh how I wish my Ji Yeon was here. We always had such fun creating recipes. So since I am missing her I dressed in my Korean Chef clothes. Tomorrow I will be making soups of all kinds. The recipes will be added next week(if the soup passes the taste test). I am shopping for all the ingredients tonight, I am making 4 base soups and then changing them up a bit.

Sunday was my husbands Birthday but we were so busy all week we decided to celebrate it this week-end. I ask him what kind of a Birthday cake he wanted and he asked for a White cake with white frosting, oh my how exciting. I think this will be one cake that won't tempt me.

What a fun week-end grilling steaks, making soups and eating cake!

I love me some Soup!

I love to cook when I have the time, when I have the energy to clean up afterword is a big factor as well, so when I came up with this cook and freeze plan it was perfect for me. An easy way to

Store homemade soup is to Fill up bags, then lay them flat in the freezer. When the bags of soup freeze flat, you’ll be able to pile them up like stacked books for easy, space-saving storage. You can then label them and add the points. This is my non-baking plan of action....Soup!

If you make a soup base, then you can make some variations.

I will start with:

A.Potato soup

1. Potato Corn Chowder

2. Broccoli and Cheese and Potato Soup

B. Chicken Soup

1.Chicken Noodle Soup

2. Chicken and Rice Soup

3.White Chicken Chili

4.Chicken Tortilla Soup

C. Vegetable Soup

1. Vegetable beef Stew

2.Vegetable Bean Soup

D. Chili

1. Stoup (Spaghetti and meat soup)

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I will probably add to my soup list in the future, if you have a favorite waist friendly soup please share it with me in the comments. I will take a picture and share it with you when I start my Soup Kitchen.