Rise and shine!

Good morning, Ms. Bawdyflex, Project Manager

Hi everyone,
While my son is sleeping, I thought I had better post on here before Renee sends out the Mounties for me!
It's just been an incredibly busy week. Yesterday I hosted my husband's family Christmas. Now there were only 7 of us, but it still required about a day and a half of prep. I've never been so disorganized about Christmas. Still have very little of my Christmas shopping done, although much of it I will be taking with me to Mexico or buying down there, so there isn't a whole lot that has to be done by the 24th.
Hopefully now things should settle down a bit. Our son got his slide scanner on Thur. afternoon that he had ordered 3 weeks previously and had a frantic marathon slide scanning session to get a file ready to make calendars for Christmas presents. He did get it in by the deadline. But I've got very little computer time the past 3 days.
Anyway lots going on with the board. New people--welcome!!. Happy belated birthday Renee. Congratulations Kathy, on your promotion. And best wishes and prayers Ellie on your possible new job.
I've come to the conclusion that I'm not that much of a fan of low carb prepared stuff. I made 2 cheesecakes this week. One was a trial run for yesterday. I wasn't impressed. Tried another one, which I haven't tasted yet. Make a pumpkin pie, which was OK--nothing fantastic. Made the mock mashed potatoes using a special recipe that was to reduce the moisture level of the cauliflower. I was certainly very unimpressed with that. Ditto for my son. Certainly very cauliflowery (and I like cauliflower) and very soupy. And the cauliflower alone cost $10 for it. Certainly not something I'd make again.
Lots of leftovers in the fridge. I'm going to package up a few individual meals for the freezer that my husband can take out and micro while we're in Mexico. Can't leave enough leftovers in the fridge to last that amount of time.
Also the scale has not been kind to me. Yesterday I was up 3 lb.!!!! Now, I know I have not gained 3 lb. of fat since last Sun. when I last weighed myself. I suspect it's a combination of several things since I've done nothing that would result in a weight GAIN! I've been so busy I haven't had my usual walk/WATP for 4 days. More stress. etc. So back to walking today. I weighed this morning and am down a pound to yesterday's count. I certainly don't need this *before* I go to Mexico.
Sorry you've seen so little of me. I'll try to do better in the coming days.
Marjorie

SEZ YOU!!!



LOL!!!! back later!!
(after the coffee gets into the bloodstream!! )

Marnie is back !!!



So glad to see you and that you are OK.

Re: mashed cauliflower - I ended up putting mine in a colander lined with a coffee filter to get the excess moisture out before serving when I used the board recipes - I drain it really well before starting now and add quite a bit of dried Parmesan cheese and some dried onion (both absorb moisture). Hubby really likes it, but it doesn't taste like mashed 'tators to me at all.

So sorry to see you've gained some - must be water to have come on that fast.

Ellie:
Sorry to hear TOM is here again. Hope the cream will help. If it doesn't, you may need to consider some oral hormones. I was doing what you are about 5 yrs ago and the hormones made a lot of difference. Yes, they aren't without risks or side effects, but I think the quality of life issues outweigh the risks / side effects in my case.

As for how I am doing - mostly OK - I am trying to do too much (it is Christmas) and get tired out real easily. I'm able to lift a bit more without pain and to do things like vaccum and do laundry.

Today I have a bad headache and a sick tummy - was up a lot with my 16 yo stepdaughter last night - she had a bad fight with her BF and up-chucked twice / cried until 4AM. Hubby also doesn't feel well tummy wise (he slept thru the boo-hooing last night ) so that part may be from a new Chinese buffet we tried yesterday on our way to the tourist area in the Smokey's to get a special gift for his primary secretary (aka his right arm ). The food was good, but very different from what is normally on a Chinese buffet - everything tasted like it had a little sugar in it !!! The headache is from teenager stress - I know Marnie knows what I'm talking about.

Elaine:
Now that it's been a while - how did your system do with the whole grain rice?

Alisha:
Hope your cold is better.

We have little ones in the group again - 3 and 8m are such cute ages - I wish I could be a fly on your wall on Christmas morning. Enjoy them - they grow up so fast.

Wendy:
Don't make me have to come to OH and find you......

Rebecca:
How about letting us know you're OK? We sure do miss you.

Rob:
Are you feeling any better - you've really been eating a lot less lately - I'm worried about you.

I'll post a menu later - it will take an hour to put all the stuff from the buffet into FitDay.

OK....Bawdy....I"M UP!!!! I sound like my DD

If this is not proof that the PMS gods are pissed off at me, I don't know what is. Yesterday, I took DD and her friend to see Lord of the Rings, at least that was the plan. We got there about hour and half early but even still the show was sold out so we got tickets for the 4pm show. We went down to the mall area, big mistake!! Then went back to the theater to wait in line so we got good seats. We waited for about hour and half and finally it was time. As soon as we walked into the theater the power went out! Yep...all of that and didn't see the movie! They also could not refund our money because the registers are electronic. They will honor the tickets for another show, yeppie So then they still wanted to see another movie so I took them to see Love don't cost a thing, definately a teen movie And of course we had to wait another 45 minutes for that movie to start.

Marnie - Low carb recipes can be very dissappointing but there are some that are truly good. It just takes some experienting and recognizing ingredients that you already know you don't care for. On the other site everyone raved about Sherrilee's pancakes, said just like regular or Ihop. I thought they were disgusting. So were a good many of the recipes I tried when I started Low Carbing. I also found many that are out of this world. Seoul Chicken, Chili, tacos with cheese shells, coffee cake, pumpkin bread, etc. I would be more than happy to share the recipes with you. I have found that recipes like the cauliflower potatos don't go over well because they just aren't what you think they are. I often mash my cauliflower on my plate and pour some gravy over it and it tastes pretty good but it is not mashed potatos. BTW, mashed potatos is only 18 carbs per half cup which is not too bad so why not have the real thing?

Orang - I can completely relate to the teenage headache, had one Thursday night I have had a headache myself since yesterday that won't respond to meds. I am sorry you not feeling well, sounds like the Chinese Buffet bit back. We have a new chinese buffet close to where I live and I have indulged a few times (hangs head in shame ) I try to stay away from anything breaded or sweet and get dishes with lots of veggies and meat but I am sure the sauces are still quite high, and then of course there are the noodles truly evil those noodles

found out that my DH comes home today instead of tomorrow I think my PMS is winding down a bit even though TOM has now stopped again. I did my Dr Lee's book! I am hoping to get some reading done later. One the his patients that he decribes is ME!!

ROB - WHAT"S FOR DINNER???

Good morning.
The headache thing must be catching, and I've got a funky throat to go with it.(But my Chinese meal was 3 days ago, haha. What is it with us?)

Orang, the rice did not seem to bother me. I haven't tried any yet but I am so puffy from taking Celebrex that it's hard to tell . As far as cravings, no it didn't seem to do anything one way or another.PS, take care of yourself, there's only one Orang!!!

Wow, Marnie. Good to hear from you. Weight gain sounds like water, but this is coming from the Water Retention Queen of the Northeast, so take it with a low carb grain LOL

Ellie, the Celebrex I take is indicated for menstrual pain.Hmmm.....

OK, off to get my laundry out of the dryer.

Elaine, WHAT???? Why would you take arthritis meds for menstrual pain???? Does it work?

Ellie, this is from the Celebrex website :

"CELEBREX is also approved for the treatment of adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA), acute pain, and primary dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual cramps). ....

CELEBREX is a type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Other NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, block the actions of both COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes. COX-2 plays a role in pain and inflammation. COX-1 is involved in blood clotting, kidney function, and protection of the stomach lining. CELEBREX is different from some other NSAIDs because it blocks only the inflammation- and pain-producing COX-2 enzyme without inhibiting the COX-1 enzyme at therapeutic doses."

Hey, I know it sounds nuts , but ask your gyn.

Regarding the mashed cauliflower . . . no, it will never taste like mashed potatoes, no matter what people say. It's like saying if you cook fish a certain way it will taste like beef.

Still, I like cauliflower and I like it made like mashed potatoes. My trick is to nuke it with a couple tablespoons of water. That way, it doesn't absorb a lot of water while cooking (which is definitely does if you boil it). Or, I guess you could steam it. Then drain it and let it sit for a while on the counter. It will continue to lose moisture through the steam. Then put it in a food processor (critical), add butter, heavy cream, parmesan, and whatever seasonings you like. Some people add several ounces (even up to an entire package) of cream cheese. That sounds a bit over the top to me.

I never trust people when they say an LC recipe tastes just like the real thing. It's not. It can be just as good, and it can even be better. But it will be different.

This weekend we've been gearing up to see the Lord of the Rings 3. We never did watch the first two installments. I read the books when I was a kid, but had no desire to see the movies. So, we sat through the first one yesterday, and will see the second today. Then Tuesday evening we plan to see the third.

Ellie, you should move to Maine! The local theater charges $3.50 per person all the time -- seniors, adults, kids, all one price. And, we get the first-run movies at the same time everyone else does. Often we'll go see a first-run movie on the first or second night it's released, and there will be less than 20 people in the theater. Not bad!

Marnie, you have done amazingly well on this WOL! I remember when we first met you, you were afraid of not getting anywhere near goal by the time you went to Mexico. And now look at you! You sure didn't have a lot of confidence that this would work for you, but you are proof positive that if you just stick with it, tweaking when necessary but following through and giving your tweaks time to work, it will work. Thanks for renewing my faith in this plan.

For some reason, I'm having more trouble sticking with things this holiday season. I'm not going too far astray, but I'm doing a lot of wandering. I really need to get serious about this again. I'm feeling good doing the Bowflex (upper body today), but I need to get my eating more in line. Whine, whine, whine.

So here's a question for everyone: Is it really better to give than to receive?

Honest answers only. I truly have way more fun seeing people's faces when they open the gifts I've picked out for them. As much as I like getting presents myself (and believe me, I love getting presents!), I get a bigger kick out of getting things for others.

How about you?

Bawdy - I am with you....I love to give. Last year things were good for us finanically. I had a friend that was really in a bad way with 4 children to boot. I couldn't bear the thought that they would not have presents while our tree was rediculously full. I talked it over with DH and we gave her an anomyous (spell?) gift, cash and a gift card to walmart so that her children would have gifts under her tree. She is very proud and would have never accepted it any other way. To this day I still don't know if she knows it was us and that is the way we prefer it to be.

Total Calories: 1983
Fat: 105 gms 949 cal 50%
Sat: 29 gms 265 cal 14%
Poly: 27 gms 243 cal 13%
Mono: 34 gms 305 cal 16%
Carbs: 89 gms 304 cal 16% ECC: 76 gms (Should have had 65 gms)
Fiber: 13 gms 0 cal 0%
Protein: 161 gms 645 cal 34%

Breakfast:
4 egg-beater omelet with 2 ozs lean ham, 1 oz cheddar
Drink - 4 ozs sf gelatin and .75 TBS pysillium hulks

Lunch:
Chinese buffet:
4 steamed mussels
2 sushi rolls
1 cup cooked mushrroms
2 chicken wings (roasted)
4 ozs broiled shrimp
one crab / cheese puff
small slice canaloupe

Dinner:
Wendy's BLT salad with creamy ranch (ate croutons)

I DID IT!!! I made my favorite spagetti low carb! I have always used tons of sugar in the sauce but finally decided to use my liquid splenda and it is soooo good! I bought some Keto spagetti so I can finally have one of my favorite dishes and not feel guilty about eating it. If only I could make the garlic cheese bread LC........

Okay, as requested, I'm posting to let you all know I'm still alive.

Still have that sore throat; doc says it's a virus going around. It's getting better slowly...too slowly.

Regarding the cauliflower discussion, I had better luck grating my cauliflower and using it to replace rice than mashing it. Haven't actually fed it to anyone else, though, so I don't know how it'll go over.

Tonight I'm planning to make a beef enchilada casserole recipe I've made before, using LC tortillas. Had a LC turkey burger wrap at Ruby Tuesday's for lunch, before DH and I went to see LOTR:ROTK. Good movie, great trilogy.

Have a good Christmas week, all!

Rebecca

Good evening everyone,
How's this? Twice in one day!!! Making up for lost time.
Thanks for all the mashed cauliflower replies. I nuked it (3 heads plus part of another) in a little water. Put it out on several layers of paper towels on the counter and let it sit for several hours. Then pureed the dickens out of it in the food processor. Then added the same things that I normall add to our Christmas potato dish "Swedish potatoes". This includes onion salt, regular salt, peper, sour cream and Phil. cream cheese. It certainly was nice and creamy.
I did sample the second try at a cheese cake for supper tonight. It was OK. Not sweet, but that's alright. It was the one in 500 Low-Carb Recipes that's meant to put fruit on top. I used the blueberries, blackberries and raspberries that I buy frozen. My husband didn't like it. I asked him what he didn't like about it. "Well, it's OBVIOUSLY low carb". I think he didn't like the fact that it wasn't sweet. He is VERY unsupportive of my low carb eating. Oh well. I've learned just to do what is right for me and not worry about his approval or lack thereof.
Got back about half an hour ago from my 3 mile walk. I would never go out in the dark by myself but seeing as I had nearly 6' son with me, I wasn't concerned. It was slippery in spots so had to go a little slower than normal. Now am in the midst of making yogourt--a twice weekly chore. But we do enjoy it.
Tomorrow hope to go and see my first husband's parents who are in a nursing home in a town about 30 miles away. My son hasn't seen his grandparents since Aug. of last year and seeing as my father-in-law celebrated his 95th birthday in Oct. and is recuperating from pneumonia, I really think we should try to get there before leaving for Mexico. Hope the weather co-operates.
Marjorie