Maintenance Meals

For me, I am thinking that I need to view every meal as a "maintenance meal".  Yes, I can splurge when I give myself permission every once in a (long) while, but for the most part, I aim to have my meals:

1. Small in portion

2. Balanced in healthy fats, protein, complex carbs & nutrition

3. Every 3 hours or so

And to drink LOTS of water.  Water is SO KEY to losing weight and maintaining a good weight and health!  The days I've forgotten this and not had much water have really affected my hunger level as well as my energy level.  I am trying to keep that water bottle by me at all times and chug away!

Here is a one of my meals from last week:

A little cup of low fat cottage cheese with fresh pineapple along with half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on my own whole grain wheat bread.   Yum!  (No, I did not eat the sandwich with the fork!)

What are your favorite "maintenance" type meals you can share with me?

I am up way too late...

I had to get something printed for my girls before school tomorrow so I came to my computer and I've been on here for like 3 hours!  You know how it is, the house is quiet and I actually have time for myself.  So I thought I'd take the time to read some blogs and write a post of my own.

I've been reading my blog list posts but haven't commented as much as I used to.  I hope all my blogger friends still know I keep you in my thoughts and prayers!

Life is so different and fun and crazy and hectic.  I would love to have a best friend here to call and talk about things more often.  I find that I crave that interaction and relating.  Yet, I am blessed with wonderful friends who tolerate my ramblings and long emails.

Having teens is so much fun, yet it requires SO much emotional effort than when they were little.  I have so much more appreciation for my own sweet mother and all she did for me, most of which I did not recognize or truly appreciate until now.  I can see that in my own teens now.  But they are good kids with strong amazing spirits and I feel blessed to be their mother.

My younger daughter is taking a foods class at school and she is learning to make some tasty things.  Things like cookies, brownies, cobblers, pancakes, etc.  I have already been guilted into eating some of her delicious creations here at home.

The other day she made cookies and then rainbow cupcakes.  All night I thought about how I knew I would eat way too many of those if they were in the house.  So I got up early and wrapped all those cookies in little containers and all the cupcakes in a paper bowl.  Then,  as my kids and husband left for school and work, they each got a goodie bundle to share with their friends and co-workers.

How Brilliant is that?  I felt so good!  I had successfully thwarted myself from the oppressing GUILT I would have felt AFTER I would have eaten most if not all those sugar bombs had they been left in the house.  I was FREE to enjoy my day eating only healthy foods.

Or so I thought...

When my older daughter got home from school, I asked her if she enjoyed sharing the cookies I sent.  Now this daughter LOVES to share treats with friends so I was sure she'd have a fun story to tell.  But she only shared two cookies and pretty much forgot about the rest of them.  I thought she ate the rest herself... but no, they were there in her back pack.

OH NO!!!

DANGER!!!

I was really HUNGRY when she told me that.

Drat!  Those cookies were enjoyed by me with a glass of milk and devoured in less than 5 minutes.  They were so good.  And then I didn't feel so successful anymore.  I think my feelings of brilliancy got swallowed with the cookies and milk. (At least it was fat free milk)

If I would have paused for a few minutes to think before I dived into her back pack, I COULD HAVE saved them for when my son got home and quickly gave them to him.  Or gone out and tried to find some neighbors I haven't met and introduced myself and gave them the cookies.  Heck, we have dogs now so I could have given them to the dogs (except they shouldn't eat choc. chips).  I could even have crumbled them up and shoved them down my disposal yet that seems kind of wasteful.  They did have some of my whole wheat flour in them.  So maybe they were kind of healthy?

No.  I can't buy that.

But anyway.  Alas, I am so evidently human that I can only laugh.  Laughing is funner than crying and crying just gives me a headache anyway!  I certainly don't need a headache.

I think I will encourage my daughter to learn to make main dish meals now.  Ones that are healthy and nutritious.  I certainly would love to taste test those ones.  But I am happy she is learning and getting excited about actually doing something in the kitchen.  What's a mom to do?

Saturday, my older daughter and I are going on a bike ride with some other young women clear up the valley on a 15 mile trek.  I am looking forward to that.

Have a healthy and fabulous weekend my friends.  Remember to PLAN ahead and make good healthy choices!!  You are worth that.  Life is good!  XOXO ~Margene

I used it finally...

My food storage that is!  The other day, Brent said that I ought to get out my wheat grinder which has been in storage for over a decade and only used once, and grind some of our wheat from our food storage to make some bread.  This was after I bought a bread machine at a yard sale for only $2.  Normally, I'd think I don't have time for that, but this time, I thought it was a fabulous idea!

 You know what?  Yard sales here here in Utah have WAY CHEAP stuff compared to Oregon!!  So, the next week I picked up another bread machine for $2.  (So I have two now) I've been grinding my own wheat and making my own bread now for over a week!  I feel like such a good mommy and wife!  :)  Good healthy bread these days are so expensive so I know I'm saving us some money, too!

And oh, how good that bread tastes without preservatives and with fresh, simple ingredients!  No high fructose corn syrup and no "enriched flour" but all good stuff!  My kids don't know how lucky they are.  I've also added a couple tablespoons of flaxseed in them for some good fiber too.

I even have used my freshly ground wheat flour in making some Pumpkin Pancakes!  Wow, they were good.  Add a little Walden Farms Sugar free syrup and they were to die for!  I got this recipe from my friend at Pocket Full of Pink (way cute crafts) where she posted this Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes recipe - and I just changed the bananas to a can of pumpkin.  This is really worth trying!

Today, I made a favorite of Brent's that I haven't made since before our weight loss journey.  And that is roasted potatoes!  I mixed them with some onions and used this recipe, and baked them laid out on a cookie sheet at 375 for about 50 minutes and they were so yummy.  Brent loved them!

I also made baked chicken using this marinade recipe and it was very tasty.  I marinaded them for several hours and then baked them on the broiler rack for about 25 min. at 350.  I like using recipes that have lots of good ratings and feedback. :)

One day at a time... one healthy choice at a time.  All things in MODERATION!  And move your body MORE!  That's my mantra this week.  God bless you my friends!  XOXO ~Margene

PS - Life is GOOD! :)

Choices

We had our first real “vacation” type experience this year just yesterday as we took our kids to LAGOON amusement park.  The last time we were there was in 2007 - 4 years ago.  We scoured the park all day long and stayed until closing and had a fabulous time that we didn’t want to end.  We stayed through the heat and then the rain until they kicked us out!

                                      

Lagoon 2007                                                  Lagoon 2010

LAST time I was there in 2007, I remember NOT going on most of the rides and being TIRED much of the time.  THIS time it was a blast!  We went from thrill ride to thrill ride and I even rode the coaster “Wicked” which I was too scared to even think about last time.  I rode it with my girls 3 times.  

What a rush!  I really think I could get into thrill coasters.  Now I’m thinking about planning a trip to Magic Mountain!  After going on a ride called the Spider with the kids, I was running and skipping down the exit way towards my husband and put my hands in the air like it was a party.  When I got to him and we hugged, he whispered to me, “You are so young!”  That made me feel good.  I’m glad he didn’t say “You are so immature” even though that is closer to the truth!  lol

I am finding that everyday is about CHOICE.  One bad choice (or several) need not continue or discount good choices OR determine my next choice.  I really love this quote that Christine put on her post a while back and I’d like to share it here:

Whether we're on the path toward victory or defeat is determined by the very next choice we make. Not the choices from yesterday. Not the choices five minutes ago. The next choice. Our very next choice. May it be that of an overcomer.

by Lysa Terkeurst

Every day I start fresh with my healthy food choices.  I refuse to be a statistic!  I truly believe it’s possible to keep this weight off and maintain a healthy lifestyle, even when life gets hard and stressful.  Being healthy makes it easier to handle the stresses of life!  I’m still counting my blessings.  Life is good!

  

Chicken salad with cottage cheese           Salad with chicken meatballs (and hot sauce)

Here are some of our dinners (lean and greens) we had the other day.  Yummy.