THIS is what happens when I'm not a really careful shopper. Today I was in a bit of a hurry, and made the choice to get everything at one store rather than go to my usual several stores for the things I needed. You will see a difference from the shopping lists I've posted in the past (which is why I'm posting this one as a contrast):
(2) ½ gallons SF Blue Bunny Ice Cream @ $3.78 each
(1) 34 oz. can Maxwell House Daily Brew @ $6.00
(1) carton sea salt @ $1.56
(1) 32 oz. jar mayo @ $2.42*
(2) quart cartons heavy cream @ $2.98 each*
(4) quarts half'n'half @ $1.50 each*
(1) bag granulated sucralose @ $5.46*
(1) bottle Heinz S Ketchup @ 2.16
(2) 32 oz jar Ragu NSA sauce @ $1.86
(2) 8 oz. shredded italian cheese blend @ $2.12 each*
(1) 24-pack string cheese @ $5.88
(1) half-gallon 2% milk (for my daughter) @ $1.98
(2) quarts Soy Slender SF chocolate soy milk @ $1.76 each
(4) 4 oz. cans shitake mushrooms @ $0.76 each
(2) 18-packs large eggs @ $2.22 each
(1) gallon canola oil @ $6.54*
* = store brand
Total = $71.98
This is sort of a fill-in shopping to get us through until our next big one where we load up on the meats and frozen veggies.
I haven't been posting every shopping trip because it gets kind of redundant after a while; I pretty much buy the same things every month...if someone asks or is interested, though, I can go back to posting them. Otherwise I will just figure up the costs of some of the meals to stay on the "Cheap'n'Easy" track :).
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
What I 8 Today (2/25) #lowcarb
Lunch was leftover broiled steak from yesterday. It had been seasoned well (seasoned salt, garlic powder, and chili powder) and needed nothing else.
Supper was the last of those wonderful ocean perch fillets from GFS, about which I'd written earlier this week. Nothing else with them.
Snack was ONE serving - lol - of SF chocolate ice cream.
I've had a funny tummy today so have been eating lightly.
Supper was the last of those wonderful ocean perch fillets from GFS, about which I'd written earlier this week. Nothing else with them.
Snack was ONE serving - lol - of SF chocolate ice cream.
I've had a funny tummy today so have been eating lightly.
New Blogs Worthy of Mention! #lowcarb
The first is so important, to help set right all of the misinformation and old information that is everywhere right now: http://debunkthejunkscience.blogspot.com is the link. Carol Bardelli, a very well-informed and trustworthy source, is the author of this one, and I'm excited to see where it will go and what it will teach us all!
The second is from well-known low carb diva Jamie VanEaton (aka Cleochatra) and offers even more places to find great low carb information, recipes, etc. The URL is http://fabulouslowcarblinks.blogspot.com/. And don't forget about her The Lighter Side of Low Carb blog either.
These 2 ladies are also active on Facebook (as are many of the other "low carb greats") and are a constant source of information and encouragement to so many of us!
The second is from well-known low carb diva Jamie VanEaton (aka Cleochatra) and offers even more places to find great low carb information, recipes, etc. The URL is http://fabulouslowcarblinks.blogspot.com/. And don't forget about her The Lighter Side of Low Carb blog either.
These 2 ladies are also active on Facebook (as are many of the other "low carb greats") and are a constant source of information and encouragement to so many of us!
What I 8 Wed. (2/24) #lowcarb
Lunch was a lovely taco salad. Pete had set up a taco bar for us, and had bought taco shells (7gN each) but I decided to forgo them and just make a salad. It was delicious.
Supper was a big fat steak, broiled. I ate half of it and am having the other half right now, for breakfast/lunch.
Dish of SF chocolate ice cream as a snack was soooo good that I 8 a 2nd dish - first time I've ever done that! Sugar alcohols have never bothered me before but there's a first time for everything - lol. I have never had a double serving of them before I guess! But it was sooooo goood...thought the extra 7gN were worth it. Turns out they weren't!
Supper was a big fat steak, broiled. I ate half of it and am having the other half right now, for breakfast/lunch.
Dish of SF chocolate ice cream as a snack was soooo good that I 8 a 2nd dish - first time I've ever done that! Sugar alcohols have never bothered me before but there's a first time for everything - lol. I have never had a double serving of them before I guess! But it was sooooo goood...thought the extra 7gN were worth it. Turns out they weren't!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tonight's Supper Recipes #lowcarb
Tonight I made a "triple meat" dish. Sounds strange but was SO GOOD! As always, super easy...not as always, a little pricier - but I didn't have to buy the can of crab meat ($2! I'd never buy it!)
I started with b/s chicken thighs, which I flattened. Onto each piece I put a generous blob (technical culinary term) of a mixture of cream cheese and crab meat - 1 block and 1 can, respectively. Then I rolled them up, wrapped them in bacon, and stuffed them - literally - in a Pyrex loaf pan; after 90 minutes in a 325 oven they were done. SO EASY but fancy-looking and delicious! No seasoning required.
With it I served some Dreamfield's penne pasta tossed with chopped spinach and butter, seasoned with sea salt (remember, I don't like pepper), and sprinkled some Italian blend shredded cheese.
GREAT MEAL!
I started with b/s chicken thighs, which I flattened. Onto each piece I put a generous blob (technical culinary term) of a mixture of cream cheese and crab meat - 1 block and 1 can, respectively. Then I rolled them up, wrapped them in bacon, and stuffed them - literally - in a Pyrex loaf pan; after 90 minutes in a 325 oven they were done. SO EASY but fancy-looking and delicious! No seasoning required.
With it I served some Dreamfield's penne pasta tossed with chopped spinach and butter, seasoned with sea salt (remember, I don't like pepper), and sprinkled some Italian blend shredded cheese.
GREAT MEAL!
I've Decided to Change the Way I Eat #lowcarb
When I started eating lowcarb, I lost nearly half of my excess weight in the first year...well, actually in the first 9 months. Then, for reasons I will explain below, I decided to stop for a year. Now, I have decided to start losing again. Here's the story:
After that 90# weight loss I didn't feel better about my body, I detested it. It was - and still is - a source of great disgust to me, with all of the hanging skin and flab everywhere. None of my clothes fit properly anymore, and I developed the saggy shape that is typical after a larger weight loss. You can see it in my picture: smaller on top but just as big between hips and knees because of all the flab that fell there...and looking even worse because it's saggy and totally out of proportion. In addition, all of those extra skin folds created a lot more work. No longer was a shower something that took 10 minutes after I brushed my teeth in the morning...and if I tried to abbreviate the processes that became necessary, I was rewarded with miserable rashes. So rather than "lather, rinse, dry, dress" it became "lather here, lather there, move this flap and lather under it, then repeat with a half-dozen more flaps...rinse in the same order...blow dry each, apply medicated powder...etc. A half-hour later I was ready to get dressed. (Ruby, of TLC fame, said that her morning shower ritual took her TWO HOURS!)
Enough was enough. I felt so good, and that was all that mattered. I didn't want to look even more out of proportion, didn't want flab hanging to my knees, didn't want to make my morning rituals any longer...besides, I was told that if much of my excess skin issues would resolve on their own in a year or two...
Well, now it's been 5. And no resolution of any sort. But my legs are becoming deformed, and deformity trumps everything else.
I've had arthritis in my knees (and spine, hips, and right foot) for years, according to rads, but it never bothered me all that much unless I was using a lot of stairs. And I walked on uneven terrain several miles every day without a problem, even, so I've taken them for granted. Now, however, according to my doctor, the outside of my right knee is wearing down while the inside isn't. So the lower half of my right leg is increasingly pointing out to the side; it looks more and more like a hockey stick when viewed from the front or back. And as it worsens, it is causing numerous soft tissue pain issues in muscles, ligaments, tendons, and even nerves as they are pulled and twisted with the changes in my leg, as well as the joint pain; altogether it has been so bad some days that no amount - or type - of painkiller will touch it, and I wish for a hacksaw. Literally. The ways it has affected my mobility and quality of life are so numerous I won't even try to mention them...but when I have to give up time babysitting my almost-toddler grandson, or deny him crawling activity, all because I can't walk due to pain, even with my now-ever-present cane - I need to make changes.
Still, I was procrastinating. Until last night, when I was sitting in my recliner, looked at my legs, and saw that my other leg was starting to do the same thing. I'd had pain in it for several weeks, yeah, but assumed it was because it was taking more of the weight load that I was taking off of my right. But when I saw that, and tried to straighten my leg and couldn't, I started to sob.
I am 52 years old. Will I be in a wheelchair before I'm 55? I would not be able to walk at all - or only very short distances, with a walker maybe - if my left leg started to do as my right is doing. And even if I did have health insurance and therefore access to a specialist, they don't replace knees in people who are 100# overweight.
So...out of all this comes a decision: I need to lose more weight. So how I eat will change. I'm not going all Atkins induction, but the occasional cheats will be much more "occasional"...the restaurant meals will become sparse...in short, I'll be going back to what I know worked for me before: more fats and fewer grains. I don't weigh myself regularly but when I'm eating to lose weight, it happens whether I step on the scale or not - the numbers don't matter to me. For now it's all about not becoming more crippled than I already am.
What won't change: my way of eating will still be cheap, and it will still be easy :).
After that 90# weight loss I didn't feel better about my body, I detested it. It was - and still is - a source of great disgust to me, with all of the hanging skin and flab everywhere. None of my clothes fit properly anymore, and I developed the saggy shape that is typical after a larger weight loss. You can see it in my picture: smaller on top but just as big between hips and knees because of all the flab that fell there...and looking even worse because it's saggy and totally out of proportion. In addition, all of those extra skin folds created a lot more work. No longer was a shower something that took 10 minutes after I brushed my teeth in the morning...and if I tried to abbreviate the processes that became necessary, I was rewarded with miserable rashes. So rather than "lather, rinse, dry, dress" it became "lather here, lather there, move this flap and lather under it, then repeat with a half-dozen more flaps...rinse in the same order...blow dry each, apply medicated powder...etc. A half-hour later I was ready to get dressed. (Ruby, of TLC fame, said that her morning shower ritual took her TWO HOURS!)
Enough was enough. I felt so good, and that was all that mattered. I didn't want to look even more out of proportion, didn't want flab hanging to my knees, didn't want to make my morning rituals any longer...besides, I was told that if much of my excess skin issues would resolve on their own in a year or two...
Well, now it's been 5. And no resolution of any sort. But my legs are becoming deformed, and deformity trumps everything else.
I've had arthritis in my knees (and spine, hips, and right foot) for years, according to rads, but it never bothered me all that much unless I was using a lot of stairs. And I walked on uneven terrain several miles every day without a problem, even, so I've taken them for granted. Now, however, according to my doctor, the outside of my right knee is wearing down while the inside isn't. So the lower half of my right leg is increasingly pointing out to the side; it looks more and more like a hockey stick when viewed from the front or back. And as it worsens, it is causing numerous soft tissue pain issues in muscles, ligaments, tendons, and even nerves as they are pulled and twisted with the changes in my leg, as well as the joint pain; altogether it has been so bad some days that no amount - or type - of painkiller will touch it, and I wish for a hacksaw. Literally. The ways it has affected my mobility and quality of life are so numerous I won't even try to mention them...but when I have to give up time babysitting my almost-toddler grandson, or deny him crawling activity, all because I can't walk due to pain, even with my now-ever-present cane - I need to make changes.
Still, I was procrastinating. Until last night, when I was sitting in my recliner, looked at my legs, and saw that my other leg was starting to do the same thing. I'd had pain in it for several weeks, yeah, but assumed it was because it was taking more of the weight load that I was taking off of my right. But when I saw that, and tried to straighten my leg and couldn't, I started to sob.
I am 52 years old. Will I be in a wheelchair before I'm 55? I would not be able to walk at all - or only very short distances, with a walker maybe - if my left leg started to do as my right is doing. And even if I did have health insurance and therefore access to a specialist, they don't replace knees in people who are 100# overweight.
So...out of all this comes a decision: I need to lose more weight. So how I eat will change. I'm not going all Atkins induction, but the occasional cheats will be much more "occasional"...the restaurant meals will become sparse...in short, I'll be going back to what I know worked for me before: more fats and fewer grains. I don't weigh myself regularly but when I'm eating to lose weight, it happens whether I step on the scale or not - the numbers don't matter to me. For now it's all about not becoming more crippled than I already am.
What won't change: my way of eating will still be cheap, and it will still be easy :).
What I 8 Sun/Mon (2/21-22) #lowcarb
Sunday I had a string cheese stick before church but, for some reason, was famished after church so got a $1 double burger at McD's drive thru on the way home. (Hint: if you live where there are seagulls, they love the buns!) For supper I made a fish dinner, photo below. The sauce is simply mayo with a little dill weed, a splash of lemon juice, a sprinkle of Old Bay, and a little cream to thin it out. I also roasted (with olive oil and sea salt) a mixture of parsnips, zucchini, and brussels sprouts, and made my lovely cole slaw.* For an evening snack I ate the remainder of the Veggie Straws. (Note to self: Find a way to make something similar at home, and save the $.)
Re: the fish - This is ocean perch from GFS. The box says that it is 20gN for "1-2 pieces" which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. But it fits well into my budget and "cheap'n'easy" life. I've mentioned previously that we like to go out for the AYCE fish fries on Friday evenings? For the 2 of us, it's about $20 a visit. I rarely eat more than 2 pieces anyway. For this box of MOST-EXCELLENT fish, out of which we get 6 meals (2 pieces for me and 3 for Pete each meal), it is $19.95. And I can fry up some crunchy root vegetables, or roast, or whatever...and make up a big bowl of my delicious cole slaw that I like better than any other anyway. I just don't know about that strange carb count as listed on the box. However, even if I only eat half of the coating on the fish at the restaurant, I probably eat more carbs than that. So we can have a really great fish dinner at home, for fewer carbs (even if I don't know exactly how many), and a LOT less $. Then we have our "dates" that don't revolve around food...but that's a topic for another post :).
OK, what I 8 Monday - another one-meal day: Roasted chicken breast with olive oil rubbed on the flesh under the skin before roasting, seasoned only with sea salt, plus the leftover roasted vegetables and cole slaw from Sunday. And a bowl of heavily buttered popcorn for an evening snack. The chicken breast was on sale for $1.29/lb. I usually get thighs or leg quarters because we love the dark meat but I thought the breasts would be different for a change...
*My cole slaw recipe - I buy great big bags of shredded cabbage at GFS for under 5 bucks. Using some of that, I add a sauce of mayo/cream (3/1 ratio, approx.) which I whip - then a generous amount of seasoned salt and splenda to taste. Simple, and whipping it helps keep the dressing from running to the bottom of the bowl.
Re: the fish - This is ocean perch from GFS. The box says that it is 20gN for "1-2 pieces" which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. But it fits well into my budget and "cheap'n'easy" life. I've mentioned previously that we like to go out for the AYCE fish fries on Friday evenings? For the 2 of us, it's about $20 a visit. I rarely eat more than 2 pieces anyway. For this box of MOST-EXCELLENT fish, out of which we get 6 meals (2 pieces for me and 3 for Pete each meal), it is $19.95. And I can fry up some crunchy root vegetables, or roast, or whatever...and make up a big bowl of my delicious cole slaw that I like better than any other anyway. I just don't know about that strange carb count as listed on the box. However, even if I only eat half of the coating on the fish at the restaurant, I probably eat more carbs than that. So we can have a really great fish dinner at home, for fewer carbs (even if I don't know exactly how many), and a LOT less $. Then we have our "dates" that don't revolve around food...but that's a topic for another post :).
OK, what I 8 Monday - another one-meal day: Roasted chicken breast with olive oil rubbed on the flesh under the skin before roasting, seasoned only with sea salt, plus the leftover roasted vegetables and cole slaw from Sunday. And a bowl of heavily buttered popcorn for an evening snack. The chicken breast was on sale for $1.29/lb. I usually get thighs or leg quarters because we love the dark meat but I thought the breasts would be different for a change...
*My cole slaw recipe - I buy great big bags of shredded cabbage at GFS for under 5 bucks. Using some of that, I add a sauce of mayo/cream (3/1 ratio, approx.) which I whip - then a generous amount of seasoned salt and splenda to taste. Simple, and whipping it helps keep the dressing from running to the bottom of the bowl.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
What I 8 Today (2-20) #lowcarb
Breakfast wrap and some hash rounds at BK - carby! - for breakfast. Roasted pork and butternut squash for supper. 2 snacks: Veggie Straws in the afternoon, and a small dish of Sf ice cream in the evening.
Definitely a carbier-than-usual day today - ugh!
Definitely a carbier-than-usual day today - ugh!
Friday, February 19, 2010
What I 8 Today (2/19) #lowcarb
Yogurt for breakfast, snacked on some Veggie Straws while watching an early afternoon movie, and broiled steak with buttered broccoli and a little shredded cheese on top for supper.
A note about Veggie Straws: Yeah, they're kinda carby, at 14gN per 38 straws. I measured out 50 straws into a bowl and count it as 20gN; 50 straws will fill exactly even with the top of one of my bowls, so that makes it convenient and I don't count every time.
By all means, if you are trying to lose weight eating low carb, don't eat these things. The carbs are almost pure starch. They don't make me gain but if I were wanting to lose, they'd definitely stop my weight loss, no matter how few I ate. Be warned.
(As my occasional reminder, I'm not eating to lose weight at present, although I seem to be losing anyway, albeit very slowly - 18# last year according to my doctor - but I do try to keep my daily net carb allowance to 40-50gN/day. Most days it's less, some days it's more, occasionally it's a lot more, but overall the way I eat may not be the way others on low carb eat. Please take whatever is useful from my experience and recipes and ignore whatever I do/eat that doesn't fit into your particular plan. Should I decide to lose the rest of my weight at some point, I will do things differently and you will be the first to know :).)
A note about Veggie Straws: Yeah, they're kinda carby, at 14gN per 38 straws. I measured out 50 straws into a bowl and count it as 20gN; 50 straws will fill exactly even with the top of one of my bowls, so that makes it convenient and I don't count every time.
By all means, if you are trying to lose weight eating low carb, don't eat these things. The carbs are almost pure starch. They don't make me gain but if I were wanting to lose, they'd definitely stop my weight loss, no matter how few I ate. Be warned.
(As my occasional reminder, I'm not eating to lose weight at present, although I seem to be losing anyway, albeit very slowly - 18# last year according to my doctor - but I do try to keep my daily net carb allowance to 40-50gN/day. Most days it's less, some days it's more, occasionally it's a lot more, but overall the way I eat may not be the way others on low carb eat. Please take whatever is useful from my experience and recipes and ignore whatever I do/eat that doesn't fit into your particular plan. Should I decide to lose the rest of my weight at some point, I will do things differently and you will be the first to know :).)
Thursday, February 18, 2010
#Lowcarb Recipe: Enchilada Bake
Last recipe post for the day - and probably for the week :). This is one I threw together because I had an intense craving for Mexican food. It's maybe a little carbier than some of the others but was definitely worth it - and tasted even better reheated the next day!
I put some enchilada (carb-cheap! who knew?) in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish, then a low carb tortilla onto which I'd spread some refried beans, then sprinkled a handful of shredded cheese on it and spooned some sauce over; then another tortilla, a layer of crumbled ground beef that had been browned with chopped onion, cheese, and sauce; another tortilla/beans/cheese/sauce; another tortilla/beef/cheese sauce; and a final tortilla with beans, then sauce again, and topped it with a big handful of shredded cheese. Baked it in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes, or until the cheese started to brown on top, then served it with a generous heap of full fat sour cream on top.
This was EXCELLENT! The photo below shows one serving, or 1/8 of the entire recipe. I haven't figured up the carbs yet because I threw away the cans for the beans and the sauce without thinking but I will be buying more. Certainly the tortillas (7gN each) and the beans were the carbiest parts, and if I had to try to remember what the cans listed for net carbs, and do the math in my head, I'd say there were close to 100gN in the entire recipe, plus the sour cream...but that's 8 portions, so only 12-13 per portion, plus sour cream. But that could be way wrong :). I'll check when I go to Sav-a-Lot tomorrow.
Here's a photo, you can see that the servings are plenty big!
I put some enchilada (carb-cheap! who knew?) in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish, then a low carb tortilla onto which I'd spread some refried beans, then sprinkled a handful of shredded cheese on it and spooned some sauce over; then another tortilla, a layer of crumbled ground beef that had been browned with chopped onion, cheese, and sauce; another tortilla/beans/cheese/sauce; another tortilla/beef/cheese sauce; and a final tortilla with beans, then sauce again, and topped it with a big handful of shredded cheese. Baked it in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes, or until the cheese started to brown on top, then served it with a generous heap of full fat sour cream on top.
This was EXCELLENT! The photo below shows one serving, or 1/8 of the entire recipe. I haven't figured up the carbs yet because I threw away the cans for the beans and the sauce without thinking but I will be buying more. Certainly the tortillas (7gN each) and the beans were the carbiest parts, and if I had to try to remember what the cans listed for net carbs, and do the math in my head, I'd say there were close to 100gN in the entire recipe, plus the sour cream...but that's 8 portions, so only 12-13 per portion, plus sour cream. But that could be way wrong :). I'll check when I go to Sav-a-Lot tomorrow.
Here's a photo, you can see that the servings are plenty big!
#Lowcarb Recipe: Creamy Beef Mushroom Casserole
This is something I made just today. I wanted warm creamy comfort food and this absolutely filled the bill!
First I rinsed, drained, and lightly chopped some shirataki noodles. Then I crumbled ground beef into a pan with the noodles and cooked it until the beef was browned, and added about a half-cup of frozen asparagus that I had left, chopped into 1/2" pieces, plus a can of mushrooms and 2 Tbsp of Knorr Alfredo Sauce mix to coat it all with 2 Tbsp of butter and a little sea salt. When the butter was melted I added a cup of cream, and let it come to a boil, stirring constantly, then down to simmer. When the sauce had thickened.
This is just very basic, and, although delicious, could be easily modified with any meats or vegetables you might have in the house, and any spices you'd care to add as well. If I liked spicy, for example, I might have added pepper flakes. And now that I'm out of frozen asparagus, I could see adding green beans or brussels sprouts (halved probably), or spinach. Certainly it would work with chicken or pork also. But it was quick, easy, cheap, basic, filling, comforting, and low in carbs. Perfect!
First I rinsed, drained, and lightly chopped some shirataki noodles. Then I crumbled ground beef into a pan with the noodles and cooked it until the beef was browned, and added about a half-cup of frozen asparagus that I had left, chopped into 1/2" pieces, plus a can of mushrooms and 2 Tbsp of Knorr Alfredo Sauce mix to coat it all with 2 Tbsp of butter and a little sea salt. When the butter was melted I added a cup of cream, and let it come to a boil, stirring constantly, then down to simmer. When the sauce had thickened.
This is just very basic, and, although delicious, could be easily modified with any meats or vegetables you might have in the house, and any spices you'd care to add as well. If I liked spicy, for example, I might have added pepper flakes. And now that I'm out of frozen asparagus, I could see adding green beans or brussels sprouts (halved probably), or spinach. Certainly it would work with chicken or pork also. But it was quick, easy, cheap, basic, filling, comforting, and low in carbs. Perfect!
#Lowcarb Recipe: Simple Cabbage Noodle Side
This was so easy...I rinsed a package of shirataki noodles. While they were draining I cut some onion into skinny slivers and put it, along with a bag of slaw mix, into a hot pan with a little bacon fat in the bottom. When they started to get limp, I added the noodles, and handful of fresh pea pods, and some sliced mushrooms, then seasoned it all with sesame oil and soy sauce, along with powdered garlic and ginger (heavy on the ginger!). Reduced the heat, covered, and when the cabbage was cooked, served it with some chicken that I'd brined with garlic and lots of ginger, in addition to the sea salt and some Diabetisweet Brown Sugar sub before roasting.
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