So...whats for dinner?

lacey - all I have to do is look in my closet at all the clothes I had not been able to wear for the last three years and I have all the motivation I need.  I was a size 2-4 for all of my adult life prior to diagnosis, and I was wearing a size 8-10 at the holidays.  I have a lot of clothes I could not even think about wearing for so long it helps me stay on track.  I understand why you are feeling deprived - if you are not doing the dairy-free for weight loss then It would be hard!!!  I was eating a healthy diet (no more than 1500 cals a day) and could not even lose a pound, so this is all that has worked for me.  I have also found that ignoring the temptation completely is easier for me than occasionally having something I am not supposed to.  As a result, I do not go out to eat often, which I miss a bit.

Lacey - Thanks for the fish packet recipe.  I'm going to try it soon.

Special - My SIL has to do gluten free.  When she occasionally cheats, she pays a high price so we are limited in where we meet for lunch.  Jeez - size 2-4?  If you tell me you aren't too tall maybe I won't feel so bad.  Right now I have a closet like yours - from size 6 to size 14.  Don't want to give anything away yet since I have no idea where I'll end up.   I'm 5'8" so I have a hard time right now finding pants long enough in size 6.

Dinner is cold boiled shrimp - already prepared from Costco.  I spent the day getting the oil changed in my car, the tires rotated & shopping for a bathing suit.  The latter took WAY too much time an WAY too much money - but the BS said I can start water aerobics even though my port will be in at least another year.  Now I need to find the energy.

minus - yes, I am short!  5"2" - another reason I could not continue to weigh what I did!  Don't feel bad, I'm a shrimp!

carole - Lol!  I am trying not to even see the wagon I could fall off of!

Me on the beach

Kidding. It's DD

Shes beautiful! I see she takes after you! 

There is no part of me that would fit into a size 2. Ever.

Ditto, Nance.....tho my pinky finger is giving me a dirty look!

Since my kids were born I have been so entrenched in the teens (not teeneagers mind you) size section of clothes racks that I was stunned to learn that my DIL wore a size zero!!  Whoever heard of such a thing! Now I am wearing a 10 and with my large boned frame doubt I'll ever sport a single digit sized outfit! Would love to say I were still 5'7" tall, but alas I have already shrunk (word?) to a bit less than 5' 6".  That was a shock to see last year!

Last night DH had dinner with our ministerial search committee so I decided to go light and had a bowl of the ratatouille I made Wednesday. It was quick and really tasty, and fit into my schedule of working on online CEU courses  I had signed up for last year that were about to expire. I'm on a tear.....and since my off Tamoxifen brain is working, I can rack up lots of  continuing ed credits for my social work license renewal and hopefully for my adjustment counselor (education) certification in the event that I ever have the chance to do anything part time in a school. Can you tell I have not resolved this retirement business yet!!??

Off to start baking for Sunday's church coffee hour.....new ministerial candidate to preach so there will be tons of people attending. Will have to buy additional items to supplement for sure. DH thought it would be a good Sunday for us to do the coffee hour (probably highest attendance all year!) as the candidate he helped select will be making her debut. I end up doing the work for it....not sure that was such a smart plan....for me. ;/

Maybe I have shrunk too and instead of gaining I am just more compressed?  Probably not, lol!  DD is home to work the Sarasota Boat Show, so need to think about something nice for her for dinner.  She has been living with a mini fridge and a microwave since the first of the year, so she would appreciate some home cooking!

bedo - thanks, but the second one from last Christmas is the photo that made me try this diet, lol!  I was shocked when I saw it, it was easier for me to look in the mirror daily and kind of ignore what I looked like, not so much with the photographic evidence.  You DD is a cutie, glad I got to see her!

Special, I vote for Picture No. 1.  I was appalled by how heavy I looked in our AUS/NZ pictures.  Not to mention the discomfort of those tight waistbands.

I may have shrunk, too!  I'll have to measure my height.  A good friend of ours (victim of ovarian cancer) used to say that old couples got smaller and smaller until they were like little s & p shakers up on a shelf. 

Bedo, that was a pic of your daughter?  She must resemble you. 

Dinner will be as planned this morning.  Lovely lamb loin chops, veggies in a microwave bag, probably green beans, and salad with romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado and onion in dh's salad.  Maybe some blue cheese.  Vinaigrette dressing.

Sure hope our missing dinner cooks check in soon and let us know they're ok. 

Laurie, kind of a gift from your MIL...... And good that it's been a strongly blended week. You were wise not to take a quick trip...lots to process, and you've been doing that. Safe trip home! Don't forget to pack some warm  weather!

Meatloaf for dinner.  A recipe I cooked a couple of months ago but modified by substituting ground turkey for ground beef.  This time I used 1 lb of ground turkey and 8 oz ground beef.  1 lb of cremini mushrooms finely minced, green onions substituted for regular onions, 6 cloves of garlic, fresh thyme (from my patio!).  Recipe called for dry sherry but I don't have any so omitted it.  I made a lot so there we could use leftovers for sandwiches.

One side is cauliflower mash.  Second side is roasted asparagus.  After tonight, I'm out of asparagus! 

Laurie, good to hear from you.  Hope you and your dh and boys can transition back to your happy life. 

Sorry, Eric.  What a bummer! 

Dinner tonight is a glass of chardonnay.  Later on some strawberries.  My mother and I went to lunch after church to New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood.  Fried seafood heaven.  We shared a seafood platter with thin catfish fillets, shrimp, oysters and a crab cake.  Everything was delish except the crab cake.  It had a taste neither of us liked.  Probably a Cajun seasoning.  It was SO inferior to my crab cakes! 

We ate about two thirds of the platter (piled high) and brought a third home to her house.  Both of us enjoy the dessert at NOH&S.  Little waffle cups and vanilla soft-serve ice cream.  You serve yourself. 

DH stayed home today.  His lunch was a meatloaf sandwich.  He divulged that he is not crazy about the meatloaf with the minced mushrooms.  I think he probably doesn't like the taste of the ground turkey.  So the next time I make meatloaf I'll probably use primarily red ground meat.

I went to Sam's late this afternoon for a few needed items and spotted the Nutribullet for $89.  I bought one and am reading the user guide and recipe book.  I unpacked the various parts carefully and will give it a try.  If I don't like it, I'll return it. 

At a girl, Carole crabcake pride! Excited for you with your Nutribullet...hope you love it. I like the small container idea...tho I do save time with my Vitamix by making a large jar of smoothies and pouring it into four glasses which I finish up over the following few days. 

Thanks for the cheerlead, Nance. I did get many things made for the church coffee...and yes there were TONS of people there to check out the minister candidate (who, tho only 29 years old, is soooo mature, accomplished for so few years....already started a school in India (!), ...exceptionally intelligent, and gifted with the best social skills with a beautiful low preaching voice, ta boot!). I see why she was selected from many very qualified candidates. Some of the older folks voiced concern that she is....a) so young, and.....b) not a man. A bit surprising for a Unitarian group! But it is clear she will grow on them, and she was wise to address these issues in a beautiful way in her sermon. Would that I could have possessed such maturity, clarity and courage at that age!

So anyway, I found out that I was sharing this coffee duty with another couple who hit Costco and got lots of baked goods and fruit and cheeses there. I ended up making a cinnamon apple raisin bread, banana walnut muffins and loaf,  many dozens of oatmeal cranberry cookies, tons of egg salad sandwiches in Trader's mini pita pockets, (very cute!) and tons of cucumber/cream cheese with dill tea sandwiches. These last two were labor intensive time wise (so many small pieces to assemble) but they were devoured by the first wave of hungry people... so, worth the effort! I was happy to get it all done, and especially because it meant that I had enough energy to do it over a two and a half day period. Each day I am convincing myself to avoid the anti-estrogen drugs, so I can function more like this....close to my old self! We'll see.....

Eric, so sad that the virus is travelling through the familial intestines. May it have a speedy trip!

Off to watch Madmen....