Score with the meatless meatloaf

Couple of weeks ago I tried this recipe. Now when trying things for the first time I go by the ingredients and instructions with rare exceptions (my butter Indian chicken). When we made it the last time I found the onion too hard / raw in the loaf and not soft enough for my taste, I'm never a fan of biting into onion chunks cooked or not. So I modified it my saluting the onion with some celery and carrot to soften the texture and to slightly sweeten the taste. I also added about 1/3 cup of store bought BBQ sauce. The result a very passable substitute for meatloaf at a fraction of the cost. My only amendment would be more sauce or substitute the tomato sauce entirely for BBQ sauce for that kick.

This is a keeper of a recipe for me. Now it takes more time than regular meatloaf as you have to precook the lentils but it's oh so worth it and a fraction of the cost of making a true meatloaf. I also religiously let the loaf stand resulting in flawless presentation on he plate.

I am a cheating vegetarian

Well dropping meat makes a difference in the food bills. Seriously. So in order for me to do other things as you have been reading I've been dropping meat. There are however exceptions. Stock. It's almost impossible to buy vegetable stock cheap and in bulk yet chicken is easy to come by. So I allow myself to use that. Maybe I'll get around to making my own but for now I'll stick with what I can get. I may buy meat for one meal during the week and most of the time that is for our Monday meals and not our family meals.

My current favorite goto is lentils for protein however I'm branching out this week I'm gonna experiment with mung beans. Apparently they are a great superfood and they are very easy to cook! So I'm gonna experiment in the kitchen with them this week. After all we do need a break now and then from the staples.

James is being a real trooper and if his Dad saw half of what I feed my husband hehe. But in my mind you gotta do what you gotta do. Some meals I've not been jumping over the moon about. I did a soba noodle recipe last week I did not love, however adding a dressing I had in my fridge it's palatable enough and I've been chewing down on the left overs for lunch. A south Indian lentil curry I did last week I found a little bland so probably won't do that one again.

However the meatless meatloaf was pretty decent. I'm gonna make it my own this week using the basic recipe and tweaking it. By not going vegetarian I'm able to use meat stocks eggs and other ingredients this makes it so much easier! Eggs are not taboo neither is milk or cheese. I'm making my own breads (try it it's easy and saves so much money!) plus you know what you are putting in it. I do want to invest in a dough hook for my food processor tho...

Anyway here is a snapshot of my meal plan. I have a vodka tomato soup in the freezer and some of the Indian lentil soup too which will tide me over two meals. Then on Thursday I'm gonna make up a mung bean dish from ideas on the web. Excited a little bit and hoping I can keep within my budget!

Rehashing reusing

Ok these two weeks are challenging to say the least to keep within budget. But lentils and beans seem to be big features. I also had great success with the corned beef and bread so gonna use that again next week as there is plenty of meat in the freezer and flour to make more bread. It was hugely more economical to make my own rather than buying and I need nothing to make it next week.

Lentils I really should read up on the different varieties and colors. I tend to stick with red for now but I'm certainly entertaining the idea of expanding on that. Tonight's far is gonna be a slow cooked Indian lentil curry which smells amazing already. I'm also going to jazz up my rice with cumin seeds. My only trouble was not knowing what the seeds are known in the Indian store. Phone to the rescue! I'm also excited to use fresh curry leaves. This is gonna be an adventure!

Now tomorrow it's my turn to cook and looks, I'm trying to keep it simple and do my beef stroganoff and I'm also making dessert all done in crock pots! Hopefully it will be pretty easy.

Next week it's a case of more beans and lentils and keeping it basic. I am just go grateful right now my hubby is not complaining.

Oh and I have some lovely naan bread in the freezer from the last batch I made so I'm gonna convert them into homemade French onion pizzas! One of my favorites and really cheap as I won't have to worry about the bases I can splurge for the bacon.

Meatless meatloaf

Ok it was pretty darn good. However it needs a tweak here and there to be amazing. I used red lentils as its what I had on hand, darker would have given a better look. Also I want to add in BBQ sauce, it would have made it amazing. And use lots of Pam! Mine still stuck resulting in me not having a good dish to snap. Don't ask. But the girls enjoyed it and it was pretty easy to make so it's gonna go on my great budget list. In addition there is no reason why carrots and celery could not be added. Oh and I would add a step in to sweat and slightly caramelize the veggies for better texture and flavor.

Really Good Vegetarian Meatloaf (Really!)

Ingredients
1 tsp Basil, shredded
Black Pepper
3/4 cup Cheese Brick Extra Sharp White
1 Eggs, beaten
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 cup Lentils
1 cup Oatmeal
1 Onion, chopped
1 tsp Parsley
Salt, chicken
4.5 oz Tomato Sauce
2 cups Water
Wide egg noodles

Notes / Directions
Add salt to water and boil in a saucepan.

Add lentils and simmer covered 25-30 minutes, until lentils are soft and most of water is evaporated.

Remove from heat.

Drain and partially mash lentils.

Scrape into mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Stir in onion, oats and cheese until mixed.

Add egg, tomato sauce, garlic, basil, parsley, seasoning salt and pepper.

Mix well.

Spoon into loaf pan that has been generously sprayed with Pam (non-stick cooking spray) or well-greased.

Smooth top with back of spoon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30- 45 minutes until top of loaf is dry, firm and golden brown.

Cool in pan on rack for about 10 minutes.

Run a sharp knife around edges of pan then turn out loaf onto serving platter.


Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/really-good-vegetarian-meatloaf-really-33921#ixzz1oUahrsY7

New car new ideas and insurance

Yay I'm getting a new car! Not so yay car insurance will go up. This means if I want an entertainment budget I need to find it from my food grocery allowance. I feel like cracking my knuckles. Ok it's on! I'm gonna try comparison shopping looking at grocery outlet, trader joes. Costco I'm gonna be looking for staples, tomatoes, beans, stocks. Meat I'm gonna have to really think about and compare prices.

I'm gonna be hitting up Asian and Indian supermarkets too for rice and beans and their specialties such which they buy in bulk. I've suggested to James we take out the budget in cash then I spend that when it's gone it's gone. This way hopefully I can save some money. We are by no means poor but if we want vacations and luxuries we have to budget. We want a day out museum or a meal out we have to account for it somewhere.

I am gonna have to start planning meals two weeks at a time me thinks as that will give me a more accurate costing than a week by week basis.

Creativity and lateral thinking

So I'm looking at saving some money in the next couple of weeks for other things. I'm really thinking about groceries and seeing where I can find some more savings.

That being said I really want to make sure we get enough to eat with good nutrition and I do not want to sacrifice flavor. I am trying to step out of my normal comfort zone. Now we eat one fish one veggie in general once a week and I'm seeing one of the biggest expenses is meat. So I'm trying to use more beans and yes lentils. I'm looking to India and the Middle East to expand my repertoire.

I've actually sat down and thought about meals for the next couple of weeks so I can budget myself out. I want to make sure we have variety and not make it boring but I'm reducing our meat intake significantly. The other bonus to this is our figures. James is now down to 236 lbs which he's not been at in over twelve years. Me I'm almost back to my post pregnancy weight. I keep hoping for the goal of 200 by the end of the year.

Tonight we were back to one of my old favorites a vegetable lentil stew. It's easy simple and uses a single pot so clean up is a breeze. But I'm really looking forward to trying a meatless meatloaf recipe on Tuesday. I'm gonna serve it with wheat egg noodles, I'll let you know! I am wondering what else I can get away with hehe.

Frugal shopping

Wow food prices are really starting to become a problem and it's the staples, milk, bread, yogurt that quickly add up on the shopping list. Meat is starting to really become a luxury. Now we have a generous budget but the rising costs of food I'm really having to stretch a buck. This week I have $80 actually a
little less and I have to provide lunch dinner for four but here is the kicker, I have meat in the freezer for only one meal. This means I'm gonna be using a whole lotta lentils. Yes Donna I have your son eating lentils!

One of my big go tos is a red lentil veggie stew. I cheat and use chicken stock but hey it still sorta counts. And this week I'm gonna try a veggie lentil meatloaf. I'll keep you posted! Lentils are actually a great source of protein so it's a great meat substitute. I just hope most of the guys at work can stay down wind!

An exercise in reusing left overs

This week I had a really restricted budget to work with so I've had to raid my freezer for frozen left overs. My fridge is running very low on supplies but I'm trying to make the most of things.

Now take Monday, I had a ton of BBQ pulled pork in the freezer and I had the idea of turning them into tacos. So I added a generous helping of cumin and three puréed ancho chilis reconstituted in chicken stock. I also added a liberal dose of penzys southwestern adobe seasoning. This resulted in a tasty taco meat with a hint of sweetness altogether a great use of meat especially when I'm looking to feed a crowd and not spend a lot of money.

Tonight was an experiment with left over gazpacho. I took chicken, added poultry seasoning and put it in the oven to bake. I had by fortune broccoli in the fridge so I threw that in there on another baking sheet. Now here is where I wasn't sure if I wanted to heat the gazpacho or not in the end I opted to heat it through, I added some ground almond to thicken and put it down over the top of the chicken. Ultimately not bad either! And total cost of the meal for this week $0! And we had plenty of good nutrition low fat etc and loads of veggies for the kids.

Tomorrow I'm gonna use up left overs from Monday. Did I mention it was a lot of pork?

Thursday in using again ingredients in my pantry I'm lacking a bit in fresh veggies but it will just have to do. Plus I eat carrots and celery throughout the day so it's not all bad right?

Wine and pairings

An update on the pairing from last night, we had the curried scallops with the next: 2009 riesling . Now I'm not always a riesling lover finding sometimes it can be a bit sweet. Last night my mind was changed. The dinner was perfectly simple delicious, and the wine was the absolute perfect compliment. There would be bites of food followed by a sip of wine where you would suddenly find a surprise on the tongue as the flavors melded.

When joining the wine of the month club, they send you a booklet with information about the current selection. That I found gives me some knowledge and the food pairings I'm actually trying to follow. It's an adventure, I'm looking for new recipes and just enjoying the experience. It's always fun trying a random recipe and hoping for the best. I'm glad I chose the mild yellow curry for this one anything too spicy would have overpowered the wine. Instead we I felt the magic dance on my tongue as the flavors lingered and melded in harmony.

I frequently ask for advice when choosing a wine to compliment a dinner but not the other way around. It certainly opens up the palate and eyes to new possibilities.  And please notice the size of my portion! It's one of the ways I'm managing to loose weight and still eat indulgent meals.

Planning planning

Oddly enough I tend to plan meals etc in about a two week cycle. I have my budget and some weeks I have to blow it to restock on essentials, and then there are the splurge dinners too. I work with my hubby's paycheck and juggle accordingly. Then I also have to take weeks activities into account, for example Sunday is gonna be crazy so I'm just going to put the crock pot on and not worry about dinner. Next Friday we have an event planned in the am and dinner with guests in the evening and we will have to shop the day before. In my defense I am pretty good at keeping track of what is in the freezer and I know what meals will give
me leftovers. This means I can splurge one week but I have to balance the following week.

Now my current challenge is to cook a meal based on wine pairings to match with the wine of the month club. So tonight I'm doing curried scallops! That is my splurge. I also hope at some point to be able to afford a new wine cellar for our growing wine collection. . It almost makes us sound like we drink a lot, the truth couldn't be further from the truth. We are actually stock piling the wine and still have yet to drink Decembers second bottle! So we are now having to consider storage again.

Now my weight...I'm unofficially weighing in at 241 lbs that take me to over 20 lbs lost this year. This means I'm also trying to pay attention to what we are eating. I stick with one veggie a week, that stays on no matter what. Fish is a bit trickier I like it fresh so I tend to do it the day I do the shopping. Next week I'm constrained by the day we shop and the budget as its an expensive week with haircuts this week so I'm opting to drop the fish for a meal that is as cheap as I can make it, this will also provide leftovers too so it stretches a buck, in this instance I'm opting for another veggie meal over fish. It's a compromise and one you have to make sometimes.

Being generally busy

Boy a week has gone by quickly! Girls loved the broccoli soup and we had none left after the last time where they barely touched it. Perhaps two hours at the park made the difference.

So my hubby for Xmas got us wine of the month club. It's great and they make food pairings for the wine so tomorrow I will be attempting curried scallops to go with a Riesling. I'm kinda excited to try it. What I'll be looking at is trying to pair the wine with the suggested foods.

Other than that it was a fairly boring week as far as new things are concerned. The black bean cake recipe was a major hit, with dinner for 11 keeping the bill down to around a hundred was no mean fear, but left overs and the scraps in the bottom of the freezer and lots of creative pork dishes we did well.

Choosing meals sticking to a budget

Anyone that knows me knows I love food. I love the different exotic tastes. I am constantly switching up our menus and experimenting with new and different flavors. Now I'm not terribly inventive I admit it. But I am adventurous.

Last week I splurged a bit in the budget but then again I needed meat and a few other staples. The Costco bill was high but it should even out over the coming weeks as I desperatley need to restock my freezer with meat. Last paycheck I bought pork tenderloin. I'm a huge fan of these the meat is cheap and you can do a lot with it and I portion out the pieces so one will feed the four of us for a meal, I think we bout a $15 piece of meat and I bagged it into about 10 meals. Unforuntately i'm almost out of chicken! That means this week I had to include about three pork dishes and that meant being creative.

Tonight I'm doing a braizilian pork rice casserole. I'm also cursing about my broken Rachael Ray Bubble and Brown. I believe I'm going to be putting the double set in I think Eggplant on the top of my list, I miss the middle size dish so baddly. Anyways I had to improvise a little because I just didn't have an appropriate size dish, so I upped the rice and I'm hoping for the best, there will be portions saved.

Last night I attempted the Tom Yong Goong again. I'm still not convinced and I will try again to find the kaffir lime leaves.

Yesterday my neighbor asked for salt, which being the consumate cook I have plenty on hand to spare. She came over a little later with some chicken and rice. Now I do not know what nationality they are my guess is middle eastern towards afghan and pakistan but I could be wrong. Either way the rice was fantastic and the chicken mild with plenty of flavor I will be asking her what it was next time I get a chance.

I also did a great no cream cream of broccoli soup, it used a lot more pepper than I anticipated but overall it was a well received soup, which is just as wel as there are two more meals waiting in the freezer.

My confession - I ate too much!

I ate too much yesterday. I really need to plan cookout picnics and dinners better. But the dinner blew me away. I found a recipe for Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken) out on allrecipes.com I read the reviews made a couple of minor changes and was blown away by a magnificent curry. I also made from scratch naan bread. A meal we couldn't get enough of. I couldn't find the methi so left it out but great tasting curry.

Ingredients
2 tbs Butter Unsalted, 3 tbs melted and 2tbs cold
1/4 cup Ground almonds
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Fenugreek (methi)
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tbs Ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup Heavy cream, chilled
2 tsp Lemon, juice
1/4 onion Onion, chopped
Peanut Oil
1 cup Tomato Sauce
1 tbs tomato paste
1/4 cup Yogurt Plain
1 tsp Coriander
1 Bay Leaf
1 Shallot, finely chopped

Notes / Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute shallot and onion until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cream and yogurt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat, and season with 1 teaspoon garam masala and cayenne. Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce, and simmer until liquid has reduced, and chicken is no longer pink. Stir cooked chicken into sauce.

Mix together ground almonds and water, then stir into the sauce. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

To boredom

Ok boredom it's hard to battle sometimes. I'm actually considering trying to teach myself how to crochet to keep my hands busy. I love stitching but I find that a pain to pick up and put down during the day. Was contemplating getting a book from the library and seeing where it goes.

Last night I did ok with dinner. I probably ate more veggies than necessary but I really don't feel too guilty about that one. This was my plate. The girls finished up what was on their plates again too! This is a very easy recipe requiring marinating the pork all day throwing it I'm the oven in the evening and adding veggies. It is fairly budget friendly too!

It seems my weight is shifting downward rapidly again this week. I wonder where I'll be by weigh in day. Of course we still have our date night to go but it is looking good. I'm still so happy about some of my tshirts fitting again. Means I won't have to spend out too much money on clothes. I'm thinking a few more pounds and I'll be looking at getting out the jeans again that got oh so tight and were relegated to a closet corner.

You know things are working when...-.4lbs

Yes yes yes, put on a tshirt that quite honestly three weeks ago I would have been uncomfortable in and found its fitting a lot better again! That is a happy moment.

No real new meals recently due to hubby's bday. He asked for beef, hot sausage rigatoni and that is what he got:). I actually did a better job this time IMHO and things were a lot smoother as I picked up sausage meat instead of sausages. I will confess we use mild sausage but I'm thinking of upping the anti and going hot.

Recently my two lovely ladies have taken to eating everything put in front of them. This is huge, soups were always a challenge, veggies hit or miss but lately there has been very little left on plates. I really don't care if they don't like something but I do want them to always try it. This last week we have been really enjoying peppers, mushrooms, broccoli. A tomato vodka soup was devoured. The best part we eat something different every day so we never get bored.

James had a lovely card and drawings from the girls. It's wonderful as they are really starting to be able to print letters.

Last week I struggled hands down it beat me. I ate things I shouldn't have we had dinner out and we had all those bad for you nibbles Monday night. However I still managed a loss. This week I am aiming for closer to a lb although two would be awesome. I just have to take one day at a time. If I screw up a day I cannot let myself go back and slip into bad habits again.

New possibilities

For anyone that doesn't know I've started a new business the link is at the top of the page.  Why you ask yourself?  I want to meet new people is my first response and I want to have fun doing it what better way than to help help a host run a chocolate party and to introduce people to wonderful products, but ultimately I want to have fun.  But wait I hear you say aren't you on a diet?  Yes I am and I'm actively trying to watch what I eat but at the same time I love food and I've always always had a soft spot for chocolate and tasting is about tasting not pigging out because I feel deprived.  The last week I've been dreaming in chocolate, thinking about the endless possibilities, one of my instant ideas is to take it and pair it with bacon.  Not a new idea I know but something that just sounds fun and maybe introducing the idea at a party.  I seriously cannot wait for my supplies to arrive and I may have to experiment a little before then.  I strongly urge you to contact me about setting up your own party.  No really other than just a few things that can be dipped in chocolate and the possibility of getting some great discounts or even some items what do you have to loose?  Nothing, and you get to have a wonderful evening with friends!

I'm also going to be hosting my own party in a couple of weeks.  I've got so many ideas floating around my head it's not even funny.  Another brainwave I had was the possibility of pairing up chocolate with wine and beer (you heard me beer!).  Now wine and chocolate is a no brainer and I know certain recipes work with a fabulous raspberry beer so I'm wondering what else I can pair up.  I'm just so excited by the possibilities, almost to the point of not having enough space to rave about it.

Now onto other things, weight and diet all things in moderation I have to repeat this mantra over and over and over to remind myself that I really want to loose this weight to feel and look good.  I no longer want to be hiding away from the camera and dreading looking at myself.  I am planning on getting a full length mirror at some point for the hall so I can actually see all of me (not to mention hiding up an untidy spot).  I am also constantly reminding myself of the nightmare of flying when you are overweight.  Lets face it flying isn't that much fun, and it's even less fun if you are squeezing yourself into a seat.  Now because we have two girls and two adults we can take up a row and spill over into their seats without disturbing anyone or taking up their space, but trust me the seats are no luxury and there is nothing like the side digging into your hip to keep you awake on a 10 hour flight.

I'm not beating myself up when I don't manage to fit in exercise but I am trying to keep moving more than I have been.  I count a trip to the store as some kind of exercise both in patience and walking and lifting of weights.  I count every trip to the grocery store where I come out with what is on my list and not indulging in extras that will add to the bill or the lbs a success.  I try so hard to stick to my list, I know what I'm doing meal wise for a whole week and it helps, I know how much most items cost at the store and I get pretty good in the estimates for the week.  Now the weight this week hasn't been melting away as much as I would like it to so I guess I will need to start working a bit harder to get the lbs off.  I need to increase the exercise a little bit and just try to do something every day.

I want to thank everyone who has been giving me support.  I know I cannot do this alone, for now I'm doing ok, I have my evenings last night I wanted more food when I was watching tv, so I tried to go for left over broccoli from dinner rather than the crackers.  I'm trying to use smaller plates and eat smaller portions.  I'm loving celery with a few blue cheese crumbles!  At least I keep reminding myself that's what I want hehe.

I'm thinking about planning my business and trying to set some energy into that and what I can do to try and get it up and running so instead of not doing anything of an evening I can be doing something fun that I hope I will enjoy to no end.

I also want to share with you a couple of the most amazing recipes from this week...first off was last nights chicken fingers with curried ketchup.  I can honestly say dinner was ready within 30 minutes and most of that was waiting on the chicken to finish cooking!  My chicken looks fantastic and the dipping sauce was really tasty.  If you were really stuck on time you could just make the ketchup and cook store bought fingers.

Another fabulous dinner was Lime-in-the-coconut drumsticks, yum.  I'm just about trying new things!  This coming week I'm making a Tom Yum Goong Soup, I'll let you know.  Along with the chocolate I've been craving and dreaming about thai and asian cuisine along with indian so I'm looking at trying to incorporate them into the menus over the next few weeks.  I'm also yearning lamb too so we shall see it's always a challenge to balance the menus and cravings and budgets, for example this week I wanted desperately to have a salmon dish, however as it's the hubbys bday he got to choose a meal, and I had to work around that and jiggle a few things

-3.6 lbs

That's more like it! Still a little high but I'm not gonna complain. This makes a total of 14.2 lbs lost so far. My mini goals are 10lbs so I wanna start seeing the 230's on the scale instead of the 240s and if it takes me a month so be it I'm in no real rush. I am counting housework and walks as exercise as its not sitting on my backside twiddling my thumbs.

I'm getting some of the prep done during the day for tonight's feast having done so well I'm happy to splurge a little but I will be keeping an eye on those all important portion sizes. Then again when I consider my breakfast and lunch I've got plenty of calories left for my daily intake. I'm by no means starving myself I get hungry I try to nibble on veg or fruit. And I have to say on demand rocks for not having go out to the gym in this stinky weather!

Oh and I've been back to stitching again! Admittedly I've got some unpicking to do but a little bit at a time and I will figure it out, it's been far to long since I've completed a large piece.

I've been reading and just generally trying to distract myself. I've also been taking better care of my skin and making sure I follow a better routine. Now all I need is an haircut and I should look more human again lol.

Culinary exploration Singapore!

Ok confession I was excited when this one came up. I love Asian food especially Thai influenced rather than Chinese. I was doubly excited when realizing that it's not a stretch to run to Ranch 99 where I can obtain most ingredients for a fraction of the cost of eating out. I'm even contemplating getting myself a bamboo steamer and I've certainly been toying with the idea of purchasing a bamboo mat to make sushi rolls. The other bonus is ultra fresh fish at a decent price and a great selection to boot.

So we did our shopping foray Friday. Now I did my usual Internet research and it discovered one of the signature dishes is chili crab. Anyone living in the bay area should be aware that right now is crab season and if you weren't you are now. A couple of weeks ago we were given live crabs which as squeamish as I felt about the prospect of cooking them I decided to challenge my fears. That experiment involved cooking four live crabs! We survived more than I can say for the crabs. I also made some of the best crab cakes I've ever tasted!

So we do our shopping. Lesson number 1 check out the fish counter first as they will steam and prepare any live fish for you. We left it to the end of the trip and then had to twiddle our thumbs for 15 minutes while they steamed our crab. Lesson number 2 the fish is fresh, my crab was a lively dude before they steamed him believe me he was moving around a lot! Next time I might consider bringing a cool box or something to transport the live crab home instead. But having done my reading on crabs I'm a bit wary of making sure these things are still alive when you cook em and we weren't prepared enough to take home a live specimen. You want plenty of ice for transportation.

Today is Sunday, the menu is going to include fried rice, which traditionally you use left over rice. My problem I have no left over rice! So instead I'm going to make some today so I can use it tomorrow not really living up to the ideas of using it up hehe. I've also picked up some spring rolls and pot stickers, now neither of these are traditional to Singapore. However I'm aware that as this is a dish I've never cooked before I need a back up plan invade its either indelible or that we may have picky eaters. Dessert is easy and something I think everyone will eat and if they don't tough!

I will post up pictures of this feast tomorrow before we annihilate everything. Oh and tonight we get beef stroganoff! That involves heating left overs from last week and cooking pasta.

So proud of tonights dinner

This one is an absolute keeper, roasted pork tenderloin with peppers and avocado mash. This is the second time I've done this one and it's pretty guilt free. There is no sign of pasta, rice or potatoes which is great. I did mess up with the peppers and bought only red instead of a mix of colors but if you are gonna get that bit wrong red is better than all green lol.

I managed to get the perfect sear on the meat and removed it from the oven at the perfect temperature! No dried out pork tenderloin tonight!

The minimal amount of left over topping I've put aside for nibbling later in the man cave on date night! I've got my water setup too.

Last night I was in chocolate heaven. It was hard to resist I confess :( I snacked a little too much on things I shouldn't have but I figured I've done so well the last week it would be ok and I have no plans to repeat in the foreseeable future. As long as its not every day and I should be ok. Oh but am I dreaming of the chocolate martini. I have a dream that by summer I'm back in my swimsuit from two years ago and I can ditch last years cossie. I have a dream that by the time we go to the uk I will be fitting nicely into my seat and not feeling the pinch on the sides of the seat.

I skipped one day where I did not work out this week but after 4 hours of shopping I think I made up for it. Thanks to everyone for their support. It means the world.

-10.6 lbs

Lol last week my hubby gave me $10 guess that's going into the donation fund. I should find a good jar or something to keep my donations in. Weekly donations will be a bit less painful on the wallet :)

I really don't think I've lost that much weight to be honest tho and if it goes down that much again next week I'd be worried and will actually try to eat a bit more if I do.

So next goal now il officially under 260 is to get under 250! It's not that far off right? At most two weeks away. Must make sure I don't whimp out on the exercise tho. My trouble is I'm struggling a bit to get the routine done without the girls going nuts on me. The Pilates isn't a big deal but I have yet to get through a cardio routine without drama.

I'd be pushing my luck to do it before the girls get up and I'm in no mood at bedtime so I'm torn. I'm doing what I can and trying to keep moving during the rest of the day to try to burn up some of those calories. I am however feeling the effects with gentle reminders from various muscles that I'm trying to abuse them. Oh little do they know!

Anyways tonight's dinner burgers..yeah not very figure friendly but I wanted to splurge a little. I did however buy small buns and plan on making smaller sized burgers and only having one while there should be enough for other people to have seconds.

I'm also going to do some lighter sides, a salad and baked zucchini sticks along with sweet potato fries. I'm gonna skip the fries.

I'm still surprised at my kids asking for more yesterday! Shame it wasn't my hubby's favorite meal, but it got the kids eating a whole lotta stuff I've been struggling to get them to eat. So he's just gonna have to put up with the dish now and then. I also like the deconstructed taco idea. So much easier for a three year old to eat to be honest.

Hmm I wonder if I can drop 20lbs maybe I should think about a treat of some kind. Not a food one but something else, maybe some skin care products I've been craving. Or maybe a ordure or manicure. Lol then again it might have to be some new pants that fit me.

Weigh in tomorrow

Alright tomorrow is the day to see if I have been good or bad. I'm hoping for some results. I'm so hoping for summer I can be back into my old swimsuit I skipped wearing it last year because I had packed on a few pounds and bought a new one.

Thank you guys for your support I need it. Gentle reminders when I'm out eating with you no offerings of seconds unless it's salad lol or just a gentle reminder helps. I am notorious for ypto dieting, first few pounds are easy I go a month or so then I slip. I just need reminders and encouragement to get back to what I know I should be doing.

Actually some of the worst times are if I have an injury or I'm sick I get lazy then I slip and it tumbles away. All the resolutions all the work and invariably back comes the weight and more. It sucks! Over the years I've lost gained lost gained I can't keep doing that.

So last night I cheated with some baked beans. Now maybe I should abstain from watching RR but I love her show but maybe I should and just stick to her magazines then at least I won't have as much temptation. I'm trying to read more and I should work on the stitching again.

Oh last nights dinner was the bomb. I made a lightened up beef stroganoff and to make sure I didn't over eat I used a smaller plate. I'm actually very tempted to look for a set of smaller plates for dinner just so I can limit my portion sizes. I have to confess my current set is huge!

Indulgences...

Ok I like my date night, I like my beer and snacks and I don't want to give it up. So how do I balance this? Maybe if we stick to once a week or maybe every other week am I really cheating too much? Now I know I'm probably undoing two days work with these nights but I'm not sure I want to give it up. I'm switching to smaller glasses, maybe keeping water out in the mancave might be a solution too. Say for every beer I drink a glass of water to balance it out? That way instead of three beers I'm only having two. Hmm not a bad idea I think to myself! Will make that change. Also if I think ahead I can do a mix platter of snacks including a veggie platter instead of the salt snacks. I think this week after a couple of weeks of being under the weather hubby and I really didn't care much last night.

We struggled a bit in some spots with some of our games, lol next time we should take an iPad with us for tips and ideas lol.

Now some of my meals I'm indulging a little. Last nights dinner used far too much butter for my comfort level but I stuck to it for now. Next time I'm subbing out EVOO. But my hubby gave the meal five stars so I'll just have to lighten it up.

Day three will power

I do fine most of the time during the day but some evenings kill me. The worst nights for temptation are those James is at work. There is the oh no one will ever notice except my figure right? Watching Rachael Ray probably doesn't help as her food always looks so good! I'm also too tired at this point in the day to think about exercising.

I am having to learn restraint and really thinking about making good choices. Tonight's choice was an apple and cup of tea. I will make sure I have good options available, and keep it to just one thing. Instead of going to the kitchen I'm writing my blog.

My biggest complaint right now nothing on TV which is a shame. Hate taking baths late at night they tend to wake me up and I have this desire for a glass of wine. And man I need to find something better to watch!

Day two

Well yesterday went well I'm a little sore and I feel I behaved. Today I woke up with a plan to continue as I have started. So breakfast, 1 scrambled egg, 1 slice of toast with spread (not butter). Lunch a repeat of yesterday. Trying to watch how much tea I have. Now I've always drunk milk tea with just a bare splash of milk and for the most part I use fat free milk so I've never really worried about it. But I am going to endeavor to drink more green and herbal teas.

I did pay myself on the back for doing a 20 min cardio core routine I skipped 5 min it was kicking my butt! I'll try again tomorrow and I'll do another an routine later today to make up for that small failure. I can honestly say balance is not my strongest forte but I'm looking for things to help improve that.

I have not enjoyed cleaning up two accidents today from one of my daughters, one of which ended up with me on my knees scrubbing at the sofa for half an hour. On the bright side the sofa should look better and a bit cleaner when it dries. The downside...I have nowhere to sit.

Dinner will be a quick veggie chili that takes no time to prepare. It's one of my goto veggie meals and always gives me left overs.

I'm also trying to eat a bit more frequently by adding in some healthy snacks here and there to try to boosting metabolism up.

Monday Weigh In 263 lbs

The lost pounds over Xmas are back, although that's not surprising with New Years and a cold I've been eating and not moving much. However that is about to change. Breakfast was 2 poached eggs over toast at least they weren't fried. I should go get some oatmeal I think for the cooler mornings tho.

I did do a 10 minute pilates session and a 20 minute cardio burn so At least I did some exercise! I will be doing housework as well today so that will help burn some more calories.

Remember every 1lb I loose I'm going to donate a dollar to cancer research.

Now tonight's dinner isn't the most healthiest of choices so I will really need to watch my portions and make sure I do not touch my girls left overs. But the rest of the week shouldn't be too bad. Tonight I'm doing lasagna and a bread pudding. I think I'll skip dessert or at least just have a small spoonful.