Update March 18, 2015

    Today was better than yesterday.  A friend came a visited with me today.  That made my day bright.
    I think I totally trashed yesterday's success.  But, I haven't added it up yet.  Here it goes.


    5:45 - Three strips of bacon (46 cal each, 138 total) and two eggs (72 cal each, 144 total) with two teaspoons of 2% milk (5 cal) breakfast total = 287
  11:30 - two burritos (726 cal) and 12 oz diet Pepsi (0 cal) = 726 cal
    2:30 - I've been feeling sluggish all day.  I had gotten some things done, but it was with major effort.  I'm craving sugar (I think I know why and I don't like the idea).  I find an excuse, driving over to the new house to see if repairs are complete, and I stop at 7-11.  My intention was to buy a whole box of the strawberry cake rolls and save some...yeah, right.  By the time I had gotten there, my craving had slowed and I bought a 20 oz diet Dr. Pepper and a package of three chocolate zingers at 390 calories.  I gave one to Ryleigh and scarfed the other two, so 260 calories.
    4:00 - 1/2 cup strawberry yogurt with two tablespoons of blueberries and 1/4 cup of granola (200 cal)
    6:30 - late with supper so I fix nachos.  :/  I really don't want to total this.  Corn chips, about 15 (219 cal), 1/2 cup 90% lean hamburger (392 cal), 1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese (217 cal), spinach/romaine (20 cal); tomato pieces (8 cal), sour cream and guac (49 cal) - total meal calories = 905
    8:15 - 10 chocolate eggs with candy shell because they were sitting on the table at church and were calling to me. 270 cal
   Total calories for day = 2388
   Total water for day = 64 ozs, even with two caffeine sources, which would normally replace, not add to.


    It's not my worst day, but not a spectacular one.  I'll share some thoughts tomorrow, hopefully.
    Same Bat time, same bat channel

I'm a waffle

    I'm a waffle.  I can't seem to commit to a 1500 calorie diet, or exercise for that matter.  I do good one day and the next, I'm giving in to every temptation I can find, cookies, Dr. Pepper, french fries.....
    I'm in a good place one day, and low the next.  A waffle.
    I have found a good meal that fills me up for about three hours (Please forgive the pictures, I'm still not good at taking pictures with my laptop.)

        I start with a flour tortilla:
               94 calories.
               I'm not concerned about anything else right
               now.







 I add a tablespoon of sour cream:
        26 calories, 120 total so far.
        I need taste.
       




                I add a tablespoon of guacamole:
                        23 calories, 143 total.
                        Again, I need taste.




I add 1/3 cup of shredded chicken breast with taco seasoning.  I cook 5 to 6 breasts in the crock pot along with 1/2 cup of water and one packet of taco seasoning.  The packet states there's about 20 calories in it.  There's about 20 to 24 servings from the pot of chicken.  I'm going to round up and say it adds 2 calories per 1/3 cup.
          82 calories, 225 total.
          The chicken is tasty.



I add 1/3 cup refried beans and 1/3 cup black beans.
        154 calories, 379 total.
        Tasty filler with protein.







I add 2 tablespoons of shredded Colby-Jack cheese.  I need cheese.
        55 calories, 434 total.
        I wish there could be more.





                        I top it off with lettuce (2 calories) and
                        two tablespoons of tomatoes.
                               6 calories, 440 total.
                               I need some veggies.




    So until I figure out some other lower calorie meals that I like, I'm eating this for lunch and dinner.  It's tasty and filling.  I've been having smaller versions of what the kids eat for breakfast.  In between, I'm eating a couple slices of turkey or ham and carrots or 1/2 cup of yogurt with 1/4 cup of granola in it (which isn't as bad as I thought it would be).  I don't know if I'm hitting the 1500 calorie mark or not.  I am certain I'm not hitting the 3400 calorie mark.  Unless...
    It's the in between times when I'm hungry that I hit the well of the waffle.  Or when I fix something for supper for everybody else and I really like it.  Or when Steph makes cookies (I had an impossible time passing up the dough).  I've been craving sugar...a lot.  There's many wells in my waffle.
    I guess I need to decide if I'm going to be a soggy waffle or a crispy one.  A waffle that won't soak up the hot, melted butter and sugary, maple syrup.





                                    Anyone want a waffle?


Reference

* Update 3/18/15 - I now split the chicken and beans into two portions and have two burritos.  I go slower since I have "more" and I feel "fuller" since it takes longer to eat.  726 calories

Good Cook, Good Food...Bad for the Posterior

Good cook, good food

    My husband says I'm a good cook.  The kids agree.  Apparently my waistline agrees too.

    I think we can all agree that buying fresh produce is expensive.  In addition, the meats that are "better" for you are expensive as well.  The most affordable meat, in the past, has been ground beef, especially the kind that is higher in fat.  Lately, though (maybe it's California), I've noticed the price of chicken is comparable.
    Anyway, I have always spread my food budget out as much as possible.  I realize the majority of us do.  That being said, I seriously buy CHEAP.  When I first began my household, we were eating pastas and hamburger.
    We still do.  That's how I cook.  Over the past four or five years, I've started to incorporate other things, but hamburger and pasta is still the majority of what we eat.  And cheese, lots and lots of cheese.

Ref

    This is a very close representation of one of everyone's favorite dish.  This is baked goulash.  Of course, we don't call it that, it's called Squiggle at our house.
    Here's the short story explaining that, because we all need a diversion.
    When our third child, Stephanie, was about six, she approached me as I was making supper. 
    She asked, "What's for supper?"
    "Goulash," I replied as I was stirring the hamburger.
    She scrunched her nose and states, "I hate goulash."
    Later, when I placed the plate in front of her, she asked, "What is this?  Is this goulash?"
    "Uh, no," I lied.  "It's squiggle.  And you put cheese on it, like this."  And I plopped a pile of shredded cheese on it.  Well, all the kids loved the idea and that's how squiggle was born in our house.
    We have it about twice a month.  Spaghetti, we have about twice a month.  We have at least one other meal a week with pasta and at least one other per week with rice.
    We eat LOTS of carbs.


Ref

    They're cheap.
    And they're tasty.

    Well, since I've been paying attention to calories lately, I flipped the package over before I opened it.  HOLY COW.
    I got my calculator out again.  It's kinda bulky....
   So I figure one cup of this stuff is about 700 calories.  8-/
   Here's the thing, I dished myself up about a cup and a half (I was starving...I had a rough day sticking to the 1500 calories...we'll talk about that later...).  As I was eating it, I realized when we have had this in the past, I've had about four times the amount I was eating.  UHGG.

    The picture is becoming clearer.

    I'm going to have LARGE problems with portion control.

    AND I'm going to starve.