01gt4.6

Tanya, the last 2 were car insurance.

wildbeanerz

Health / Fitness Goals ...
1. 100 oz water daily M: Yes (already!), T: Yes (120oz), W: Yes, Th: Yes,
2. walk on lunch min 1-1/2 miles M: 1-1/2miles, T: raining, W: 1/2mile (40degrees and raining), Th: 1-3/4miles,
3. workout 4 times from weds - sun W: 1hr, Th: 1hr 5min, F: day off, Total time - 2hrs 5 min
4. allow one day to buy dessert to eat with lunch (strawberries over angel food cake) M: didn't buy, T: not ordering, W: didn't order, Th: didn't order, F: ordering!! Yum! .... hmmmm why am I so excited over a semi-healthy dessert?
5. No added salt M: Yes, T: Yes, W: Yes, Th: Yes,
6. Limit one diet soda daily M: 1-1/2 cans, T: Yes, W: Yes, Th: Yes,
7. Log in and report all 7 days M: Yes, T: Yes, W: Yes, Th: Yes, F: Yes,
8. Weight and post weight M: 274.4, T: 274.6, W: 275.4, Th: 276.4, F: 275.4, Weekly total: +1lb

Life Goals ...
1. Water Christmas tree M: Yes, T: Yes, W: Yes, Th: forgot,
2. Do paperwork daily at work M: Yes, T: Yes, W: Yes, Th: Yes,
3. File home paperwork M: Nope, T: No, W: Nope, Th: nope,

Last night was fun. We took the boys to the career & technology center for our oldest's open house there. They got to tour the classes that they were thinking about taking. The oldest made his decision and is turning in the paperwork today. The youngest won't get his turn for two more years but I liked that he went along and I took him myself to check out a class that the older wasn't interested in. Then we went on our yearly trip through Lights on the Lake. It is the local small amusement park with huge light displays sponsored by local companies and the admission price goes to local charity. We go every year and I was thrilled that last night my youngest wasn't going to go along to the career school but when his dad said we are going to lights on the lake he very quickly said, "Then I'm coming!" LOL So even though they are 'big teens' they are still our little kids. Also made me very happy as he is the one that we had been having trouble with lately and I am very happy to see him wanting to participate with us.

01gt4.6

I jumped on the scale and it read 178.6, so I'm down 6 pounds for the week. I'm one notch back in on my belt, my gut is starting to look less bloated. On the down side, I can see that my muscles in my chest, arms, etc are looking "flat". This is all a direct result of cutting carbs, I'm sure. I thought about doing my cheat meal today but I may keep pushing as long as I can.

Not a "real" rant below.

I know that sometimes there can be a communication gap between men and women. I’m know that I’ve mentioned this before (a women gets pissed and you ask what's wrong and they say "nothing", etc.) so I won’t turn this into a rant.
Everyone knows that I don’t beat around the bush, I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I often wonder why I can ask a simple, to the point question and the answer I get doesn’t answer my question. For example, yesterday my GF had on a top that I’ve never seen her wear before. I asked “Where did you get that shirt from?” Pretty simple, right? Her answer… “I’ve been having it.” How is it that I say “where” and it is understood to be “how long”? This happens all the time.
BTW, I know that "from" is a preposition and I shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition.

RunbikeSki

I'm going to get this posted before I get lost in all of y'alls fun conversation

Diet & Fitness
1.) 80oz water (coffee, tea, propel, etc don't count)M=Y, T=Y, W=Y, Th=Y
2.) Carbs less than 30% M=N (33%), T=N (40%)W=Y (30%), Th=Y (30%)
3.) Protein @ 90g M=N (78g), T=Y (116) W=N (76g)Th=Y (109g)
4.) 1 (or less) glass of beer or wine w/dinner M=N(3). T=N (2), W=N(2), Th=Y (a very large glass, but still only 1)
5.) 2 servings of fruit per day M=Y, T=Y W=N (1), Th=Y
6.) No white foods M=Y, T=Y, W=Y, Th=Y
7.) 2 yoga, 2 X-fit, (possible race on Sunday) M=rest day, T=Y (crossfit), W=Y (yoga) Th=Y (crossfit)

Work & Home:
8.) Finish booking Feb X-C train trip M=Y train from LA to Montana, 3days ski, train back. Can’t wait!
9.) Get rat exterminator estimate M=Y (yikes…expensive), T+=Y signed papers (kitties are on strike, won’t do their job)
10.) Finish presents for east coast relatives
11.) Chip tree branches
12.) Wash patio windows
13.) Get decorations down and upT=Y (down out of the garage rafters), Th=Y (about half way done)
14.) Start cleaning out the garage rafters. T=Y well started
15.) Offer gratitude every morning. M=all is well in my world, T=N just forgot, W=Y, Th=Y

RunbikeSki

Pumkin cheesecake from Philly cream cheese. I use regular gingersnaps for the crust, it takes most of a box. You can make this gluten free by using gluten free gingersnaps - they are pretty easy to find.
Ingredients

• 18 PEEK FREANS Ginger Crisps, crushed
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 (250 g) packages PHILADELPHIA Brick Cream Cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 dash ground cloves

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine cookie crumbs, pecans and butter. Press onto bottom of 9 inch springform pan.
2. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Remove 1 cup plain batter; place in small bowl. Stir remaining 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter. Spoon pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of reserved plain batter. Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect.
3. Bake 45 minutes or until centre is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Cut into 12 slices. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

RunbikeSki

Thanks for the jambalaya recipe Darlene. I'm going to add it to my holiday recipe list.

I gave up making cookies several years ago because the temptation was just too much. But I've come across a couple of lower fat and sugar versions of gingersnaps and oatmeal cookies recently so I decided to bake up a few batches.

Talk you y'all a little later.

01gt4.6

Wait? Y'all serve your jambalaya over rice instead of cooking it all together with the rice so the rice soaks up the seasoning?

Mern

Quinn, I have two reasons for trying to limit the amount of artificial sweetener I use:

1. The more sweet tasting stuff I eat, even if sweetened artificially, the more I crave sweets or any other high carb foods.

2. Some people, including Drs. Richard and Rachael Heller, authors of the Carbohydrate Addicts LifeSpan program and other low carb diet plans, believe that "if your body perceives it as sweet, it will accept it as sweet" and cause a rise in blood sugar.

Personal experience does not tell me my body reacts to artificial sweetener as regular table sugar, though, EXCEPT for SPLENDA which always causes me to stall out on weight loss or causes a slight gain if I eat a lot of it. I do use it occasionally for baking as it's heat stable, though.

Caution on Splenda! I hope y'all who have blood sugar issues know that the packets of SPLENDA sweetener are zero carb, but the POURABLE/BULK Splenda has fillers in it and is 24grams of carbs per cup!

Quinn, also thanks for the healthy cookie link. I'll look that over later today.

Tanya, glad to learn you got better sleep last night, but sorry you're not feeling up to par--hope you feel better soon. Congrats on that 60-80% green veggie meal--oh, I just saw that's X2! Way to go! LOL on the "qwertyitis." I've been close to that point before.

April, you deserve to be excited over a semi-healthy dessert. Something like angel food cake with strawberries is a lot better to more sugar laden desserts like a hot fudge sundae or a big hunk of chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Aw, that's wonderful you had such a good time at the career center and lights at the lake.

Mike, congrats on your 6 pound loss! You worked hard for that and I'm really happy for you. I'm a woman and I HATE it when you ask anyone what's wrong and they say "nothing." I detest beating around the bush, too. GF's answer about the shirt would have irritated me as well. LOL I'm also like you in that I try to use proper grammar in dealing with outsiders with household business and stuff, but around the house and with casual friends I end sentences with prepositions. I wouldn't ask DH "From where did you get that shirt?"--I'd say "Where'd you get that shirt from."

Pam, great report for Thursday! Way to go! OMG, that pumpkin cheesecake sounds wonderful! I'm definitely going to bake that as a Christmas Day dinner dessert for my family. I copied it to my hard drive so I won't lose it. Thanks for sharing!

mommiepretty

quick break before hub and I head out to run MORE errands and maybe grab some lunch

@Mike ahhh! are you an agent or an underwriter? somehow I missed the whole insurance connection, duh. btw, I cook my jambalaya w/the rice IN it so it soaks up the seasonings, precisely as you said also, not ending a sentence w/a preposition has long been abandoned (such a useless rule), so you're fine. isn't intersex communication a hoot? sometimes I swear it's more like interspecies communication LOL

@April Lights on the Lake sounds like fun! we always take our kids to go look at Christmas light displays at least once, sometimes we'll manage to hit a couple of places. I hope they still enjoy doing it when they're older like your kids!

@Mern I first heard qwertyitis many years ago, in a Dilbert cartoon, I think it was. I get a lot more use out of that joke than I probably should ;\ lol

okay, hub's ready for errands, so we're off! I'll check in again later

01gt4.6

Tanya, I'm an agent. As an agent we do what is called "field underwriting", the untimate underwriting decision goes to the actual underwriters.