Monday, September 13, 2010

9/13/10

Today for lunch I went to Red Lobster with my mom and my sister.  We had endless shrimp!  I started out with side salad, then had a couple of cheddar biscuits.  Then I had shrimp 4 different ways :-)  I had scampi, grilled shrimp, and shrimp with parmesan crust on top.  So good!

Monday, September 6, 2010

9/3/10

I will be offline for the next week.  I'll have a lot going on for this week and won't have time for blogs or food journals.  I will return on the 12th of September.  Have a great Labor Day weekend, everybody!!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

9/2/10

I got my new digital camera today (the old one bit the dust) so I'll be able to take pics of our food again!

My daughter came home from her grandparents this evening and she acted like she was starving!  So I made her something to eat. 



She has half a turkey sandwich on an awesome little thin sandwich round bread.  It's topped with a cheddar kitty who has googly eyes :-).  She also has some kiwi, 1/4 of a peach, and some fresh pineapple.  This is the first time I've cut a fresh pineapple.  It was so good!  I had to bribe her with stickers to make her try the pineapple, but once she did she ate it all :-).  She also has some cucumber slices, olives, and carrots with ranch.  The very first thing she ate was the carrots and then asked for more!  That's awesome.
Now on to me:  This morning I had some roast beef, lettuce, tomato and grilled chicken.  It was a weird sort of salad.  For lunch I had a spicy italian sub from subway.  I swear I'm hooked on those subs.  I need to lay off the bread!!!!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

9/1/10

For brunch I had a pastrami sandwich.  I also had a spicy italian sandwich from Subway about 2 pm.  When I got home my sister and I went grocery shopping.  When I got home I had some kiwi and cantaloupe along with some cheddar cheese.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

8/31/10

I was at Wal-mart today and grabbed a smoked turkey leg from the deli there.  I love those things and I remember when the only place I could get one was the State Fair or the local amusement park.  For $8!  $3 at Wal-mart sounds much better :-)

Monday, August 30, 2010

8/30/10

I had some homemade barbecue this morning with polish sausage and macaroni salad.  For lunch I had a super (corn) dog and a subway sandwich.  (Spicy Italian).  When I got home my sister had cooked neckbones.  So I had those with lots of onion.  Neckbones R good!

8/29/10

This morning I had  grilled chicken wrap from Sonic.  I also had a chicken quesadilla and a fritos chili cheese wrap.  Fast food all day.  Never a good idea :-(

Saturday, August 28, 2010

8/28/10

When I got to work this morning I felt like I was starving!  I went next door to Subway and got a footlong.  Spicy Italian on wheat.  A weird breakfast to say the least.

This afternoon I went to my mom's house after work.  While there I ate some chicken salad on a piece of whole wheat bread.  I also stopped at Braum's and got a twist waffle cone.  For dinner we had grilled pork shops and steamed broccoli.

Friday, August 27, 2010

8/27/10

I went to 7-11 today and MDA was selling bbq for their cause.  I left with a bbq brisket sandwich.  It was pretty good, too much bread though.  I threw half of it away.  I also ate one of my daughter's corndog muffins this morning.

My daughter wanted to help me make her a lunch today.  She's not quite 3, so there wasn't much she could help with :-)


We defrosted a corndog muffin (with shredded carrots in it!) and topped it with a cheddar bear with sugar eyes.  I'm still trying to figure out how to do a mouth for him.  I didn't think a smile would look right.  She's also got some carrots and celery with ranch for dipping.  We also made a pasta salad (it's a box mix, bacon ranch flavor) and topped it with a cheddar kitty cat with pepperoni whiskers and sugar eyes.  She also has pepperoni stars on the pasta salad.  She also had 1/4 of a peach, some red grapes and cantaloupe.  She was really hungry and ate almost everything.

I also had a sandwich from Subway.  Spicy italian on whole wheat.

8/26/10

I had some leftover pasta from Primo's for lunch.  For dinner I had 2 carb smart wraps with leftover gyro meat, lettuce and ranch dressing.   I also snacked on some sliced peaches.

8/25/10

Today I had a lot of running around to do, and no time to make a lunch/dinner.  I ended up with a sandwich from Subway (spicy italian on wheat) and some leftover zucchini lasagna when I got home.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

8/24/10

I went to lunch today with my mom, sisters and daughter.  First we all had pedicures (even my 2 year old!).  It was so much fun.  We went to Primo's Italian restaurant afterwards.  I ordered veal piccata.  It was very garlicky, but very good!  I didn't eat the angel hair pasta that came with it.  I did enjoy the antipasto bar very much! 

When I got to work I had a leftover philly cheesesteak sandwich and when I got home I had some homemade zucchini lasagna.  It's homemade spaghetti sauce layered with sliced zucchini, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.  Really good.  I also had salad with ranch on the side.


Monday, August 23, 2010

8/23/10

Today I had a gyro sandwich from a local greek bakery.  I love gyro meat.  I love it so much that I bought a pound of it to bring home and use in my own lunches.  I also had some cheesecake and carrot cake.  I'm telling you, I've fallen off the carb wagon and then just started walking the opposite direction.  I really have to get back on it!!

8/22/10

Seriously, I've fallen off the carb wagon big time.  Tonight I went to eat at Outback steakhouse.  I had some bread, some lamb chops (good) and dessert!  Chocolate brownie with ice cream and whipped cream.  I also had a frappe from McDonald's.  What's wrong with me??  I also had eggs with bacon and a chicken salad.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

8/21/10

I've been sick most of the night and today :-(.  I had some Chinese food for lunch.  Something with lots of seafood and vegetables, it was pretty good.  I also had a ham and cheese sandwich and some pasta from Johnny Carino's.  So good!

8/20/10

OMG, I had a breadbowl pasta from Dominos!  What was I thinking??  I was thinking that it looked really good and I couldn't refuse it.  We had a pizza party at work (how dumb was that?) and i succumbed.  On the positive side, it tasted really good!  I've also had a salad and some chicken throughout the day. 

8/19/10

I had various vegetables for lunch with some steamed tilapia.  I also had a cheeseburger sans bun from McDonald.  When I got home I had some chicken salad stuffed in a low carb pita bread.  I also had a sugar free jello.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

8/18/10

I just had the best salad from Subway.  Lettuce, spinach, bell peppers, tomato, cucumbers, black olives, red onions, banana peppers, shredded cheese, chicken and bacon with ranch dressing.  MMMM. . .

Earlier today I had a giant sasquatch snack stick from the store.  It's like a beef jerky knock-off.  I'm addicted to those things.

Last night I made a chicken quesadilla for dinner.  I used a leg/thigh that I'd baked.  I just took the meat off, heated it up, and sprayed two low carb tortillas with buttery spray.  I put some shredded cheese and the chicken between the tortillas and toasted on each side.  I cut it into 4 pieces and had two last night and brought two pieces for dinner tonight along with some steamed broccoli.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

8/17/10

My mom and I went to lunch today at the chinese restaurant.  I had some green beans, chicken, pork chop, sirloin steak, shredded lamb, sauteed mushrooms and onions.  It was so good!  Later on in the day I had a roast beef sandwich and some rotisserie chicken.  When I got home I made a chicken quesadilla for tomorrow's dinner.  I used half of it for tomorrow, and ate the other half for dinner tonight.

Monday, August 16, 2010

8/16/10

Today I had a chili dog, a small frito chili pie and some chicken.  I'm going straight home to eat some veggies!!

When I got home I had some fish, zucchini and a sugar free jello.  I'm almost out of vegetables at home!

8/15/10

I did a lot of snacking today.  I had some fruit, sugar free jello, fish, a meat lover's omelette from IHOP and some chicken.  That's about it.  Not a very exciting day whatsoever.  Just a lazy Sunday :)

Saturday, August 14, 2010

8/14/10

I made a bento last night for my daughter to eat today.  Otherwise, she may have animal crackers, or McNuggets and that's just unacceptable for me.  I made a batch of corndog muffins for her.  I usually sneak a little something extra in the muffins, and for this batch I grated some carrots and zucchini in them.  My daughter never knows the difference, and it's just another way to get veggies in her :-)

So for lunch she had a corndog muffin with a cute little bunny peeking out, some carrots sticks (there's ranch on the side), some grapes and cantaloupe cut into little pieces for her. She adores her bento box, and will eat almost anything that comes out of it.

For breakfast/lunch I had a salad from subway with various veggies and chicken.  Then I went to my mom's house and we had tacos!  I had one corn tortilla, and a huge taco salad with lettuce, meat, cheese, and salsa.  Oh, and I had some coconut cream pie and chocolate pie.  Absolutely not good.  I mean, it was good!  Just not good for the diet :-)  I just can't resist my mom's home baked goodies.

Friday, August 13, 2010

8/13/10

For lunch today my mom and I went to a place called Ingrid's Kitchen.  I ordered a cobb salad which was really good.  It had lettuce, tomato, chicken, bacon, blue cheese, an egg with ranch dressing.  I also had a bowl of lobster bisque.  The first few spoonfuls were so good, but then there was a taste in the bisque that was very overpowering.  I can't even describe what it was, but it turned me off of the soup, so I didn't finish it.

For today's dinner I brought some tuna salad made with albacore tuna, mayo, egg whites and onion.  On top of it I have some happy cheese bears.  I also have some cucumber slices, grapes to go with the cheese, and a couple of pieces of cantaloupe.

When I got home I had some shrimp, courtesy of my gracious sister!

After I'd picked up my daughter and we got home from daycare, there was a package on the front porch.  Turns out it contained the 101 Wilton cookie cutters I'd ordered from Amazon.  So, we had to try them out :-)  My daughter wanted a sandwich, so I cut her name out of turkey and cheese with mayo on whole wheat.

I actually had to use 1 1/2 sandwiches to make her name, but with all of the edges pieces that were left over, it ended up being one sandwich.  She also has some carrots with ranch.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

8/12/10

I had a piece of roast that a thoughtful girl from work brought me.  With it, I had some broccoli and cauliflower and some italian sausage stuffed mushrooms.  They were super good!

I've also had some pork rinds.  I love those things :-).  I bought a bag to make some pork rind crusted chicken.  I cooked the chicken, just haven't eaten any yet.  When I got home this evening I made some tuna salad for tomorrow's lunch, and I had the leftovers tonight.  It was probably a cup.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

8/11/10

I packed lunch and dinner for tomorrow.  I'm going over to a friend's house to show her how to make homemade spaghetti sauce and how to cook spaghetti squash.  That will probably be brunch :-)  Then the other two meals I packed will work as a lunch/dinner thing.


The first thing I packed is a big salad with lots of veggies, some pepperoni, an egg and some barnyard cheese.  The website I got this cutter from said it's a cow, but I think it looks more like a pig.


I also have some fruit.  (The middle part of that container is absolutely empty).  I've got some grapes, cantaloupe, and the last 2 strawberries.  They look like they've seen better days :-)


And for later on in the day I have 2 tilapia fillets that I seasoned with salt and lemon pepper and sauteed in an olive oil/butter mix.  I also have a small zucchini that I cooked in the same pan after the fish came out.  It gave the zucchini a really great flavor.

8/10/10

At about 11:30 this morning I had a piece of chicken.  That's it :-).  I haven't had anything else.  I've been super busy today. 


When I got to work I went next door to Subway for a salad.  They are my go-to place when I don't bring anything to eat.  Good thing I don't work next door to a KFC or a Taco Bell!  :-)

I had a grilled chicken salad with lots of veggies and ranch dressing.  When I came home I had 2 tilapia filets with a bunch of broccoli.

Monday, August 9, 2010

8/9/10

I had a tuna salad from Subway with ranch.  I also the rest of my italian/mexican lasagna thing with zucchini instead of noodles.

For dinner I had a gyro of sorts.  I got some roast beef and added ranch, lettuce, tomato and greek seasoning in a low carb tortilla.  It was really good! 
My daughter wanted a bento for dinner last night.  I didn't feel like using the non-dishwasher safe bento boxes, so we compromised on a bentoesque type lunch on one of her divided trays.



She has a turkey and cheese sandwich on a whole wheat mini bagel.  There's a fun little fairy peeking out from the hole on the middle.  She's got 2 american cheese teddy bears on top.  She also has some carrots with ranch, cantaloupe, and a strawberry.  After looking at the photo, I realized she's got a lot of orange on her plate.  Definitely didn't accomplish the rainbow she's supposed to have at every meal.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

8/8/10

Today my daughter and I have been doing a lot of running around.  We stopped for lunch at a Chinese food buffet.  I had some skewers with beef onions and bell peppers, some chicken, and a couple of spring rolls.  We're going to my mom's house for dinner tonight, not sure what we're having.

Well, at my mom's house we grilled burgers!  I had 2 burger patties with cheese and onions.  I also had 1/2 an ear of grilled corn.  Just can't say no to grilled corn :-)

Saturday, August 7, 2010

8/7/10

Last night I made some strange concoction of mexican/italian lasagna.  I had some spaghetti sauce left, along with a zucchini and some shredded cheese. 



So  I sliced the zucchini and layered it with spaghetti sauce and cheese like a lasagna.  I baked it for about 40 minutes.  When it came it out of the oven, it smelled really good.  The zucchini isn't as done as I'd like, and I wish I had mozzarella cheese instead of colby and cheddar.  But overall, it was not bad :-).  So that is what I'm having for lunch today.

I also had some things at the Chinese food place some.  Some chicken, fish, oysters, and crab along with some green beans and mushrooms.  When I got home my sister cooked neckbones for dinner.  I had that with some cabbage.

Friday, August 6, 2010

8/6/10

For lunch today I had a salad I brought from home.  It included lettuce, tomato, cucumber, celery, pepperoni, cheese, banana peppers and ranch dressing.  A little later for dinner I had some spaghetti squash with sauce leftover from last night.

My daughter has been sick for the past few days.  About midnight tonight she was coughing so hard she was throwing up.  I called the after hours nurse and was told to take her to the ER.  So we went to ER and afterwards she, my sister and I all went to Waffle House for a bite to eat.  I had a ham, cheese, onion and mushroom omelet with raisin bread toast, hash browns, and a side of bacon.  Yes, I realize that's more carbs than I'm supposed to eat in probably 3 days!  But if it's between the hours of 2 am and 4 am, it just doesn't count, right?? :-)

Thursday, August 5, 2010

8/5/10

I've been running errands all day!  Today for lunch I went with my mom to Arby's.  I had a roast beef sandwich with onion petals.  That's all I had until I got home from work.  Then I had 3 scrambled egg muffins and some spaghetti squash with sauce.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

8/4/10

For lunch today I'll be going to Souper! Salad!  They have excellent soup and salad.  I doubt I'll get any soup, though, because most of them have noodles.  We shall see :-).  I know I'll have a fantastic salad though.



For dinner I brought some stir fry that I made at home.  I just sauteed some chicken, threw in some raw cabbage, celery, broccoli, bean sprouts and a can of water chestnuts.  I used some soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper to season it.  I also have some cantaloupe, a strawberry, some grapes and a peach that I sliced up.  This is my first peach of the season.  Yummy!!

When I got home I made some sausage stuffed mushrooms and had 3.  So good.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

8/3/10

My daughter had a doctor's appointment this morning about 11 am.  She woke up at 9:30 am and had breakfast, so I knew she wouldn't be starving during the appointment.  I made her a snack bento anyway, because she was missing lunch time at daycare.


She has some pepperoni, cucumber slices, a strawberry, some grapes and "cantaloaf".  (That would be cantaloupe).  She didn't want a sandwich or a wrap - just pepperoni.  She was so happy with her bento that she wanted to take a picture.


This is her shy smile :-) Looks exactly like me at that age.

For myself I packed a lunch that's just almost carb free.  I made a decision to get back on Atkins religiously, so that's what I did.



I have a salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onions, cheese, banana peppers and pepperoni.  I have ranch dressing on the side.



I also have some grapes, cantaloupe, a strawberry and some tuna salad I made last night.  It has boiled egg whites, tuna, mayo and green onion.  I also threw in some salt and pepper.

When I got to work, one of the girls had made stuffed bell peppers and brought me one.  It's basically meatloaf inside a green bell pepper.  I love those things!  I didn't eat the mashed potatoes she brought, though.

Monday, August 2, 2010

8/2/10

Um, I've fallen off the low carb wagon again.  Today I had some chicken breast bites from the local deli.  My daughter wanted a corn dog and chicken.  She didn't eat the breaded chicken bites, so I did.  They weren't even that good!!!

I also had a strawberry poppy seed chicken salad from Panera Bread.  I will not get that salad again.  It's lettuce with grilled chicken.  Not bad, right?  Well then it's got strawberries that tasted like they were glazed, pineapple, mandarin oranges and some sweet poppy seed dressing.  I was expecting a regular salad with strawberries.  Not a fruit salad with lettuce!

I'm making a conscious decision to get back on track tomorrow.  I haven't been packing my lunches the night before, so I've been relying on fast food.  Not a good idea.  This is my pledge to do better!!

When I got home I had some tuna salad in one of the low carb pita breads from the store.  I threw in some alfalfa sprouts for crunch.

8/1/10

Today we made mini pizzas!  For my pizza I used a low carb pita bread.  For my daughter and sister's pizza, we used multi grain english muffins.  I made my own pizza sauce with tomato sauce and italian seasoning. 




On the pizza we have mozzarella, pepperoni, onions and mushrooms.  On my pizza I put some alfalfa sprouts.  I didn't dare add them to my sister's or daughter's pizza.  They would not have been eaten :-).  They were so good!!  Throughout the day I also had a low carb wrap with turkey, mustard and lettuce.  I had a sugar free jello, and for dinner I had boiled beef ribs with cabbage.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

7/31/10

Last night I didn't prepare anything for today's lunch because I was super tired.  So for breakfast I went to Panera Bread and got a bacon and spinach souffle.  It had 1 g of carbs.  It was really good, with bacon and cheese and eggs and spinach all baked together.

I went to my mom's for our usual Saturday get together.  I had hot dogs with chili cheese and onions, no bun.  I also had some smoked sausage and grilled squash and zucchini.

Friday, July 30, 2010

7/30/10

For brunch this morning I had some hot dogs with cheese (no bun) and a small salad.  Those things don't really go together, but I feel like I'm lacking vegetables. 



For dinner I packed some tilapia filets, a boiled egg, some cucumbers and celery (not pictured is ranch on the side), some olives, strawberries, cherries, grapes, cantaloupe and kiwi.  I haven't been able to find kiwi at the grocery store for the past few weeks.  I just saw them again last night.  Yay!

When I got home I had a turkey, lettuce and mustard wrap and 2 boiled eggs.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

7/29/10

I've got a busy day today - Thursday are usually like that.  I'll be leaving the house around 10 am and getting back home around 10 pm.  *sigh*  I hate days where I spend 12 hours away from home :-(.  On the bright side, I'll have at least one nutritious meal!



I packed a turkey pastrami, lettuce and mustard (on the side) wrap on a carb smart tortilla.  In the little bowl next to the wrap I have some homemade meatballs.  I also have a boiled egg.  I put the egg in a plastic sandwich bag so it wouldn't soggy up the wrap.  I also have some grapes, cucumbers, cantaloupe, strawberries and cherries.  It's all packed in my Fit & Fresh lunch box.  I love this thing!  It all fits together with one lid; very convenient.

I also had a grilled chicken wrap from Sonic.  I'd originally packed 2 meals for today, but then I left one at home.  GRRR.  So I found the lightest thing I could on the Sonic menu.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

7/28/10

I went to lunch with my mom today.  We went to a chinese buffet.  I had a various assortment of beef, chicken and lamb along with some vegetables.  It was all very good, but now I don't feel so good :-(

I feel like I haven't been getting enough vegetables today, so I included a lot for lunch/dinner.


I have a stuffed chicken breast that I bought at Wal-Mart.  It was already seasoned and stuffed so all I had to do was bake it for 30 minutes.  It's stuffed with swiss cheese and crimini mushrooms.  I sauteed some fresh mushrooms to go on top.  Along side that I have an entire steamed zucchini.  For fruit I have cantaloupe, grapes, cherries and strawberries.

I also have a giant salad that includes greens, celery, cucumber, turkey pepperoni, cheese and ranch on the side.  It's packed in the salad bowl I found at Target.  The lid had a spot for the fork and also holds a container for dressing.

When I got home I had a chili dog without the bun.  I had some left over chili that I heated up.  I then added sliced hot dogs, cheese and onions.  Yum!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

7/27/10

Yesterday was a killer day.  I was dragging up until I crawled back in bed to sleep.  I even went to far as to take an hour long nap in the car before work.  I don't know what the problem was!  Felt like my batteries were dead.  Hopefully today will be better.

I took my daughter out for a hot dog at lunch time.  I didn't eat one, but I had a ball watching a 2 year old wrestle a huge hot dog and bun :-).  She also had carrots with ranch.  Then, for a treat, we split a small dish of ice cream (it was probably 1/2 cup of ice cream) from Cold Stone Creamery.  YUM!!!


For lunch I packed some spaghetti sauce that my mom made, with meatballs that I made.  I have spaghetti squash to go with it. 

I also have a salad with greens, cucumber, celery, turkey pepperoni and cheese.  I have some ranch dressing on the side.  In the two smaller containers I have some strawberries, cantaloupe, grapes and cherries.

When I got home I had a baked chicken breast that was stuffed with swiss cheese and crimini mushrooms.  Lest you think I was being Susie Homemaker, I'll tell you that I bought the chicken breast from Wal-Mart.  It was pre-stuffed and seasoned and frozen.  Just waiting for me to pop it in the oven!

7/26/10

This morning I had eggs, sausage and half a biscuit for breakfast.  I took my daughter to McDonald's for breakfast :-)  She really enjoyed it, and I enjoyed spending time with her early in the day.  We never do that!


For lunch I had some homemade meatballs that have ground beef, onion, garlic, ketchup salt and pepper.  I also have some fruit; cantaloupe, grapes, cherries and strawberries.

When I got home I had a turkey pastrami wrap with lettuce and mustard.

Monday, July 26, 2010

7/25/10

Today I didn't really have anything photo worthy.  For lunch my sister and I went to the Chinese buffet.  I had chicken and shrimp and some vegetables and crab and frogs legs!  I love those things.

For dinner I had a ham and cheese wrap with lettuce, and about 1/4 lb of cherries.  I'm addicted to cherries!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

7/24/10

Another Saturday, so another bento for my daughter.  She really loves her Hello Kitty bento boxes, and almost anything I put in them is going to be eaten.  It's still a novelty for her, and since I only do it once a week I think it'll stay that way for a while.


She has a turkey sandwich on a whole wheat mini bagel with lettuce and mayo, some carrot sticks, two peach slices, a strawberry, some cantaloupe and half a star shaped boiled egg.  I was boiling eggs last night and she had one for a snack.  I gave her half of it first, and she stuffed the entire half in her mouth!  I didn't know her mouth would open that big, LOL.

For myself I packed a lot of the same things.  Since I'm low carb and can't have mini bagel sandwiches, I have chicken instead.


In the top tier I have two boiled eggs (a fish and a car) some strawberries, cantaloupe, grapes, and two cherries.  I don't think I've ever had fresh cherries.  They remind me of a plum, only not as juicy or sweet.  I really like them, but I could do without the pit!  In the bottom tier I have a baked chicken leg and some steamed zucchini.

A little later in the day I had a piece of leftover rotisserie chicken.  I went to my mom's house after work and I kind of fell off the carb wagon.  Let's see, I had some ice cream with hot fudge and whipped cream.  I had some spaghetti with whole wheat noodles.  I had some focaccia bread with dinner.  I believe it's safe to say that my diet was out the window for the day.  Back on the wagon tomorrow! :-)

Friday, July 23, 2010

32 pounds down

I started the Atkins diet on May 21st, 2010 following the advice of my doctor.  I've been diagnosed as pre-diabetic and he said the best way to keep diabetes from developing is to stop eating so many carbs.  His exact words were "Even if your mom, dad, sister and brother are diabetic, you don't have to be.  Stay on Atkins for as long as you can."  Well I've been on Atkins for 2 months now and I've lost a total of 32 pounds.  That is phenomenal to me.    I've got 13 more pounds to lose to complete the first of my personal weight loss goals.  I never dreamed I could lose weight so quickly by simply changing the way I eat.  I've been on so many diets and I usually caved after a week or two.  When I started Atkins it was like a lightbulb went on in my mind.  I decided to do it and once the decision was made it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be to stick by my decision. 

One of the main reasons it's been so much easier sticking to Atkins is because I'm blogging about everything I eat.  I feel accountable to everybody who reads this blog, so that really keeps me on track.  Now don't get me wrong; sometimes when I'm in the grocery store I still look longingly at the pastries and cakes.  But it's only for a few seconds and I don't feel the almost irresistable urge to grab them and throw them in the shopping cart.  Instead I'll opt for fruits or sugar free jello. 

I've learned so much from the other moms I blog with about how important nutrition is for our kids and why it's so important to create good eating habits while they're young.  That's another big reason for the change in my eating habits.  I want my daughter to learn that fruits and vegetables are so much better for us than fast food and candy.  She eats candy and pastries rarely, if ever.  She loves vegetables and I want to keep those habits strong for her.

So thank you to everybody who reads my blog and to all of the moms who share their experiences and creative ideas.  You've really helped me when I've hit a block as to what to fix for dinner :-)  Here's to another 32 pounds!!!

7/23/10

My 2 year old is in the living room sitting at her table and playing with her toys while muttering, "I got things to do, I got things to do."  That perfectly sums up my day!  I've got so much to do before work.  Last night I made some chili with ground beef, pinto beans, diced tomatoes and some chili seasoning.  I had to pay a little more for the chili seasoning that didn't include wheat flour, but it was worth it to cut out those unnecessary carbs. 


This is actually a photo of the bowl of chili I had last night.  But today's lunch is exactly the same.  I just packed the cheese and onions seperately.  I also have some green grapes and a side salad to go with it.

I also had a ham and cheese wrap and 2 boiled eggs when I got home.  Somewhere along the day I also had a baked chicken thigh.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

7/22/10

I had a really busy day before work.  I went through a drive-thru and got a grilled chicken sandwich.  Yes, I ate the bread.  But s'ok.  :-)  No biggie.  I also had some rotisserie chicken when I got home.  It's 2:45 pm and I've had absolutely no veggies today.  I'm going to have to remedy that when I get home.

When I got home I had some zucchini and a bowl of homemade chili with onions and cheese.  Yum!

7/21/10 and a new bento box

The bento box I ordered from Japan finally made it to my home today. This is the second box I ordered from eBay. The first time around I neglected to look at the volume and ended up with a very tiny box. I now use it for my daughter :) So I had to hunt for my own box to use.


It's not pretty by any means; it looks very utilitarian. But it serves its purpose. It's got two tiers, a removable divider for one of them, the tray that holds the two tiers apart, and a lid with a compartment that houses a set of chopsticks. The lid snaps over everything to hold it together. It also came with a little carrying case.



When the whole box is put together it looks very small and compact, but it holds a lot of food. In the top tier I have some fajita chicken with bell peppers and onions. (I just sauteed everything with a little bit of fajita seasoning). In the bottom tier I have some cantaloupe, some grapes, marble cheese and a piece of my mom's homemade banana nut bread. Now before you think I'm losing it - I do realize the banana nut bread is NOT low carb. But if you could taste this bread, you would share my attitude of not-caring-at-this-point. :-)

I also had a low carb wrap with turkey and lettuce, some broccoli and some tilapia throughout the day.

Monday, July 19, 2010

7/20/10

I had some rotisserie chicken, some broccoli with cauliflower and some strawberries for lunch.  I didn't have anything for breakfast.

For dinner I had a salad from Subway which included lots of veggies, chicken and ranch dressing.
When I got home from work I had a carb smart tortilla with roast beef, lettuce and tomato and a piece of my mom's awesome banana nut bread.

7/19/10

For lunch I had a giant smoked turkey leg from the deli at Wal-Mart.  It was reminiscent of the smoked turkey legs at the fair.  Well, sort of.  There was some type of weird seasoning on it that's (thankfully) absent on the turkey legs at the fair.

For dinner I had a fajita.  I sauteed some onions and bell peppers, added chicken and a very little bit of fajita seasoning.  I put it all on a carb smart tortilla and it was tasty goodness.  I also had a small piece of cantaloupe.  I didn't eat much today, was running around busy most of the day.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

7/18/10

I was dragging this morning and didn't pull myself out of bed until about 11 am.  I did some things on the computer and bathed Karma and fed her lunch about noon.  (She had breakfast about 8 am.  I then went back to bed.)  While she was eating lunch, I had brunch - the norm for me.


I had the last 3 scrambled egg muffins, 3 pieces of cantaloupe, some grapes and the last 3 strawberries.  I guess my theme for this morning was "3" :-)

I spent evening at my mom's and for dinner we had chicken, salad, and pinto beans.  I also had a piece of my mom's homemade banana nut bread.  OMG, it is SO good.  Which prompted me to take the entire loaf home.  I froze it, though, lest I eat the entire thing.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

7/17/10

 kept it simple for today's lunch.  I need to take a trip to the market, and so I'm running low on a few things.  But, I've got a stash of go-to things in the fridge for just such an emergency.


I have 3 scrambled egg muffins that I made the other day.  (I love this cute little high heel pick)  I also have some celery.  I have ranch in a seperate container for dipping.  I have some cantaloupe, grapes and 2 big strawberries.

On the way home from work I was so hungry and I didn't feel like trying to cook anything.  So I went to the Chinese restaurant to get buffet to go.  I got chicken, green beans, mushrooms, shrimp, pork and an oyster with some heavenly cheese sauce type stuff baked on top of it.  Sooooo good!

I went to my mom's house for dinner and we had stuffed bell peppers.  It was just basically meatloaf stuffed into hollowed out bell peppers.  I love them!  I also had some green beans.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Easy Lunchbox Giveaway

I've really gotten into the habit of packing my lunch the night before so I don't have one more thing to do before I head out the door.  Sometimes, though, I have to pack 2 or 3 different containers because I don't want all of my food mixing together.  Wouldn't it be great if there were a durable container that I could pack everything into and not dirty 2 or 3 containers in the process??!!  Enter:  Easy Lunchboxes!


The entire system is genius!  The bottom containers are made of durable (BPA free) plastic, as is each lid.  They're completely microwave/dishwasher safe and they hold a lot of food!  I know a lot of mothers pack these for their kids, but they also hold enough food to feed an adult.  Each set comes with four containers, four different color lids, and an awesome carrying bag.

  The bags come in Black, Dark Red, Olive, Purple and Aqua.  If you'd like to get a set for yourself, enter the giveaway at this site and put your name in the hat.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!

7/16/10

When I got up at brunch/lunch time I had a carb smart tortilla with turkey, lettuce and mustard.  About an hour later I had some turkey with gouda cheese.  I felt like I hadn't eaten anything!

Last night I did a little bit of baking because I was a little sick of salads.  I made some sausage stuffed mushrooms.  I also made some scrambled egg muffins.  The egg muffins are filling, and very low carb.  This variety has mushrooms, sausage, bell peppers, onions, garlic, spinach and some mozzarella cheese.

There's also a cute little fairy peeking out from one of the egg muffins.  I got her along with some other cute picks from eBay.


Since I didn't pack a salad for today I still needed some vegetables.  So I have some cucumbers, celery and half a tomato along with some ranch.  This is the coolest little container.  The middle is built into the bigger portion, and it's got a separate lid to keep dip from getting all over everything.


And last but not least I have some strawberries, cantaloupe and green grapes.  This was a great meal but about 3 hours after I'd eaten I was hungry.  Unfortunately I was stuck at work with nothing to eat.  One of the girls here graciously gave me a ham and cheese sandwich on *white* bread.  So I took off the top piece of bread, which was the thickest, and ate the rest of the sandwich.  My tummy didn't hurt any more but then I kind of felt like a cheater for eating bread.  Oh well, can't beat myself up over it!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

7/16/10

I was doing so much running around today that I didn't get a chance to eat until about 4 pm.  By then I felt like I was starving.  I had a salad from Subway with lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumbers, bell peppers, banana peppers, onions, olives, bacon, chicken and cheese.  I had a small amount of ranch dressing on the side.

For my dinner time meal, I had some leftover spaghetti sauce with spaghetti sauce.  I made the sauce a few days ago and needed to finish it. 

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

7/14/10

Today is going to be a long day.  I've got some appointments before work, so I packed a lunch and I also packed a chicken breast to eat on the go :-).


For lunch I have a whole wheat carb smart tortilla (10g net carbs) with turkey, lettuce and mustard.  I also have some tuna salad left over from yesterday, half a boiled egg and some cucumber slices and bell pepper strips.  I didn't include any fruit because I've got the tortilla which adds more carbs than usual.  I omitted the fruit to balance the carb count.

7/13/10

I went to lunch with my mom today.  I had chicken, greens, cabbage, and a small pork chop.  (it was a buffet).  It was all really good, and even though I really wanted the fried chicken, rolls and desserts, I refrained.   For my dinner time meal I cut up a baked chicken breast and make a salad.


I have the base of the salad in the bottom of my Fit & Fresh lunch box.  It includes lettuce, tomato, celery, bell peppers, cucumbers, heese, an egg and some of the crunchy salad topping I have in the fridge.


In one of the top containers I put some grapes and kitty shaped cheese.  I put the chicken in the other container so I can heat it up before putting it on the salad.

When I got home this evening I made some tuna salad for tomorrow's lunch.  I was hungry, so I ate some tonight as well.  It includes tuna, mayo, eggs, onion, celery and salt and pepper.

While I was shopping at Target last night I found all kinds of cool stuff on their dollar aisle.  I got my daughter a couple of bento boxes, a reusable water bottle and some adorable whole wheat mini bagels!


So when we came home she had to have a turkey, lettuce and mayo sandwich on a mini bagel.  She also has some goldfish crackers and a strawberry.  Just so adorable and the perfect size for her.

Monday, July 12, 2010

7/12/10

This morning I had a turkey, lettuce and mustard wrap on a carb smart tortilla.  Those tortillas are a lot softer than regular tortillas.

Before I went to work I had a hamburger with cheese, tomato, pickles, and mayo.  No bun - it was wrapped in lettuce instead.

I was not inspired when I made today's work meal.  I was tired last night and just gazing into the refrigerator wondering what on earth I was going to fix for myself. 


I ended up with almost an entire zucchini that I sauteed in a little bit of oil, two tilapia filets that I cooked the same way.


I also have some strawberries (you can see them peeking under the cheese), cantaloupe, blueberries, grapes and cheese.  I also have some olives and cucumbers.  Everything is packed into my Fit & Fresh lunch box, and I love the way it all fits together.  Like I said, it's not a very creative lunch, but it'll do.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

7/11/10

I spent most of today at home doing some housework and just hanging out.  I had the luxury of sleeping as late as I wanted, because my niece was here looking after my 2 year old.  When I got up I had some low carb spaghetti.  A couple of hours later I had a salad with pepperoni on it and some ranch.  Later this evening I had a carb smart wrap with turkey, lettuce and mustard, along with some zucchini and a tilapia filet.  I went to the grocery store while I was hungry (I know better!) and I debated with myself over buying some carb smart ice cream bars.  I carted them around in my basket for about 10 minutes before I finally put them back.  That's a real testament to my willpower!  A few months ago I would have bought a carton of regular ice cream without any second thoughts.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

7/10/10

 For lunch I went with something a little lighter than the spaghetti I had yesterday.

I have a salad with lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumber, celery, half an egg and pepperoni.  I have some ranch dressing in a separate container.



I also have some cheese, olives, grapes, cantaloupe, strawberries and blueberries.  This is all packed in my new Fit & Fresh lunch box.  I love this thing; it's so convenient.

Then I also packed my daughter a lunch for today.  My younger sister babysits her on Saturdays while I work, which I really appreciate.  Unfortunately, she usually takes her to McDonald's for nuggets every Saturday.  So I've started packing a lunch for her while I'm away on Saturdays.



I made her mini corndog muffins.  I was a little sneaky and added diced zucchini to them.  We'll see if she notices :-).  She also has two cucumber slices, carrot sticks, half a star shaped boiled egg, some grapes, cantaloupe, and a strawberry.  It's all packed in her adorable heart shaped Hello Kitty bento box.

After work I went to my mom's house and had a bowl of shrimp with a little bit of butter.  Who doesn't love shrimp?  For dinner we had meatloaf, salad, and steamed broccoli.  Tasty!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Fruit and yogurt popsicles

I was reading this site and decided I really wanted to make some fresh fruit popsicles.  The author poses the question "Popsicles for breakfast?"  and I thought "Why not?".  These popsicles are made from strawberry, kiwi, plain nonfat yogurt, and  a little bit of Splenda to sweeten it slightly.



I put it all in the blender and pureed it for a while and then poured into these little molds.  I froze them overnight, and this morning they were ready!


Karma had one and loved it.  I feel so much better giving this to her, rather than those sickening sweet popsicles I can buy in the freezer section that are made of corn syrup and a long list of words I can't pronounce.  Popsicles for breakfast.  What a great idea!

7/9/10

I wasn't very prepared today.  I did make a lunch for dinner this evening at work, but I failed to eat before I left the house.  I was running errands, and I felt like I was starving by the time I got to work.  A girl who works here brought some chicken salad and cheesecake to share with everybody, and I just couldn't resist.  The chicken salad wasn't bad when it comes to carbs but the slice of cheesecake I had contained as many carbs as I'm supposed to be eating in 2 days!  It was so good, though. . .back on the wagon tomorrow!

I love spaghetti, and I've really been missing it.  My mom makes very good spaghetti sauce, and I've tried to duplicate her recipe.  It's not as good as hers (of course!), but it's pretty darn good regardless.  I added some mushrooms.  They make everything taste better!



Instead of noodles, I cooked a spaghetti squash.  I used the method of cutting it in half first and baking at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  It's a great alternative to traditional pasta.



I also have a salad with an egg, some olives, a strawberry, some blueberries and cantaloupe.  I let the cantaloupe sit on the cabinet for a couple of days this time after I bought it to ensure it was ripe.  Last time I bought a cantaloupe I cut it too soon and it wasn't quite ripe.  Yuck.

When I got home my sister had cooked cornish game hens.  I ate half of one.  It was good.