Show, then aid - Sabine page 209

[jenn26point2]

I am interested in watching this experiment. It'll be neat to see you widdle your waist while widdling your grocery spending!

[Sabine]

Rain last night and this morning, so my walk to Aldi will be a little squishy. But I am going! I want to get meat, and pineapples to put in the dehydrator. And get my walking in. And if I don't go, then that money vanishes into Honey's pockets. And though he deserves more spending money, NOT at the expense of REAL FOOD!

Yesterday was back on track. I felt full, and not like I was thinking about food all the time. God bless high fat. Here's how it went:

5:30- Up!

9:30 1/2C greens gratin
1 1/2 bratwurst
Triclops

1:30 1/4 of a quiche
2 slices liverwurst

4:00 3 devil eggs
scrapings from cloud bowl

6:00 beef shank and marrow
rotkoehl(red cabbage, onion, carrots, celery, apple, vinegar, coconut sugar) SO GOOD!
Cream Cheese Clouds( 1T butter, 1oz cream cheese, a little vanilla and sweetener)

Walking: 60"
Water: 9 glasses

Bed at 9:00

I got my period four days early. Surprise! No wonder that chocolate was so appealing. It came with a tremendous headache, which I think was made worse by coming off my small sugar high. But I powered through. Cut some squares of fudge this morning for the girls' lunches, and had ZERO desire to have any. It just looked like brown stuff to me.

A word about those cream cheese clouds. I used twice the amount of butter called for. (Took out a whole stick instead of a half, and found cutting a mushy stick of butter in half to be too much for me at the time.) They turned out fine. Also, I have never used the full amount of sweetener called for in the recipe. I whip the other stuff up, then start adding little bits, tasting as I go. This batch had 4 packets of stevia, and 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar(mostly because I bought a jar and wanted to try it out). Hmm, I should probably go add these notes to the HFLC recipe group thread.

NEVER MIND! I went to the group, and saw that a full stick of butter is the correct amount. Good thing I am such a LazyLou, or I would have shorted myself on the butter! Horrors!

[jenn26point2]

Cream cheese clouds are awesome!

[Siobhan]

I keep meaning to try cream cheese clouds, but I'm a little afraid to for the obvious reason. I'm going to a potluck tonight, maybe I could take them and then I will only have one. But with my luck, no one will eat them and I'll have bring them all home...

[jenn26point2]

I keep meaning to try cream cheese clouds, but I'm a little afraid to for the obvious reason. I'm going to a potluck tonight, maybe I could take them and then I will only have one. But with my luck, no one will eat them and I'll have bring them all home...

They're like little bits of cream cheese. So yummy. I am thinking about adding some other flavors to them - like orange zest for an orange creme effect... maybe some strawberries instead of sweetener to give the essence of strawberry cheesecake, etc. I roll mine in fine shredded coconut to make them less messy to handle (then they don't need to be frozen either).

[Sabine]

I've been using a piping bag to squirt mine out. They look super-cute. I get about 48 little swirls out of a batch, so having six (as I did last night) equals 1T butter and 1oz cream cheese with negligible sweetener. And it takes just long enough for me to eat six of them, that I feel like I have had a 'real' dessert.

Did my walk to Aldi. Not too much squish, but it was COLD! Feel proud of myself for doing it, even though rain was threatening. Scored a pineapple, which I am slicing for the dehydrator. I used this twirly tool that my sister-in-law gave me. I was somewhat skeptical(another one use tool!), but wow! It works like a charm, makes it quick and not too sticky, and the excess juice is easy to capture. Just letting it drain for a few minutes before I sling it onto the trays. I'm also going to slice up an onion. I heard dehydrated rings can taste like Funyuns. (My secret is out. I used to LOVE Funyuns. )

Project update:

Since the 10th I have:
Basted a quilt.
Mounted a holder in our laundry area.
Basted another quilt.
Put together a picnic quilt top.
Machine-quilted a quilt.
Machine-quilted a mini.
Made a bag.
Made a purse.
Hauled our old dryer out of the garage.
Set up a shelf for bulk storage items.

I missed a day, but I don't feel bad about it. I think I am establishing a good habit.

Oh, and the phone guy DID show up. At 9:30, and he had the problem fixed(loose wire in our box) and was gone within twelve minutes. I was impressed. And very grateful that I did not have to hang around the house all day. I did, anyways, mostly, but not because I HAD to.

[jenn26point2]

Glad your phone is fixed. You're getting a ton of things done! Great job!

I might have to get me a piping bag for making clouds. Tomi uses a freezer bag, but mine have this funny bottom to them, so snipping corner doesn't really work that well.

[Sabine]

When I first started doing Atkins, I remember being struck by his advice to eat AT LEAST every six hours. I laughed. How could anyone NOT do that? Well, after a while, I would actually FORGET to eat, and be astounded to realize that, oops, I missed lunch and here it was, coming up on dinner time. It was a real revelation to me.

Yesterday I ate breakfast fairly late, but felt a mental desire to eat a few hours later. I realized that I wasn't really hungry, and sort of scheduled a meal for after I did the afternoon school run. But stuff started happening (Teenage years are tough. You never realize that you are going to go through all the same things again, with your kids, and that feeling the emotions from a parent's side is just as bad.[Not that you tell them that! It would not be appreciated or helpful. But it is true.] At least I know now, that all this stuff will pass. If only I could convince them.) and I never did get to my meal. Started making dinner and found that it was a good seven hours between meals. Sorry, Dr. Atkins! And thank you High Fat. It really carries you.

Here's what I did:

Up at 5:30

10:30 1 bratwurst
1/2C greens gratin
1/4 quiche

5:30 chicken breast a la Siobhan with
pesto
1C rotkoehl
Clouds

Walking: 60"
Water: 8 glasses

Bed at 9:30

I started the pineapple in the dehydrator and am having a hard time keeping the girls from filching it in progress. I definitely need to do five at a time, not just one to test it. By the time it is done, it may be all gobbled up! Need to do some onion slices, but I was not up for sulphuric tears yesterday.

Did I mention that we have another college visit this weekend? AND next? I have scoped out a grocery store 30" walk from the campus, and will be using that as my Aldi substitute. Food plans will be slightly different, because we are travelling, but the $10/walking plan is still a go!

[winencandy]

I did pretty well on food until I had the margarita. After that, WAY too much chocolate crept in.

Yup. That's what happens

At the moment I am making a quiche for snacking. Mushroom, red pepper, sun-dried tomato, and kale. Then I'll whip up some Cream Cheese Clouds.

Ooh, both great ideas. I may have to leave the computer and venture into the kitchen!

Did I mention that we have another college visit this weekend? AND next?

How many colleges will you tour in total?

[Sabine]

She has visited all the colleges she's considering(3). Now we are going back for special programs, scholarship competitions, interviews, auditions! It is dizzying!

Got up this morning and made sushi rolls for my family. With the correct rice this time. I think the rolls will holder together better now. I also picked up some seaweed salad(no, not from Aldi) for them. Littlest was literally hopping in her chair last night, saying 'I can't wait for lunch tomorrow!'

Food was sort of unsatisfying yesterday, but I managed not to go looking for more and more and more.

Here are the details:

Up at 5:30

10:00 1/4 quiche
1C rotkoehl
1 coco-choc with macadamias

3:00 meatballs in marinara
with parmesan
cashews
chocolate cream

6:00 cauliflower cheese
8 meatballs with
2t plum sauce

Walking: 60"
Water: 10 glasses

Bed at 10:30

I am liking the walk to the store, but the $10 limit, not so much.

I seem to have strained my left arm, or pinched a nerve, or something. Probably from all the machine quilting. I need to choose my projects more judiciously. And rest my arm. Going to be hard to do with the driving coming up. I'll do my best.