Nearing the End

The end of Spring Break 2013. It has been a busy one!

• Doctor visits. One on Tuesday, for me...I'm not sick, I will fill you in on that one in June. Today was one for Lefty. She has these weird 'bumps' on her legs...apparently they are due to some sort of auto-immune issue that she is having bloodwork done to determine the exact cause. Doc thinks they are harmless. God, I hope so.

•  Gardening (when it hasn't been precipitating winter weather)

Planting seeds in my seed starter kit. There's a lot of seeds in there.

Found 5 onion sprouts coming up already!!! 

• Spring cleaning. We managed to get the kids to cull 9 bags and 4 boxes of crap to get rid of out of their rooms. Can you say Hoarders? It was just a matter of time before someone had us put on the show for an intervention.

• Couponing!!! I have saved $101.15 this week using coupons, and I only bought items that were non-perishable and that we would have bought anyway. Nothing in excess and nothing that we don't normally use already.
• It was also important to me to keep working at my path to weight loss. I have been eating frozen diet meals for lunch, and thankfully they are yum! None are more than 320 calories, which is awesome, and I am always full after.

The rest of my break will be spent working on school stuff, finishing up the cleaning (we fired the cleaning lady...will post about that later, gator), hitting up a talent show that Lefty has insisted on doing, and trying to just chill a bit. Hopefully, I will manage to get some blog-surfing in too!

The Most Offensive Phrase EVER.

It has no 'ugly' words. It is only said to/about women and girls. It is supposedly meant as a compliment. It hurts like hell. It is the worst thing you could ever say to me. EVER.

"She has such a pretty face."

Damn that's harsh. You've heard it. You may have said it. I am ashamed to say that I have. Even as a fat girl. It's just one of those things. You may truly think you are giving someone a compliment...but even the best of intentions can go horribly awry. This is one of them.  

Yes, it makes me angry when I hear it. However, I guess it is better to be pretty somewhere, rather than to be ugly everywhere. Unfortunately, everyone knows that this little jab encased in a false compliment, is always followed by a 'but.' And no, it ISN'T the same type of 'butt' that follows me everywhere I go. I call her J'Lo, and she jiggles like jell-o. It IS the kind of 'but' that means, "I said something semi-nice, so that I could follow it up with something excessively snarky."

You know, I didn't even like that little saying when I was skinny. Now that I am 'unskinny,' it really sucks. However, as you can tell from my 'See Me Shrink' page, (if you can tell it's top from it's bottom), I am making progress. And lots of it! Look at this 'pretty face.'

taken Christmas Day 2012

Guarantee you noticed how round that face is, and how wide the ass is. Yes, there are pretty features on the face. The rest is a tub o' lard. But look at the 'prettier' face now.

taken February 2, 2013

I see cheekbones again!!! And NO double chin!!! Notice the shoulders getting a bit more narrow!!! Now check out the littler big picture...

taken February 24, 2013
(please ignore the dirty laundry, we had all the kids that weekend...laundry hits the back burner)

In the words of Dr. Sheldon Cooper, "Bazinga!!!" Nothing is nearly as wide as it was. Cheekbones are more prominent, pants are almost falling off (I did have to buy new ones), oh, and I see a jawline!!!

Hot Damn!

Who is definitely becoming more than 'such a pretty face?'

THIS GIRL, THAT'S WHO!

Comfort Food of Fall

This meal graces my table at least once a week during the fall and winter months, and occasionally in the warmer months. I could probably eat it (or some version of it anyway) every day. Soup and cornbread.  Enough said.

Not just any cornbread, but skillet cornbread, baked in the oven. Mmmm.

My version of 'cowboy soup.' Chris' favorite.

 Cowboy Soup:
~one pound of ground beef, browned and drained
    *I always season it well with fresh garlic, onion powder, and meatloaf seasoning*
~2 cups beef broth
    *I reserve the broth when I make roasts or other beefy dishes in the crock pot; it freezes great!*
~vegetables of your choice (mine usually include tomato, carrots, peas, pearl onions, and corn)
    *I use canned veggies except the onion, and don't drain the juice...it gives more flavor to the soup*
~top it off with water, typically just til it tastes right (about a cup or 2, depending on how much soup you are making)
~Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until time to eat! Freeze the leftovers for quick and easy meals!

Chris the Cook

This has been a hellish week...and it's only Tuesday. It is statewide standardized testing week at school, which is a biotch with kindergarteners. We are also having some issues at home with my precious girls, more details about that to come at a later time (once some things are resolved). Oh, and my favorite Aunt, Flo, is here. with. a. vengeance. Needless to say, I wanted to fix something quick and easy for dinner tonight, but alas...did not lay out any meat to thaw and we have depleted my stash of freezer meals. On a typical day, I get home at 4. Today, it was 6. Imagine my surprise when I smelled...pork chops...honey-glazed pineapple and peaches...stuffed mushrooms...all on the grill (which means minimal clean up). It looked something like this...

Since I did not cook these delectable treats, I can not give you the recipes. I can tell you though, that I love my husband! I shall have to remember to kiss the cook tonight!!!

Tasty Tuesday!

Linked up for Tasty Tuesday! Hope you enjoy. This is a terrific low-calorie meal that is amazingly filling and good for you!

This is a recipe that I have shown a picture of before, but I never divulged the recipe. It's a cross between a General Tsao's and a Sweet-n-Sour Chicken. And it's oh so good.

Sauce:

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup sugar (I used splenda)

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. ginger (I used minced)

3 Tbsp minced garlic

Chicken:

2 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into chunks

1 egg

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/3 cup flour

Veggies:

carrot chunks

broccoli florets

onion, 1 medium

pineapple (1 can, drained)

Mix all but the last 3 ingredients for the sauce. Once the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved, stir in the ginger and garlic.  Set aside.

Mix the chicken with the egg and soy sauce, and put in a zippy bag with flour in it. Shake til chicken is coated. Dump into skillet and fry the chicken until golden brown and done.  Pour sauce and veggies into pan and heat (covered) until veggies are done and sauce is thickened.  Serve with rice if desired.

Total calories = 2395 calories

8 huge servings = 299 calories per serving

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