What's making me happy today...

I know...go ahead and laugh...it's kinda silly, even to me. But it's honestly what's making me happy today = )

These are my favorite LL Bean shorts! I have 7 pair of them in different colors. I love the feel of them and I love the way they fit...WHEN they fit...and they haven't fit for almost 5 years now!

But they fit now...and that's making me VERY happy!!! I came so close to getting rid of them cause I figured I didn't have much of a chance of wearing them again. So glad I held on to them = )

And SOOOO glad to discover they fit again! It happened like this...I've been watching my weight creep down for the past two months since starting to follow Simply Filling on Weight Watchers. The other morning I had a thought..."I wonder if I'm getting close to fitting in those shorts".

So I got them out of the other closet and tried them on expecting them to come close to buttoning or maybe even buttoning but being too tight to wear comfortably. Imagine my delight when they fit!! And they weren't too tight!!

I've been putting them on every morning since then, just to enjoy the moment...hahahaha And this morning, they were even loose at the waist band...not LOOSE loose, but how loose I like my waistbands to be = )

Now I just need warm enough weather to actually wear them...

I read this in my daily Bible reading...it's so beautiful...I keep re-reading it!

"Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful. And fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD."

That's me! My hope is in the LORD and I surely do need my heart strengthened. Thanking God for Psalm 31:23-24 today.

 

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Ode to Crochet

Crochet makes me happy...I'm happy that I can do it! I'm happy that I didn't allow the "I can't do this...I quit" to be final. I'm happy that I get to enjoy picking colors and projects and, hopefully someday, a myriad of stitches = ) I'm happy that I can wear my projects and have them be useful.

 

Crochet makes me sad...as I was finishing this scarf tonight, I was getting more and more sad as the rows were counting down. Why??? I have been so excited to wear this scarf since I started it on Sunday... looking forward to enjoying the pretty colors around my neck...thinking about what clothes I have that will complement my new scarf. But I'm sad to see the project end. I won't be actively looking at these pretty colors taking shape into a scarf = ( Is this normal amongst crocheters?

 

Crochet helps me...it gives me something to do to pass the time when I have to wait. Now I LIKE having to wait! I had almost a whole hour of uninterrupted crochet-time while I sat in the cell phone lot at the airport this morning waiting to see whether Petey would make his flight or not. It was GREAT!!!

 

Crochet helps me...not talk so much. I hate that aspect of my personality! I don't want to talk so much...I don't like it...I beat myself up real good afterwards...but I always end up doing it = ( And now it's like I'm expected to talk a lot and be the "conversation instigator and sustainer". But when I'm sitting in a group and I'm crocheting, I can listen and am not expected to participate in the conversation. It's AWESOME!!!

 

I got this neat book today. I'm hoping to learn lots of new stitches...maybe 195 of them! Using sequins on crochet doesn't interest me so I'll skip those = )

 

I'm going to work on a few other craft projects and finish my large lavender alpaca shawl before I start another crochet project. That will give me some time to learn a new stitch or two and maybe some techniques... like scalloped edges!!

 

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Final Eat Clean books review

Weigh-in day....week #91...115.0

 

Something that occurred to me while I was getting dressed...following the Weight Watchers Simply Filling & the Eat Clean nutrition plan will allow me to move closer to my own personal goal weight range. I'll try to explain without using too many words = )

 

20 years ago when I first found myself overweight, but still having the standard of not dieting...only following a HEALTHY nutrition plan...I learned about a plan called Eat Well, Live Well. The author was a guest on Focus on the Family radio show.

 

Her book is FABULOUS!!! Talk about Eating Clean!! I still follow some of her principles daily, such as balancing each meal with a serving of protein, a complex carb and a simple carb. She also advises 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day...similar to Reno's 6 small meals a day.

 

I stuck to the plan STRICTLY, lost 30 pounds, immediately started not sticking strictly to the plan, gained back the 30 pounds plus some = ( What I learned through that journey has become building blocks of today's successes...optimism rules!! hahahaha

 

Anyhow, it was from the Eat Well, Live Well book that I got the formula for my "perfect" weight. That was 20 years ago and it's proven true time and time again...it's the weight I feel the best at, look the best at and am nutritionally sound with the ability to maintain it long term. That's 108 pounds, "clean weight" (nekkid, first thing in the morning).

 

Now when I was heavily in to running, training, racing, weight-lifting, I was able to maintain 97-101 and I thought I looked great but most everyone else thought I was too skinny and I also knew, even then, that that was not maintainable long-term. I enjoyed my phase of "minimum-fat, maximum muscle" and have lots of trophies and medals to show for it = )

 

But 108 is realistic and do-able and I don't look too skinny and I can still enjoy other benefits such as not devoting 2-3 hours a day to training...and eating "treat" foods occasionally.

 

When I started officially doing the Weight Watchers program almost 2 years ago, I had the simple goal of finding a weight that I could successfully maintain year-round. I was tired of the cycle of weighing 125-130 at the end of the winter, spending the summer at 117-120 and then gaining again. So I chose 120 as my "goal" weight...124 at weigh-in to account for clothes and shoes. I was willing to accept a higher-than-truly-desirable weight for the more important goal of ending the gaining-losing cycle

 

But in my heart, my REAL goal weight has always been 108!! And this morning I thought, "with this way of eating, I really have a good shot at weighing 108 and maintaining it!". I'm only 4 pounds away from a clean weight of 108 and my weight continues to creep down the longer I follow Simply Filling/Eat Clean.

 

At this point, I could add a bit more activity and reduce my "treat" eating just a bit and hit 108 easily but I still have the more important goal of MAINTAINING a certain weight instead of just WEIGHING a certain weight. So I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing and just see where that takes me.

 

I'll probably come close to 108 through the summer just because of the extra running and walking and outside activity I'm able to do with the lovely warm, hot weather = ) But if I have to work too hard to maintain that over the cold nasty winter months, it's not worth it and I'll just have to give up on that goal or decide at that time if it's worth it to make the changes necessary.

Ok, that was more words than I thought it would take...shoulda known...

So...I finished reviewing The Eat Clean Diet Recharged and this is definitely the book I'd recommend getting if you're interested. It's neat, easy to read, has clear directions on following the plan and lots of generally healthy suggestions. I found one more page to share with you...

 

She includes a pretty good recipe section at the back. If you really like the recipes, then you'll enjoy The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. I like the cookbook but probably more for the pretty pictures = ) Basically, you can "clean up" any recipe from any cookbook...within reason...so I don't recommend getting the cookbook except if you get the Recharged book and REALLY like the recipes.

I think my favorite and most-used cookbook is Whole Foods for the Whole Family put out by the La Leche League (thanks, Amy!!!). No pretty pictures on glossy pages but page after page of great, healthy recipes and cooking ideas. I got mine off of Amazon but they can be a little hard to find...

Also, another word about The Eat Clean series...they come with a solid binding but I took mine to Office Depot and had them spiral bound...except for The Eat Clean Diet Workout, which I figured I wouldn't be reading as often.

Ok, I think that's enough for now! Gonna go walk the dogs and enjoy some SUNSHINE!!!!

 

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Hi, my name is Pony and I'm a....

YARN SNOB!!!

I mentioned to Shari at tea time yesterday that I wanted to go to Hobby Lobby to get some thinner yarn to make a scarf now that I feel like I'm ready to advance to that. A lady at her church blessed Shari and Shaun (they both crochet!) with a windfall of yarn and Shari was incredibly generous in allowing me to choose some. Firstly, because I don't need to go to Hobby Lobby now and secondly, because the yarn is SUPER high quality!!

I was just telling Shari that I love the feel of quality. That doesn't mean expensive...I'm talking about well-made...an object that's constructed with quality materials and craftmanship. You can find these items at garage sales and thrift stores along with the higher-end stores. And they have a certain feel about them, which I LOVE!

So anyhow...Shaun brings down the container of the thinner yarn and the first skein I touch, I feel it... QUALITY. My eyes are drooling...word!! It also turns into another crochet lesson in planning your project. These are yarns that I can't just run to the store and buy another skein to finish a project. I must plan the project to be of a size and style that allows me to finish with the yarn available. She encouraged me to find a coordinating yarn to go with the color I'd chosen so that I would have at least 2 skeins for the project.

Look at this little lamby....SOOOOOO cute = ))

While taking these pics, I realized that the plain blue yarn in the first pic actually matches both of the blue variegated yarns so I'll be returning this light turquoise yarn to Shari today.

It was love at first sight with the purple/lavender/tanzanite yarn...and then I touched it...what's more than love? Infatuation? no...passion? Well...whatever is beyond just "love" = )

I pulled the info tag out...$27 for that skein! I said to Shari, "it figures that I would choose the most expensive skein in the whole bunch!!" hahaha I don't know for sure that it was the most expensive one but to me, it's surely the nicest!

But there's only one skein and I just couldn't bring myself to put any other color yarn with it...I love it in it's pure, beautiful form. For the rest of the day I kept trying to figure out what kind of scarf I could make with this just one skein. I didn't want to start on a narrow scarf and end up with plenty of yarn to have made it wider... but I couldn't make it wider and then run out and have it be wonky. I can't do wonky with this yarn...it's too wonderful to deserve that!

So last night in reading the blogs I follow, I found this wonderful idea from Bee Haven Maven! Here is her blog...

http://beehavenacres.blogspot.com

I can make what she calls a "neck warmer" scarf!

It will be perfect and useful and PERFECT!

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Answering questions

Amy posted a comment asking what Eating Clean is. Instead of typing all this out, I took pictures of the pages in the Tosca Reno book The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged. I hope when you click on the picture it enlarges it enough to be read easily. I do recommend this book...I've just started on the recipe section and some of them look great!

I have eaten several small meals per day for over 10 years now. It works especially well for me as I get light-headed and weak easily when I start getting hungry. I try to not get hungry! My meals are not as big as her meals but she's bigger than me and lifts weights.

I love this idea and would pack a cooler every time I had to go out if I could. I know I've told you all that I feel so much better when I eat my own food! I was able to eat Domino's Pizza tonight with only a wee bit of tummy rumbling. I ate a few Wintergreen Altoids and things settled down.

And Amy, I think you mostly Eat Clean already!

Amy asked the next question too...when you make the pizza crust using 1 cup flour and 1 cup greek yogurt, does it have to be greek or can it be American yogurt? Yes, it needs to be greek yogurt...greek yogurt is way thicker than American yogurt...it's more the consistency of sour cream...actually, even thicker than that if you get the Fage brand!

You might could experiment making the crust with American yogurt but I would think you'd have to add extra flour to get the right kind of dough...to make up for the more liquidy non-greek yogurt. And that might change the texture of the whole thing. We really liked the texture of the crust...just want it thicker :)

I made some yummy whole wheat scones tonight to have with fresh raspberries and blueberries and cream for my mom's birthday. She showed me a tea time book she had that had recipes in it...all things for tea time! Scones were included, of course, and something called "yogurt cheese" which turned out to be regular yogurt, put in a cheesecloth and allowed to drain overnight, then squeezed out some more and then it would be the consistency of cream cheese... good for spreading on scones!

So I suppose if you wanted to do that with non-greek yogurt...drain the whey off...that would make it thicker like greek yogurt and acceptable for the pizza crust recipe. It's easier for me to get the Fage greek yogurt from Costco...especially now since the container is 48 ozs!!

And another bonus for that pizza crust recipe...the Fage greek yogurt is non-fat so the only fat in the pizza crust is the trace amount occuring in the whole wheat flour. Save the calorie budget on the crust and spend it on the cheese! hahahaha

 

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New recipe tested and ready to share...

We love pizza at our house. We love leftover pizza at our house. We love pizza several times a week. My brother is called Pizza King and my mom is Pizza Queen...I guess that makes Petey and I the Pizza Prince and Princess??? hahaha

Here's an easy pizza crust recipe that my friend Shari shared with me...I LOVE easy! And healthy! And tasty! And when it's easy, healthy and tasty, it's the PERFECT Trifecta!!

1 cup of self-rising flour, 1 cup of greek yogurt...mix it up, knead it for 6-8 minutes, roll it out, put your toppings on, bake it!

Now...you know me...I had to use all whole wheat flour = ) So I added some vital wheat gluten and baking powder to substitute for the "self-rising" bit. 1 cup of flour and yogurt didn't make a crust big enough for my usual cast iron pizza pan so the crust turned out thinner than we usually eat but extremely tasty.

The other problem is that I was using my Bosch universal plus mixer to mix and then knead the dough and the 2 cups of ingredients weren't enough for the mixer to knead the dough properly. Next time I will try 3 cups of each and then we'll have enough dough for kneading, for 2 pizzas and for our size pizza pans.

My goal is to find an easy, healthy, tasty pizza dough that can be made up on the spur of the moment and won't take thinking way ahead to do it. I think this is it!

Pizza dough rolled out...ready for toppings

Homemade pesto with basil grown in the garden

Mozzarella cheese next...

Shredded chicken breast that was already cooked and left-over from making chicken spaghetti earlier in the week

Sliced red peppers...in the oven, ready to go!

Finished! The crust browned nicely...it did rise a little bit...if you like a thin crust or "cracker" crust, you will want to stick with the 1 cup of each measurements. My pizza pans are 14 inch.

That's all for now...Happy Monday...stay warm!!

 

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