Hey guys!

Yes, contrary to the fact I haven't posted on here in a long time, I am alive!

I have mostly been hiding due to the fact I had nothing to say because I was CHEATiNG ALL THE TIME!!

but I think the other problem is, I get a bit single minded and don't like to "mix" what I talk about on my blogs. I think I'm going to stop that.

Watch this space for an upcoming (hopefully) bit of a re-design, and more varied topics...whatever the heck speaks to me basically!

or mabye I'll close this blog and start again fresh. time will tell.

Adjusting is hard!

Good morning (well, afternoon, technically)!

How is everyone? I just took charge of a package I ordered from Ebay. I ordered a Weight Watchers Points Calculator. It's pretty cool because you punch in the calories, fat and fibre and it gives you how many WW points a food item is.

Eventually you remember how much everything is and don't need to use it so much, but it's been a long time since I've been on WW and it helps out immensely. You'd be surprised ...some foods pack a serious points punch!

I'm sort of bummed as I write this, because I haven't even had lunch yet and I already know that I am going to be way, way, way over in points today. Last night I made hamburgers for supper with potato salad and coleslaw, which I brought for lunch today. Not that that is the real problem!

The real problem, which has always haunted me no matter what plan I follow, is that I have a tendency to fly out of the house without eating breakfast, and then to order a very high fat (read: delicious) chocolate muffin or other confection for breakfast, along with a coffee. At least in the last part I have improved: I used to order cappuccinos or hot chocolates with my muffin.

This is KILLING me. A muffin from second cup is (conservatively) 7 points, and the coffee (2 cream, 1 splenda) is about 2 points. There are 9 of your 26 points for the day.

I could have 21 mini wheats in milk for breakfast for 5 points (don't ask me why the box says a serving of mini wheats is 21...:). I could have a shake for probably 3 or 4 points.

So WHY do I always flake at the last second and flee to the comfort of the muffin?

It's like my morning crutch. But I'll tell you this: on the days I eat breakfast BEFORE leaving the house and don't go to the coffee shop, I gain 100% more willpower.

Food for thought. Literally.

Land, ho! (AKA packing for new house)

This week I'm packing up my house. I have to say, I am pretty damn exhausted. Every day has been...get up early, drag self off to work, do nothing of import at work (slow week), and then go home and pack until like, midnight.

I have the world's tiniest stuff but I have managed to cram a hell of a lot of stuff into it!!

Last night I packed until like midnight. I also had pizza for supper, which is not the greatest, but I didn't eat too much. I had three pieces. That IS one more than I should have had...but hey. Pizza with pineapple, red onion and crumbly bacon tastes DAMN good at 10pm when you haven't eaten since lunch!!

I would say the real downfall is I had a cream soda with it, instead of diet coke or water. Bad Anne!

At least I was packing and moving around, so I got some exercise in.

Speaking of packing...here we go again!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-chaaanges!

Well hello hello! It's been about a month since my last post. And I have to say...the last month has been INSANE!!!!

In the last few weeks, I have: been looking at houses, stopped looking at houses, then got anxious and saw JUST ONE MORE HOUSE...fell in LOVE with that house, bought it with my fiance, started packing up my house, did 20+ hours overtime at work, and now...have decided to change my eating lifestyle.

phew.

That last part is one thin I want to blog about today. I am very pro-low carb. I realize that you have to follow it properly, as you do with any other plan, and I have been having a hard time with that since october. Life is so busy, and I just can't seem to keep up!! And as always, it's my eating willpower which is the first thing to go.
I am getting married next year, so really, now is the time to get a really good handle on my weight problem. I would love to lose 30 pounds,.,...though I'd be tickled to death if I could even lose 15 pounds.

My husband to be also has weight to lose, and he finally seems like he is beginning to get motivated as the wedding approaches. Those photos are going to sit on the mantle for a long time, after all!!! (all we need is a mantle...:)

And so, he has asked me to do a non-low carb plan with him, because honestly, I don't want to be cooking two different dinners every night. Many low carbers DO do this, but I just don't want the hassle. And so, I will be going back to following weight watchers for the foreseeable future.

(But not going to meetings...just doing it on my own.)

I have revised the title of my blog from low-carb recipes to light recipes to reflect this change. However, I will post recipes sometimes that are low-carb, and I will point those out as they arise.

Here's to a healthier life, and a happy spring.

Enjoy. :)

Feel the burn!

Hello hello.

So I'm going around and around in circles lately. Work is dull and life is OVERFLOWING with drama, activity, insanity.

I guess it comes with the "newly engaged" status.

AAannnyways,

A few weeks ago, I purchased "The 30 Day Shred" with trainer Jillian Michaels, of Biggest Loser fame. Tonight I tried it for the first time.

Hollllly crap. This workout is definitely a workout! HOWEVER, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

The best part about the workout is, it's only 20 minutes long! Another bonus is, she moves fast between exercises - both in length that you are doing one exercise, and between cardio, abs and strength. So, even though you may have a hard time keeping up, it's only for 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the exercise.

She also includes modified exercises where applicable!

Another great feature is, I found she knew exactly what I was feeling at what time, and she vocalized it...you know - "you are feeling a knot in your stomach. I know you are - but work through it!"

I definitely think that this workout is worth the money. It has three different levels so you can grow with the workout, and it is a steal of a deal. Most shops sell this workout for under $20.

In the intro she speaks about a diet plan, which I guess when the thing first came out, came with the video. I don't have that, so I'm not sure how that impacts the "lose 20 pounds in 30 days" promise. But trust me - this is some workout!

Check it out, for your next challenge.

Well hello, 2010!

Well it has been some time since I posted, hasn't it?

There are a few reasons for this, but I think one of the big big ones was...I fell off the wagon. Hardcore.

HARDCORE.

Christmas just turned me into an eating machine, and that is pretty sad. I am not really one of those people who will eat a box of cookies all at once, don't think of it that way. Think of December (and January) as one really long, steep hill. At the top of december, I was walking down the hill (the hill being the diet and food)...and as the month progressed it was harder and harder not to stumble, jog, and then run down the hill (or slide?) as it got steeper and steeper, and more holidays and parties materialized.

By Chrismas and new years, I was flailing my arms and running full out, eating whatever food was available and snacking/grazing on the treats and chocolates that were around the house.

I kept telling myself it was ok, January was coming, I'd be good then, etc. Damage control would begin after new years...only it didn't. Not really.

A few half hearted attempts, I guess. But mostly I was feeling overwhelmed by it all, and feeling fat and lazy, which is disheartening to say the least.

I finally was able to get back on the horse just last week. I tacked up a calendar at work to keep track of what days i did good and what days I did bad, and bought a mini agenda to write down whaat I was eating.

I've also bought a new exercise DVD that I plan to use on the days I do not have class. (I take pilates and bellydance. but even those I was skipping, often.)

I will let you know how it goes. I do have a few really good recipes I have tried, I just need a minute to sort them out and write them down for you all.

But I'm slowly getting back on the horse and already feel better, though my pants are still tight!!!!!!

Squashbob Baconpants!

...o.O

hi!

Contrary to what I have suggested with the title of today's post, this little blurb is not about a squashy man named bob who likes to put bacon in his pants! (That is another story entirely...)

Instead, I thought I'd write about soup. Soup? Soup. Possibly not as glamourous as our friend Mr. Baconpants, but definitely as yummy! Well, I think it's as yummy, anyways. :)

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with bacon, pepper and parmesan

Today's recipe is based loosely on the recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon, from the pink book. It was meant to be EXACTLY the recipe from the book, but I totally forgot it at work and therefore, hungry as a mad(wo)man, I felt the need to improvise and just get it done. I have to say, for my first time ever even handling a squash of any sort, I think I did pretty damn well. As for the recipe, I'll let you decide!

Ingredients:

- a bit of olive oil (1 tsp will do, but no measuring is required)

- Rosemary (dried is fine)

- One butternut squash, whatever size you like. (but get one you can cut in half easily, not one of the crazy shaped ones.)

- Cream

- Bacon, about 4 strips. More if you like.
- Fresh black pepper if you have, normal black pepper if you don't.

- Grated parmesan cheese.

- Chicken or vegetable stock. as low-salt as you can find.

Ok, let's start cooking!

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Take your squash and cut it length-wise. Make sure not to cut towards you or you might cut yourself badly, should the knife come unstuck suddenly. (I know because I've done this, and it's not cool.)

3. rub some olive oil on the squash, and then sprinkle it with rosemary. It smells nice and adds some extra dimension to the soup!

4. Plop the squash halves in the oven for an hour on a roast pan or cookie sheet. You'll know it's done when they're easily poked into with a fork or knife. Same theory as potatoes. If you're not sure they're done, leave them in a smidge more. Soft is good. :)

5. take them out and let them cool down a bit. you need to handle them, so leave them until they're cool enough to hold. Then scoop out the stringy part where the seeds are, and discard it.

Scoop the rest of the nice squishy squash into a food processor, a bit at a time. Add a 'glug' or two of cream, and then whiz it up so it's a squash puree! Empty the squash into a medium sized pot. Repeat until all the squash has been...squashed.(I really like the word squash.)

I used a magic bullet for this step as I don't have a food processor. It is a bit more work, as you cannot put very much in at a time, and it has a harder time getting all the pieces. So, if you have both a magic bullet/blender and a food processor, I think you should go for the food processor this time around.

5 and a half... While the squash is cooling, throw your bacon into a frying pan. We need the bacon to be small little bits, so either tear it up before you cook it, or cut it up with a knife or scissors after it's done cooking.

6. Take your pot of squash and throw in the cooked bacon. Throw in the parmesan cheese.I used about half a cup, but you could use more or less. I think next time I will add grated cheddar cheese as well, but that is totally up to you. Throw in your pepper - a teaspoon oughta do 'er. mix it all up a bit, and add another pour of cream for good measure.

7. Finally, put the pot on the stove over medium heat. Take your vegetable stock and keep adding it a bit at a time and stirring it in, until the soup reaches a consistency you like. I kept mine very thick, almost like mashed potatoes. This was mostly due to my fear of the dish being too salty for my tastes, but now I know better. It's not salty at all! I could of added a lot more stock to thin it down, as the soup is very hearty and it goes a long way.

Whenever the soup looks good to you, and it's nice and hot, it's done! Serve at once with a pinch more of parmesan ontop, or mabye some parsley! The pink book suggests that if you want to fancy it up, you could add a drop of truffle oil. Most important: enjoy the soup, you've earned it with your hard work!

What I thought...

I liked this recipe much better than the cauliflower mash. Sure, it takes a bit longer to make, but it's frgging cheap (the squash cost me mabye 2 bucks....and I pretty much had the other ingredients in the cupboard/fridge already.) I personally find butternut squash a very rich and strong flavour, so one small bowlful is more than enough for me. It fills you up fast and is pretty satisfying. My one complaint was I didn't cut the bacon up small enough, and it wasn't as crispy as I'd like. I think perhaps if I used a thicker cut of bacon and made sure I cut it up really small, that would work better. I would also add more stock next time.

Will I make this again? most definitely. It's a really great low-carb lunch which fills you up and tastes great reheated! in fact, I liked it the best on the third day! So don't be afraid to make friends with squash. It may just be friendly right back.... to your taste buds.

Enjoy!