working out for Disney

[Figgy1]

The Crock Pot sort of attacked me the other day. I was putting away that stew that I'd made, lost my grip...and ultimately, the whole thing went crashing to the ground (after cracking the fridge cold cuts drawer, smashing into my hand and then my thigh). My friend has been pushing me towards an Instant Pot even before all of this because he thought it might be easier to make healthy things quickly with my busy schedule. Going to give it a whirl for dinner tonight...

I guess if I really like it, it might help me fine tune things with the eating part of this health equation too...and the girly side of me is happy it matches the kitchen better than the hideous red crock pot. Not that red is hideous, but I've never had a red theme in any of my kitchens, yet my MIL picked red when gifting it to me.

Sympathy like for the attacking croc pot. Good luck with your new toy, we like ours so much we got a second one, except we have 8qt ones seeing we feed boys. My tangerine rice recipe doesn't fit in the rice cooker so I have one with the beans in it and the rice and veggies in the other usually every other week or so, the same goes for when I make beans and greens.

 

[Figgy1]

Good morning-

I am in with a 50 minute yoga practice. I'd like to get out for a walk, but we're under a high wind warning. I'll see how I feel as the day progresses.

I decided to go down to WDW on Wed. I found a cheap fare on Frontier (which is the airline that didn't interview me. ) and I have an AP. I am hoping AA doesn't contact me for a video interview while I am gone. You have 5 days upon receiving the email to film your interview. I really don't want to do it in a hotel room. I don't want to put my life on pause for an interview that may or may not happen, either. I'll bring a blazer, blouse, etc, just in case. But I'd most likely cut the trip short and come home.

Good luck.

 

[Figgy1]

This looks delicious . Do you have a recipe? I love SE Asian food.The first thing I made in mine was brown rice. I was a bit intimated when I first got it.

Here is a website that I use that has many delicious recipes, in case you're on the look out for more recipes.
https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com

My first one was for making beans so I wouldn't have to soak them over night, now they get used many different things and make all my stocks and soups in them. Next purchase an extra insert so I can have a third batch of something going while I have something cooling on a rack.

 

[Figgy1]

Other than my internet getting spotty we seem to have gotten through the wind storm. It's still a bit too cold for me so today is day 2 of a new to me 30 day practice, lots of cooking and some LS if I can squeeze in the time.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

That's such a cute idea for a cake! btw how your clothes fit may be a better indacator

Thanks! Hopefully it turns out. It's cool here, so it's decent caking weather, but I'm pressed for time. At least I don't think it should be a tough one to decorate (famous last words!).

And the clothes definite help with the mental mindset in this. Just because that number on the scale is barely moving doesn't mean I'm not losing inches.

Sympathy like for the attacking croc pot. Good luck with your new toy, we like ours so much we got a second one, except we have 8qt ones seeing we feed boys. My tangerine rice recipe doesn't fit in the rice cooker so I have one with the beans in it and the rice and veggies in the other usually every other week or so, the same goes for when I make beans and greens.

My friend advised me to get the 8qt, but I'm thinking I might go that route if I buy a second...since I can see how it would be helpful for some dishes to have two going at once. We still have the big roaster/slow cooker that can handle up to a 24 pound turkey, but I really don't like to drag that out unless I'm doing a turkey or doing something really huge for a pot luck. I think I may give the Instant Pot another whirl tonight and do something more "basic," like chicken with quinoa and veggies. Also debating about trying it for hummus. I usually just do mine in the food processor, but curious to see how it'll turn out in the pot.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Thanks. I am going to try that next week. I always buy the loins at Costco and keep them in a freezer. You get 2 packs and there are 2 to a pack.

I have a spare sealing ring that I originally bought to make cheesecake (but I haven't). I am still using the one that came with it. So far it's been three years. But I have one at the ready when that ring gives up the ghost.

Of course, my husband went to Costco while I did my normal weekly shopping, but he brought home nothing I could use.

I see a lot of people buying spares so they have sweet vs. savory use rings. I can already tell that the ring seems to retain a bit of a scent. I really hate having a million and one things for my gadgets, so I'm hoping the one ring will do. I just have to get used to putting it back on the lid. Although, my friend did buy the glass lid for his on sale the other day so it has a more functional lid for non-pressure cooking uses.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Today marks day 2 of cutting my biking time/distance to devote extra time on the vertical climber. It's still kicking my butt, but I can see and feel like I'm making progress. I'm now able to do longer segments with deep strides and I'm not feeling overly wiped out until the very end. Beyond that, did 50 reps on the squat machine (since my brain was saying it didn't want to do squats ), bumped up the speed in my warm up, added in arms while biking today to help stretch out the sore spots from the climber, and got in some decent ab work.

I'm also truly dreading the return to Daylight Savings Time. I joked last night to my husband that 5am always feels like it comes early (to which he said it's the same time it always is ), and in just a short bit of time, it really will be coming early.

 

[Songbird76]

Hello-

Yesterday was a rest day and today I did some hiit cardio. I was going to go for a walk, but it is damp and unpleasant outside.

I watched A Star Is Born last night...and unpopular opinion, I don't think it was that great. I am not understanding all of the hullabaloo surrounding it. Is it because Lady Gaga is in it? It wasn't awful by any means, it just didn't live up to the hype for me. The first half was really good, then it fell apart for me.

I made a loaf of brioche per my son's request.

View attachment 352201

I thought it was a good movie, but it wasn't life-changing. It had a nice story, but I didn't like

Spoiler

how she changed once she got the manager

. It felt a bit forced. I thought Bradley Cooper did a pretty amazing job for someone who isn't a musician. Or...wasn't until he did this movie.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Had an OK workout this morning, but hubby (not so delicately) informed me that the climber is too loud and is waking him up. Now, I'd asked him the other day if it was OK and he said he heard nothing, but I guess he wasn't sleeping as deeply during my workout these last couple of days and it's now a no for when he's sleeping. So, I guess maybe I'll be adding it on after work on weekdays and I told him, I'd do it at the end on weekend workouts, since he "should" be up by that point. I also think he'd had a few drinks over the weekend that helped him sleep and tune it out.

This weighing of food business is not fun, but it's definitely giving me a wake up call on my portions and daily caloric intake. What is fun is the Instant Pot!

Last night, I got home from work, put in some frozen (rock solid) thick chicken , quinoa, and fresh veggies (along with some herbs and some spicy mustard) and set it for 40 minutes. I was pretty confident the quinoa would be OK and was a timer saver in the Instant Pot, but with the chicken going in frozen...I was a bit dubious. I shouldn't have been. It was cooked perfectly and faster/better than it would have been had I come home from work and tried conventional cooking methods for all of this. Today, I tried the egg setting since I've wanted egg salad. Not only was it a time saver, but WOW...I cannot get over how easy it was to peel the eggs.

 

[Songbird76]

Had an OK workout this morning, but hubby (not so delicately) informed me that the climber is too loud and is waking him up. Now, I'd asked him the other day if it was OK and he said he heard nothing, but I guess he wasn't sleeping as deeply during my workout these last couple of days and it's now a no for when he's sleeping. So, I guess maybe I'll be adding it on after work on weekdays and I told him, I'd do it at the end on weekend workouts, since he "should" be up by that point. I also think he'd had a few drinks over the weekend that helped him sleep and tune it out.

This weighing of food business is not fun, but it's definitely giving me a wake up call on my portions and daily caloric intake. What is fun is the Instant Pot!

Last night, I got home from work, put in some frozen (rock solid) thick chicken ***, quinoa, and fresh veggies (along with some herbs and some spicy mustard) and set it for 40 minutes. I was pretty confident the quinoa would be OK and was a timer saver in the Instant Pot, but with the chicken going in frozen...I was a bit dubious. I shouldn't have been. It was cooked perfectly and faster/better than it would have been had I come home from work and tried conventional cooking methods for all of this. Today, I tried the egg setting since I've wanted egg salad. Not only was it a time saver, but WOW...I cannot get over how easy it was to peel the eggs.

Maybe I should start weighing my food....I'm trying to cut down on portion sizes. I think I'm doing ok for the most part on eating healthy foods. Yogurt with oats for breakfast, a piece of fruit as a snack, and depending on where I am, I eat either leftovers from dinner for lunch or wholegrain bread, toasted and with a bit of olive oil and seasoning salt on it. Then whatever we have for dinner. Tonight was salad with chicken and ranch dressing. (I know, ranch dressing is not good for you, but it's the only dressing I like and I make it myself with 2 percent milk instead of buttermilk, so it's not QUITE as bad.) I just don't like vinegrettes and things like that. I don't like most sauces/condiments.
I can't really exercise a whole lot more than I already am....my hip was bugging me today after just 2 days of work this week, plus the biking to work, to DS's school and home. My body needs the rest, and I'm certainly getting my steps in. So I guess the only thing left to do is to cut down on portion sizes, mostly with dinner. Do you work with a chart or something? I remember my mom's diabetic diet, she had 1800 calories per day because her job was active, as is mine. But I remember she could have 3 oz of meat for dinner. But I don't remember her carb amount or veggies.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Maybe I should start weighing my food....I'm trying to cut down on portion sizes. I think I'm doing ok for the most part on eating healthy foods. Yogurt with oats for breakfast, a piece of fruit as a snack, and depending on where I am, I eat either leftovers from dinner for lunch or wholegrain bread, toasted and with a bit of olive oil and seasoning salt on it. Then whatever we have for dinner. Tonight was salad with chicken and ranch dressing. (I know, ranch dressing is not good for you, but it's the only dressing I like and I make it myself with 2 percent milk instead of buttermilk, so it's not QUITE as bad.) I just don't like vinegrettes and things like that. I don't like most sauces/condiments.
I can't really exercise a whole lot more than I already am....my hip was bugging me today after just 2 days of work this week, plus the biking to work, to DS's school and home. My body needs the rest, and I'm certainly getting my steps in. So I guess the only thing left to do is to cut down on portion sizes, mostly with dinner. Do you work with a chart or something? I remember my mom's diabetic diet, she had 1800 calories per day because her job was active, as is mine. But I remember she could have 3 oz of meat for dinner. But I don't remember her carb amount or veggies.

So much of this is trial and error too, but either way, you have to do what works best for you in the long run. I see so many people (myself included) who get wrapped up into things that could help, but are just not sustainable. So, I'm just trying to keep whatever I do as something I can maintain. I just know I tend to overdo it with my portions, so it was time for a dose of reality and honesty for me. I'm also using it to test portions on labels. Turns out, I've been shorting myself on figs! You may even find that just shifting some of what you'd normally eat at dinner to an earlier meal could help. I know some nutritionists say to eat your bigger meals earlier in the day at times when you're more active. I'm more active at 7pm than I am at 9am or noon, so that doesn't work for me. Either way, it sounds like you're already getting in a lot of activity with your steps and biking. Hopefully, your hip will stop giving you trouble.

I probably should start using a spreadsheet so I can track for trends, but for now, I'm just keeping a tally in my phone's notepad. I know some diabetics and people with high cholesterol have to do more detailed tracking, but I'm just looking at what I ate and the caloric content at this point.

 

[Songbird76]

So much of this is trial and error too, but either way, you have to do what works best for you in the long run. I see so many people (myself included) who get wrapped up into things that could help, but are just not sustainable. So, I'm just trying to keep whatever I do as something I can maintain. I just know I tend to overdo it with my portions, so it was time for a dose of reality and honesty for me. I'm also using it to test portions on labels. Turns out, I've been shorting myself on figs! You may even find that just shifting some of what you'd normally eat at dinner to an earlier meal could help. I know some nutritionists say to eat your bigger meals earlier in the day at times when you're more active. I'm more active at 7pm than I am at 9am or noon, so that doesn't work for me. Either way, it sounds like you're already getting in a lot of activity with your steps and biking. Hopefully, your hip will stop giving you trouble.

I probably should start using a spreadsheet so I can track for trends, but for now, I'm just keeping a tally in my phone's notepad. I know some diabetics and people with high cholesterol have to do more detailed tracking, but I'm just looking at what I ate and the caloric content at this point.

Yeah, I can't really shift things from one meal to another because my schedule is so wonky. One day I'm working from 9am to 2:30pm, and the next I'm working from 7 pm to 11 pm. One day DD has musical theater from 6-8pm, so we need to eat earlier, then the next day DS has chess from 5-6pm, so we can't eat until he gets home. But then if I have to work in the evening, I start at 7, so I have to leave for work at 6:45, DS doesn't get home until 6:15 from chess. So we have 30 minutes to scarf something down, which is also not healthy. My work schedule makes it difficult to make healthy habits, but that's where I get most of my steps in because it's ALL walking.
So like this week, Monday I was up at 6, doing laundry, unloading the dishwasher, making lunches by 7, got the kids out the door for school and then I ride my bike and have to leave around 8:15. I work from 9-2:30, then go to DS's school to pick him up...he gets out at 3. Then it takes us about 30 minutes to bike home, then I go to the grocery store, get stuff for dinner. (I walk...the store is 2 blocks away) so by the time I get home, it's around 4:15 and I have to start dinner. DH gets home at 5:30, we eat, and we're usually done around 6:30 or so, and I have to leave for choir, which is from 7:30-10. I went to bed as soon as I got home, because I had to get up at 6 on Tuesday because I had to work again. But yesterday, I was off, so I caught up on all the housework. Laundry, cleaning bathrooms, scrubbing down the kitchen, picking up the livingroom, sweeping/vacuuming the downstairs, getting rid of recyclables, etc, and I had to pick DS up from school, which takes me more than an hour if I'm not coming from my work because his school is on the other side of town, same side as my work, so I have to bike 25 minutes to get there, and then wait for him to come out, and then 30-35 minutes back. And we had Autimaat training last night. (parenting a child with Autism) Then today and tomorrow, I don't work until evening...so DD and I have to eat early because she has musical theater at 6, I start work at 7. DH drops her off, then comes back for me so I don't have to bike alone in the dark for 5 miles. I'll get home around 11:30 and have to get up at 7 to get the kids' lunches made for school tomorrow and then DS has chess at 5 and I work at 7 again. It's just a completely full schedule, and we didn't even have DS's physical therapy this week!
There's very little wiggle room most days. And I'm not always home at lunch to make myself a bigger meal, but if I am, it probably means I'm working in the evening, so I want the bigger meal at dinner anyway because that's when I'm more active. Tuesday I worked during the day, and there are no activities on Tuesday night. I was so exhausted, I went to bed at 8 and my fitbit said I fell asleep right away.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yeah, I can't really shift things from one meal to another because my schedule is so wonky. One day I'm working from 9am to 2:30pm, and the next I'm working from 7 pm to 11 pm. One day DD has musical theater from 6-8pm, so we need to eat earlier, then the next day DS has chess from 5-6pm, so we can't eat until he gets home. But then if I have to work in the evening, I start at 7, so I have to leave for work at 6:45, DS doesn't get home until 6:15 from chess. So we have 30 minutes to scarf something down, which is also not healthy. My work schedule makes it difficult to make healthy habits, but that's where I get most of my steps in because it's ALL walking.
So like this week, Monday I was up at 6, doing laundry, unloading the dishwasher, making lunches by 7, got the kids out the door for school and then I ride my bike and have to leave around 8:15. I work from 9-2:30, then go to DS's school to pick him up...he gets out at 3. Then it takes us about 30 minutes to bike home, then I go to the grocery store, get stuff for dinner. (I walk...the store is 2 blocks away) so by the time I get home, it's around 4:15 and I have to start dinner. DH gets home at 5:30, we eat, and we're usually done around 6:30 or so, and I have to leave for choir, which is from 7:30-10. I went to bed as soon as I got home, because I had to get up at 6 on Tuesday because I had to work again. But yesterday, I was off, so I caught up on all the housework. Laundry, cleaning bathrooms, scrubbing down the kitchen, picking up the livingroom, sweeping/vacuuming the downstairs, getting rid of recyclables, etc, and I had to pick DS up from school, which takes me more than an hour if I'm not coming from my work because his school is on the other side of town, same side as my work, so I have to bike 25 minutes to get there, and then wait for him to come out, and then 30-35 minutes back. And we had Autimaat training last night. (parenting a child with Autism) Then today and tomorrow, I don't work until evening...so DD and I have to eat early because she has musical theater at 6, I start work at 7. DH drops her off, then comes back for me so I don't have to bike alone in the dark for 5 miles. I'll get home around 11:30 and have to get up at 7 to get the kids' lunches made for school tomorrow and then DS has chess at 5 and I work at 7 again. It's just a completely full schedule, and we didn't even have DS's physical therapy this week!
There's very little wiggle room most days. And I'm not always home at lunch to make myself a bigger meal, but if I am, it probably means I'm working in the evening, so I want the bigger meal at dinner anyway because that's when I'm more active. Tuesday I worked during the day, and there are no activities on Tuesday night. I was so exhausted, I went to bed at 8 and my fitbit said I fell asleep right away.

Sounds like you have a TON going on, but it sounds like you are really active too. Just gotta do the best you can with what you've got. At least you're falling asleep right away. Sleep is so important, and it's certainly something I know so many of could use more of.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Got in a decent workout this morning...even got to sleep in until 7 since I had the day off and it was late arrival day for the older one. And the scale was VERY kind. Not sure if it's the end of plateau, but it was good. Of course, I have family that flew into town today and worked on a cake, so between all of the sugar in taste testing and the eating outside of my norms...well, I wasn't good with what I ate today.

I do at least have a cake to show for it...

It was rushed, but I'm fairly happy with it...well, minus the cucumber that looks like creamed peas At least we can all eat it.

 

[Songbird76]

Sounds like you have a TON going on, but it sounds like you are really active too. Just gotta do the best you can with what you've got. At least you're falling asleep right away. Sleep is so important, and it's certainly something I know so many of could use more of.

Well, usually it takes me a LONG time to fall asleep...like over an hour. So for me to zonk out, I had to have really needed it. I'm glad I was able to go to bed early that night.

 

[Songbird76]

Got in a decent workout this morning...even got to sleep in until 7 since I had the day off and it was late arrival day for the older one. And the scale was VERY kind. Not sure if it's the end of plateau, but it was good. Of course, I have family that flew into town today and worked on a cake, so between all of the sugar in taste testing and the eating outside of my norms...well, I wasn't good with what I ate today.

I do at least have a cake to show for it...

It was rushed, but I'm fairly happy with it...well, minus the cucumber that looks like creamed peas At least we can all eat it.

What kind of a cake is it? You are gluten free, aren't you? And what kind of frosting did you use? It must have taken ages to get the rice-like appearance!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

What kind of a cake is it? You are gluten free, aren't you? And what kind of frosting did you use? It must have taken ages to get the rice-like appearance!

I'm gluten free and dairy free. This is my first attempt with a full blown cake. It's an espresso cake with a rum glaze (glazed b/c I was afraid of cake being dry due to batter consistency), WOWButter cream filling (DD12 is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, so soy or sunflower butters are our go to subs), and mocha frosting (dairy free dark chocolate). The flour was a blend of coconut, rice, teff, tapioca, quinoa, and chick pea. I used things like vegetable shortening and coconut butter in place of real butter and unsweetened soy milk in place of things like milk/cream. I did use eggs, so it's not vegan. Hoping it tastes good.

Surprisingly, it was only 2.5 hours to decorate. The rice definitely took the longest, but my garlic press turned out to be better than my craft extruder tool and I just used the blade of a pizza cutter to trim off and transfer the pieces in 1.5"-2" segments.

 

[epcotisbest]

Got in a decent workout this morning...even got to sleep in until 7 since I had the day off and it was late arrival day for the older one. And the scale was VERY kind. Not sure if it's the end of plateau, but it was good. Of course, I have family that flew into town today and worked on a cake, so between all of the sugar in taste testing and the eating outside of my norms...well, I wasn't good with what I ate today.

I do at least have a cake to show for it...

It was rushed, but I'm fairly happy with it...well, minus the cucumber that looks like creamed peas At least we can all eat it.

That is a very creative cake. I think miniature cupcakes made to look like sushi would work too.

 

[epcotisbest]

It was nice and sunny here on Saturday and we did some much needed yard work including trimming back a bunch of English ivy from some trees in the yard. Some of the vines were huge. The ivy can grow so thick in the trees it can damage the trees so we had to get it chopped off at the roots and hopefully it will die out over time.
While not technically a workout, it feels like it and after crawling around on the bank beside the the house trying to keep from sliding down the ivy covered hill for a few hours, I am hurting in places I forgot I had.

 

[epcotisbest]

All this talk on here about healthy eating and I am going to tell about my not very healthy eating day.
We usually have one day a week where we don't worry about calories or carbs, just enjoy. I find constant deprivation does not work, so every now and then I just eat for the pleasure without being too strict. Sort of a reward for eating right the rest of the week.
So today was country ham biscuits drizzled with honey and butter (my neighbor has beehives and he gives us some very good, pure unprocessed honey), gravy and hash browns for breakfast.
The real kicker was supper. My wife is a genius (except for that one questionable time when she said "I do" to me).
Anyway the genius part was she wanted Mexican, but wanted something different, but did not want to cook.
She went to a local Mexican place for carry out and then here is what she did with what she picked up.
She got an order of rice, placed it in a bowl, topped the rice with white Mexican cheese dip, topped that with the fillings for TexasTrio fajitas (steak, chicken and shrimp and all the peppers, onions and tomatoes) then on top of all that she drizzled more of the cheese dip and some mango habanero hot sauce and served it with chips and salsa on the side.
This was a calorie full, carb laden, ooey gooey, cheesy, savory, flavorful explosion of goodness.
Now if only we had some sushi cake to go with it.
I'll eat better tomorrow.