WW Friendly Tuna Casserole

A good sized pot of cooked whole wheat penne pasta
1 can of cream of celery
a little bit of vegetable stock (to desired moistness)
1 Can drained tuna
Fresh parsley from the garden
Black pepper
Salt
White corn
broccoli chopped
Whatever else you want to put in there.
A little bit of cheese

After you cook the pasta, throw all ingredients in to a casserole dish, except for the cheese. Once it is all mixed up, sprinkle a little cheese on the top and enjoy the lovely tuna casserole!

Oh yeah... I guess you better cook it at 350 degrees for a bit, about a half hour or so.

Are you still Alive Out there?

Hello Medladies, have we gone inactive here or what? It is seeming a bit dead. Soooo.. I just wanted to tell you guys that I am really excited because my sweet tooth cravings have gone down so much! I hardly eat sweets at night anymore. And I was really excited about the fact that Sean got a huge box of Twix at Costco and I haven't had any, and it's not even hard! I think that having my sister's and Mom's support helps so much to stay on track. I know you guys are there for me even when I lose focus. Thanks girls

CoolWhip magic

Hey those strawberries are delish with just FREE CoolWhip. I even love it frozen (always with something else, of course) when I feel like having ice cream and strawberries, or whatever. Makes you feel you have had a treat without the slump that always follows most decadence.

Costco Run

So... I went to Costco today and picked up some great stuff, I wanted to share...
Oh my gosh, these bars are HEAVEN! They are chewy and delightful and they have 9 grams of fiber.... AND they are only 2 points each!! There are tons of flavors and I am so excited to try them!!

These Almond thins are a little like biscotti. They have cranberries and almonds and are sweetened lightly. They totally fix the sweet tooth, but, at the same time they don't trigger the bad sweet tooth. I love them. Each pouch has three slices and it is 2 points per pouch!

I also picked up some baby dills because they are great for snacking in the afternoon.

The strawberries are always good at Costco and I love to chop them up, throw them in a zip lock bag and mix in a packet of splenda as my breakfast. Yum!

I have not yet tasted these interesting looking chips but they are high in fiber, low in fat and I am excited to try them!

Six days running?

So, like, pinch me! Did I just discover that I blogged Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday Monday and Today? Have I been in cold storage all these years and not blogged? Thanks to the nuts who started this fun blog and for putting up with my recent run. Someday I will not blog and then I will return to normal. Hope it will not be too soon.

Boca and White Corn goodness

Just something I threw together in a skillet that I ate way too much of... mmm.

1/2 bag of frozen white sweet corn
1/2 bag of frozen broccoli bits
2 or 3 boca burger patties
a bit of garlic (whatever amount you are comfortable with)
a bit of black pepper
some chopped parsley


1. Brown the patties in a skillet sprayed with non fat cooking spray, remove from heat and set aside

2. In the same hot skillet, put corn and broccoli. Cook until hot.

3. Chop up the boca burgers and add to the skillet a long with the pepper, garlic, and parsley.

Serve with brown rice or just eat it plain. It is so good!

Help for sleepyheads

Miriam! I have read, heard from the doctor and have experienced myself that sugar and other things not good for us, like chocolate, give us a temporary high but the fatigue comes hard in short order. Known things to give alertness are protein, including meat, eggs, beans and nuts, ripe bananas, fruit eaten whole and by itself, one serving of whole grain cereal, low fat yogurt. Also eating raw fresh vegetables or popcorn gives you crunching action which wakes you up. Things to avoid are fatty (fried) anything, sugar, large amounts of carbs, less ripe fruit, milk (a small portion in cereal is fine). There are other ideas as well, but this has worked very well for me. Overeating always makes me sleepy, as well as not eating enough. Oh boy, that's a concept!

How to fight fatigue....

So, I've always had a problem eating to keep myself awake...especially sugar. I always think I need a sugar boost or something. Anyone who can commisserate? Any ideas of how to keep myself awake without eating the candy bowl clean, expecially when there's no other food around?

Posting Recipes

Hey guys, let's start labeling our recipes. So when you write it in, before you hit "publish post", type "recipes" in the box that says "Labels for this post". Then we can sift through months of posts just to find recipes on here!! I will try to put a 'recipes' link on the right side so we can get there with one click. xoxo
Sarie
By the way, MOM, I just read today that it's super uncommon that babies are allergic or even sensitive to what we eat while we breastfeed. Some babies are just gassier than others. This seems to be the issue with Lillie, except I have thought up until today that it was chocolate that was bugging her. So I was prepared to cut that out of my diet. But here's an article on the subject. http://www.kellymom.net/nutrition/mom/mom-diet.html. It says that even if a mom eats straight junk food, that her body would still provide proper milk for the baby. I did NOT know this! I was trying to maintain a balanced diet not just for me, but for the baby. What do you think?

Ham stock 101

How to make ham stock for soups to die for:

Buy a quality ham with bone in and minimal fat inside. Cut off all the meat you can and dice it up into little bags for freezing. Then put the bone in the crockpot with plenty of water on low overnight without any spices. In the morning, cool the broth, strain the broth and pour 4 or 8 cup portions into small freezable bowls. Freeze completely. The next day remove from the bowls, place frozen blocks of broth into freezer bags, label and place back in the freezer.

Awesome soups you can make from this includes split pea soup, cabbage soup, lima beans, potato soup, etc. You can also make rice pilaf.

Love, the Soup Queen.

Storytime

Once upon a time there was a little mommy who had the sweetest little baby girl named Naomi Louise. This mommy decided that is was time to shed the baby fat. Naomi was about 8 months old and doing well. Oh boy did that mommy get on her diet and lose the weight! It wasn't long before she realized that her milk production was way down and little Naomi was losing weight too! That mommy never got her milk back up and so dear little Naomi needed a bottle. Mommy was very careful with the last two babies (probably too careful) and she ended up with plenty of time after the babies to take the serious plunge to weight loss. Naomi survived fine, but be sure Lilly gets the best you can give her. Love always, Mommy

Saving energy is no bargain!

Gotta share a few ideas that go against the grain. All of you are probably experts at these things but here goes. We have been conditioned, as women, to "save steps" in our work. New watch word: "multiply steps!" In other words find ways to make ourselves do more to get there or do that. Like parking in the farthest parking place in the lot, carrying one bag of groceries into the house at a time, grab one garment from the washer to the dryer at a time, go get my own purse, sweetly decline the help of my sweetheart with loading up the recycling, put on dancing music while doing housework, do a physical task while on the phone, follow a toddler for 45 solid minutes, etc. I watched "Batman" last night and because I can't sit still for that long, I paused the movie every 15 minutes and folded some laundry, went potty or emptied the dishwasher. It was great. I have sat down about six times trying to finish this. Anyway don't try to save energy--use it!

Here I Am Again

Wow, weekends are busy on our blog, aren't they? Well, at least Hannah and Mom are more present. Um, so for one thing, Mom, I loved your post about "you're worth it". No wonder you work for Weight Watcher's, you're so motivating! The way you write is so great! Glad you finally got back online... And Hannah, congrats on Sean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A thousand times over!!

I try to get organized, too, and I really need to try again!! I start with my papers... for some reason, if I can throw away all my credit card offers and old bills and stuff, it's a good place to start. Next, if I need to buy some containers to get me motivated, I buy some containers. It's also a great excuse, "Jake, I know they're 40 bucks, but they're for getting the house ORGANIZED. Now that's priceless." You know the drill. Then I go to my wardrobe. Then the kids wardrobe. From there, I am haphazard. But good luck- organizing is so fun. Sometimes when Jake asks, "what do you want to do today, Sarah? It's Saturday, pick anything!". I say, "Let's throw some stuff away!!! YEAAAAH!"

One more thing.. I would like to shout out a big Woot woot for Mirs, you go girl! 10%!??

Potato Fish Loaf, as requested

4 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons Chopped fresh parsley or basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 firm fish fillets, such as flounder, sole, pike or talapia
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1 egg
1 tablespoon of milk
8 oz firm tomatoes, seeded and very thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix garlic, parsley, and pepper. Place fish on a flat dish. Top with 1/2 the garlic mixture. Cover and chill.

2. Brush two baking sheets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; arrange the potato slices on them without overlapping and bake about 25 minutes, without overlapping and bake 25 mins until brown and crispy.

3. In a non stick skillet, heat the remaining oil over moderate heat. Saute the remaining garlic mixture with the zucchinni, about 4 minutes, until soft.

4. Using a metal spatula, remove the potatoes from the sheets and transfer them to a plate. Reduce oven to 350.

5. Line an 8.5 by 4.5 by 2.5 inch loaf pan with oiled aluminum foil, allowing about 4 inches of foil to hang over sides of pan. In a bowl, whisk egg and milk.

6. Arrange half of the potato slices in the base of the pan. Top with a third of the zucchin, half of the fish, and a third of the tomatoes and olives.

7. Brush with some egg mixture; top with half the cheese. Repeat layering but END WITH POTATOES. (this is a really important thing:)

8. Bake loaf in the oven about 55 to 60 minutes or until fish is cooked. If potatoes start looking a bit dark, cover with remaining foil.

9. To serve, turn pan upside down on a serving dish and remove foil. AND..... Viola mucho yumaliciou!!



NOTE: I know this is pretty involved but it is seriously so good! It is a good one to do all together as a project, it goes way faster.

Real weight loss revealed

Yes Hannah, I have a suggestion, being one who has lost (jettisoned) one ton of trash (not counting Salvation Army and recycling stuff) from this house in 2005. Talk about weight loss!!! I started out committed to NOT vacuuming or cleaning anything. I simply de-cluttered. I started where I felt like starting each day--no previous plan--and stuck with that spot until I got tired of it or was done. I never did the funeral pyre approach of piling and sorting like I had always done before. And I didn't (couldn't) force myself to finish an area before starting on another spot, but just did what I felt like doing, keeping the overall mess under control at all times. I became so addicted to de-cluttering that until the dump had registered the 2000 lb mark, I got this incredible high from having collected more to throw out. It was vastly liberating. Poor Dad got the lecture on numerous occasions from trying to smuggle my trash into the family garbage can to save money! I had to explain that it was MY trash, thank you very much, and I had to have it documented by the transfer station myself. I can't say that I haven't gained a substantial amount of weight back, but I will never get to the point of having 280 pounds of shoes to discard. So my suggestion? Start small, walk around until the inspiration comes as to spot of entry and then go through little by little, day by day and if you can avoid the "cleaning" that always wore me down after a week or two, you will be able to press on joyfully. And remember that vacuuming will always be there in the end.

Awe, Mom..

Mom, that is so cool that you can continue to have that amazing effect on people!
So I have a question, MOM, can you add those fruitie thingies to my list. Miriam makes them sound divine!
I have a goal that I am driven to accomplish this weekend. that is, to clean my entire living area, throw away at least 4 garbage bags full of crap (excuse my language, sorry mom), deep clean everything and just organize my life. I do not know why I struggle so terribly with this challenge but please, if anyone has any suggestions, they are most appreciated. Much love Med Ladies!

One more thing:
SEAN GOT IN TO THE NURSING PROGRAM!!! I CRIED WHEN I FOUND OUT, I AM SO HAPPY!!!

More than the food

Weight loss is a philisophical journey. Some try to boil it all down to energy in vs. energy out. But for those of us on the road, it is never that way. I got it into my head years ago that if I could just lose the pounds my life would be (fill in the blank) and that somehow my problems would go away. And as I lost, a lot of things did change. Wonderful things. But I have discovered that I have to work on being the best me all the time because an overweight jerk will still be a jerk if he loses weight! A certain amount of confidence comes with the successes, but if we are not enough with the weight problem, then we aren't going to be enough just by getting to our goal. Today, I gave the Getting Started session to a young woman (many are young these days!) and at the end I said, "You are worth it." Such a simple concept. I was surprised by the sudden tears. Somewhere along the way she lost the true view of herself as a precious and lovely person and that deep inside she is hiding the truth that will take her where she wants to go. I know she is lying in bed tonight thinking about what I said. If she gets anything from her journey, I hope it is that she is worth all she will do to become the person she is meant to be, even if she never loses a pound. The weight loss will be her bonus.

Here we go...

OK so I get home today, knowing that I can fix my delicious Core beans and read hungrily (sorry about the slip) the blog to date. The kids are all at the pool and I am alone this afternoon. I have not had a chance to absorb it with all the noise, questions, students and such that cause me to not be able to read helpful things like this as well as cause me to eat...So I sit down and read. About the time I finish my last spoonful of the healthy (and satisfying) bowl of yumminess, I'm reading the list of night noshings Sarah is dreaming about or something. I say, "I gotta have a two point bar--make that chocolate!" And I am thinking as I am going into the kitchen to get it, "This blog is NOT good for me."

Miracle Story

Ok, so-I posted a post (is that redundant?) a few days back about how I was going to write everything down that I ate, right? Well, I am reporting that I successfully did so this week. Granted that doesn't imply that I ate any better than usual, I just took the time to write it all down.
Today was the big day when I was going to weight watcher's to "weigh in". I went on Friday because mom was leading the thing and she wanted me to come. So, she weighed me in and I was totally thinking, 'yeah, I probably stayed the same if I didn't gain' cause I was definitely feeling it.
So, I hopped up on the scale and watched as the numbers flew rapidly upward. As it gets closer to my weight I always kind of close one eye, like I'm afraid to look at it.
"Oh my gosh, mom, look!" I pointed.
"What?....Oh! Miriam! Whoa dude! That is like awesome!" mom cheered as we both looked at the scale.
I bent with laughter "Mom, how did that even happen? You've got to be kidding me!"
I had totally lost 5.6 pounds!
I swear ladies and gentle- well, just ladies- that logging your food intake does something that chemically alters your metabolism and voila! You lose weight.
So, since mom was running the meeting she got to present me a little award that they give when you lose weight. She was pretty excited, let me tell you.

So, in the total 7 weeks that I've been doing weight watcher's I've now lost over 15 pounds and that is 10% of my body weight from when I started (that's what mom was referring to in her comment about the 10% award). So, I feel good, I feel inspired and I have testimony that "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass."

Fruitie Fetish!

Oh man, so I have another 'Healthy Snack/Sweet Item' to add to the list. And it is (drum roll dadadadadadadDADADADAD) Weight Watcher's Fruities! No, I'm totally serious. They are little sugar free like gummi candy things that are just right for like after a meal when you have a sweet tooth or when you are just havin' an urge to splurge and you need something to help you ward it off. I use them kind of like I do the edamame; to help ward off food cravings a little and keep myself awake at work. They're small but just right!
(Allright, Sarah do you're picture thing. I don't want to embarrass myself again).

Dude, seriously. And here's a link to buy a shipment of 24 bags of them on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Seapoint-Farms-Roasted-Edamame-Lightly/dp/B000PDGRE0/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1216314688&sr=8-1

It's only like 26 bucks plus shipping.. and if you buy other stuff with it (I think if you spend fifty or a hundred bucks) you get free shipping. Sounds like a deal to me.

Hello?

ok, so where's the picture?

So this is a picture of the infamous product...maybe it will help you when you look for it. They're way good!

soy bean nut!

So, ok this is like the third post for me in one day....whoa, Sarah, you never thought I had it in me, did you?
I failed to mention the most blessed item of food known to makind that has recently been discovered at the Eureka Medley household:

Roasted/Salted Edamame
aka. soy beans that taste like roasted peanuts....except way more healthy!

They totally are way healthy (on core for those of us who wish to make note) and satisfy a million sensatioins; salt, crunch, snack, a little tiny bit hungry and shouldn't eat a lot....yeah, they're awesome. I take a small bag to work with me and use them to keep me awake. It's a lot healther than eating all the mini snickers bars form the candy bowl.
Mom is the one that bought them so maybe she can let us know where she got them?

blog feature requests

can we get some music playing next? ya know, maybe like "i'm too sexy for my shirt" or something? c'mon, we need some motivation...or maybe Richard Simmons say "you can do it!" just a thought.

cool

by the way, i love the new look? was that you sarie?

Can't go to bed hungry....

Yeah, ok, I know we are all definitely have diagnosed ourselves with a late night eating addiction....cause seriously, it is an addiction. There are a few things I've discovered that might help. They've helped me:

1. make a goal to a)not eat after the hour of 9pm and just DON'T DO IT! one day at a time though. b)start weaning yourself from sweets; like start by saying no candy except chocolate, and then no candy at all and then no cake/cookies but ice cream is ok, and then no sweets at all, and make a change like every few days or even weeks if you need more time to adjust.

2. eating food for us medleys is like an addiction, and it's especially bad when it comes to foods with high sugar content (yes, Sarah, that includes bread-it's my nemisis too). so, i discovered that if i could just deal with the pain of the headache and seemingly hungry stomach for a few days (or weeks) then i could get over my craving for sweets pretty quickly and effectively. granted the sweet tooth returns about once a month and i just push through that time as best i can.

3. meanwhile, while your trying to impliment the notes above, mom found this fat free, sugar free pudding that's really good with fresh strawberries and fat free whipped cream just tops it off. yeah, some people say that sugar free is flavor free but it's not consequence free like sugar free is and c'mon, let's admit it, we need something sweet sometimes! it's just about finding a healthy thing that is sweet....it's possible.

p.s. i think sometimes we think all sweets are bad, maybe, and so when we have a sweet tooth we just kind of give up and say "well, i really need something sweet and it doesn't matter what it is cause it's all bad and so whatever, i'll just eat whatever" but we should be thinking the same when we're eating regular food too. "what will satisfy me? what is an appropriate portion? what is the healthiest way to prepare this eatery?" it's all the same principles.

Late Night Snacking

Sarah, all I have to say is, I feel your pain. It is so hard not to do the after dinner munchie thing. I seriously will be so good all day and then after dins, I get this HORRIBLE sweet tooth. A few things I have been trying:

1. Snack on All bran Crackers with low sugar jam
2. Get a little measuring cup and portion a little cup of ice cream and promise yourself that is all you will eat
3. Buy some sugar free hard candy (not as good but sometimes does the job)
4. Always have a healthy option stocked in the pantry (dried fruit, strawberries)
5. Lately I have been just trying to wean myself off of the habit. It's hard and the sweet tooth is still there, just a bit easier to control.



These are just a few things that I have been trying, it is so hard though, especially when I am not feeling motivated to avoid it!
You are awesome Sarie, I must say I always loved how you always had brownie mix on hand to serve with vanilla ice cream! Sisters rock

I am watching the weather channel right now...

So I will take a stand. After reading your post, Miriam, I am going to try to post on here at least once a week about my ups and downs.. First of all, I think I need more protein in my diet. Anyone have any vegetarian ideas? I really don't care for meat enough to eat it every day. I am really good during the day, usually have cereal for breakfast (and I even drink the extra milk-- so proud of myself), lunch is usually a bread product with butter or some soup. Dinner I've tried to cook this week. lasagna, pork chops, stuff like that. It's after dinner that's a struggle. brownies, ice cream, popsicles, mnms, skittles. and that's just naming a few. Anyone have any suggestions? I hate how this food makes me feel, but I haven't found a way to stop eating late at night. I go up to bed, only to return to the kitchen an hour later in a trance, toward something sweet or chocolate... I can't stop myself, it's got me in its grip:) This is my ongoing problem!
Love love love.
Please comment.

I am here!

Miriam set me up an account and I expect me to be in the list in your descriptions ok? Except I won't talk about my abs, which are non-existant anyway...I love all you girls and look forward to your inspirations! Love, one of the girls (aka mom)

Our 'Path' to Health and Happiness

Hey! I found the icon to post a thing. sweet!
So, I'm totally stoked about all this I think it's awesome. Yeah, I'm with you, Sarah, when it comes to hearing about Rachel's abs. This is the blog for people with a little more than just that...
Ok, let me just put this one out there---I have a testimony, if you will, of writing down everything that you eat because I didn't do it when I first started weight watchers and I didn't lose. I did it faithfully for 2 weeks and lost 10 pounds. Then I didn't do it for a few weeks and gained a few back. I've done it faithfully this week and I know I'm going to lose even though I'm on the rag. I can FEEL it, ya know? I don't obsessively plan out what I'm going to eat or moniter all the tiny little portions, I just write down what I eat and somehow my brain and stomach get in ka-hoots (sp?) and I come out having left some of myself behind. It's pretty awesome. So, anyone else who tries needs to let us all know how it goes.

Fish Loaf.. mmm

Before I go to bed, I thought I would share a divine meal that Sean and I cooked up. It is called potato Zucchini fish loaf. It is a loaf made by layering new potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, olives, white fish like Talapia or any white firm fish. Spices and herbs include: fresh parsley, oregano, parmesan cheese, fresh garlic, lemon juice, and black pepper. The preparation time was a little more than I like but it was so worth it! If anyone wants the recipe, I can post it. If not, I just thought I would share. I think that Parsley is my new favorite cooking herb, it is absolutely yummy! So I think I am really digging the whole cooking healthy but now I have to learn how to avoid evening snacking urges when dinner is over! Any suggestions would be great. Love you all:)

Food Diary?

I love this idea already! Ok, so last night I ate a pb and j for dinner, a few popsicles, and a nutty bar. I am right there with everyone on eating healthier and possibly losing 25 lbs! Yay! Maybe this could be our food diary, too... so we have to account to someone. Hannah, this means you need to BLOG more. Naomi, this means you need to BLOG more and Miriam, this means you need to start BLOGGING. Rachel, we don't need to hear about your abs, ok? Just joking.
Love you all.

Welcome!

Hello all,
This blog is especially created for support in the never ending battle to take care of our bodies. We call it Our Place of Health and Happiness because it is designed to share great recipe ideas, sweet tooth satisfiers and all other suggestions that can help us stay on the straight and sometimes not - so - narrow path to healthy living. From success stories to exercise ideas, to daily thoughts, bring it on Med Ladies and whom ever may be interested.