Posts by jmd22

Original Post by kriklaf:

Oof - if you're going to replace the eggs, use egg whites rather than Eggbeaters. Eggbeaters have garlic in them, and as much as I love garlic, I don't think it's a flavor I'd want in my yellow cake!

Really?? I always use Eggbeaters for baking and I've never tasted any garlic!

Just a question- when you were invited to this dinner, did the host request that you bring a "healthy" dessert? Or just "please bring dessert?" If the request was not specifically to bring something healthy, you are probably better off buying a regular 'ol pumpkin or apple pie or something. A lot of people (myself included!) use Thanksgiving as a cheat day, and I would not be stoked if it came time for yummy dessert and my only options were fruit and some organic soybean cheesecake or something. 

Perhaps bring a nice fruit plate for yourself and others who want a healthy option, but also a traditional dessert as well- just my two cents :)

One of my favorites is: saute up some onions and garlic in a pan, add in fresh green beans, a little salt and pepper and that's it! You could add those crunchy fried onions on top if you wanted it to be more like a traditional green bean casserole.....

Mine is a Kitchen Aid. Bought it at Target for like, $40, and it works great! Any of the good brand names ones should be fine...

Well, normally I just kinda plan to splurge a little (sometimes a lot :) during the holiday season, and not worry about the few extra pounds until after the New Year, but this year I really have to be more careful. I am getting married in July, so I have dress shopping to do, so I really need to stay on my weight loss plan. 

However, that being said, that does not mean that I will be sitting there on Thanksgiving or Christmas eating a plain salad while everyone else has delicious holiday food. On the actual holidays, I will give myself a free pass to enjoy a nice dinner with my family and eat whatever I want. Two big meals aren't gonna kill me, and I plan to enjoy them! 

My plan is to try to avoid the other "holiday" treats.....Halloween candy for all of October; pumpkin pies and cookies and other evils baked by neighbors, or sent by clients to our office. The holidays are an excuse to graze your way from Oct-Dec, but I am not gonna do it this year! I am really going to try to be smart this year :)

I just started taking Benefiber recently, just to keep things "flowing," if ya know what I mean :) I wasn't having any real issues before, but I do feel like I an perhaps a little more regular now? It says you can take it up to 3 times a day, but I usually put it in my morning smoothie, and occasionally another serving in the evening, but that's it. The one I got is the "Heart Health" one, and it's got other vitamins and stuff in it too. Can't hurt I guess, right??

False alarm! A few more home pregnancy tests, a blood test at the doctor, and my period, confirmed it. I actually started feeling better a few days after I posted this, so who knows....maybe it was PMS and a little stomach bug or something? It was definitely weird, but all of the symptoms are gone now!

Thanks for the replies. I think I am going to make an appt to go see my doctor this week. If I do happen to be pregnant, I want to find out sooner rather than later, since I'm on the pill, and obviously I'd need to stop taking it ASAP. 

Something is definitely going on with my body....I don't feel sick, but I certainly don't feel like myself. I've been feeling really tired too.....just took the dog for a 1/2 hour walk and came home feeling wiped out.....and that's totally not normal. Plus the super sore boobies, bloating, etc...very weird. It's like PMS x 20! I guess we'll see....

Thanks for all of the replies :) Yes, I usually do put on deodorant right after I shave, so I am going to stop doing that, and will try to wait a few hours. I also went and bought some Dove Sensitive Skin, fragrance free deodorant, so hopefully that helps as well. 

I hope I'm not allergic to my own sweat...that would suck!

I will try switching to a different deodorant. Right now, if I put it on right after shaving, it stings pretty bad. No fun. Also a good suggestion about the tight clothes. I will try wearing some loose fitting stuff for a few days and see if that makes any difference. 

Thanks :)

The foil packets are a good idea. We make them when we go camping in the desert. You can google "campfire hobos" and a lot of different recipes pop up.

We make ours with either lean ground beef or turkey, chopped onions, carrots and red potatoes. You just take a sheet of aluminum foil, spray with Pam or rub with olive oil, place the meat and chopped veggies on top, sprinkle with a little salt & pepper, garlic powder, or whatever seasonings you like, and you can add a little bit of butter or margarine too, if you want. Then you just fold up the foil into a triangle, and make sure to seal the corners very well, so they don't leak. I usually double-wrap mine with the foil.

These are easy to make before you leave home, just throw them in the cooler until you're ready to cook. To cook them, you can place the packets directly into the campfire. They usually take anywhere from 10-15 minutes per side, depending on how big the fire is. Usually when the potatoes are fork-tender, it means that they are ready, but make sure to check that the meat is cooked through as well. 

Depending on what meat/veggies/seasonings you use in these, they can be very healthful, and they're super yummy! :)

Thanks I'll try that. I use my Foreman grill all the time for chicken, so that would be great, thanks! 

I love to make smoothies in the AM. They are super quick to make, and you can get those portable disposable cups with lids so you can take them in the car. 

One of my favorite smoothies is: one banana, some fat-free milk, tablespoon or so of peanut butter, some kind of chocolate-flavoring (tablespoon of Nestle chocolate milk mix, Slim Fast powder, protein powder, etc.) and a few ice cubes. Blend for a few seconds and you're ready to go. The above recipe could be adjusted to fit however many calories you want to consume in the AM. The smoothie above works great for me, definitely keeps me feeling full and energized all morning! 

Or, you could try some yogurt, frozen fruit and a little juice or milk- although, I find that these types of smoothies have too much sugar for me in the morning. 

Another "out the door" favorite: a small tortilla, spread with a little peanut butter and a sliced banana-- you can sprinkle a little cinnamon on top too....yummy and portable! :)

Thanks for all of the replies. I think I'll give it a try and see if I like it....

They had the chocolate covered bacon at our local fair and we dared one of our friends to try it. It was cold...came in a little Chinese take out-like box. He bit into it and said it just tasted like salty chocolate. It was mostly chocolate, with little pieces of bacon mixed in. We all decided to try a bite, and it really wasn't that bad! If someone gave you a piece and didn't tell you that there was bacon in it, you wouldn't know. Not a treat I would probably ever choose to have again, but it was definitely interesting! 

Other weird fair foods I saw this year:

-a hot dog inside a zucchini, deep-fried

-deep-fried cheesecake

-deep-fried pizza

-Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich (the donuts are the buns, yuck!!)

-deep-fried White Castle burger

Fair foods are basically about taking the most unhealthy food you can find, and then deep-frying it! I did have some delicious sweet potato fries and some of my friend's funnel cake :)