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Fresh Tomato Salsa

Summer's coming! Who needs all those high-calorie ketchups? Not us! Let's go light and get our fresh veggies on our grilled meat.
voiceomt2002

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I Never Thought of This!

All total, I've lost about 50 pounds from last year at this time. I was happy and proud to wear a brand new gown I had to have for the Scottish Festival here locally. My old ones were either so huge as to look like tents or too hot for the Florida spring-like 80-degree temperatures.   Dante, Karen, JJ and I walked around all day from opening until late afternoon just before closing. I've never had the energy to walk, dance, and shop all day before. I'm still considered obese at a 39 BMI, but darned if I didn't feel wonderful!   That is, until my feet let me know that they weren't used to this kind of abuse. I expected them to hurt. After all, they're still carrying around a little more than 75 pounds more than they should.   What I didn't expect were blisters. OMG! I've got blisters in places I've not had blisters since childhood. I had dirty, blistered feet from all that fun I had. :smile: I can't remember the last time I exerted myself to the point where my feet were dirty and I had big blisters from my shoes rubbing through the stockings! That takes some serious abuse!   I'm proud of my blisters and sore feet. I'm grinning as I wear my flip-flops so my shoes don't rub those very tender spots on my toes and heels. I earned them by walking, shopping and dancing! Woohoo!   I'm also sunburned. I wore something that showed lots of shoulder and didn't have to be hustled into the shade or a cool building to recover when my heaving, fat, sweaty body couldn't bear the awesome job of walking around the merchant booths another moment.   I'll swallow the aspirin and rub aloe on my burns with joy today. I earned these blisters and burns in the best way possible.
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Stress Management Solutions-- Part Two

Sometimes, there are solutions to stress right under your nose. Just a day before my DH called to tell me he'd lost his job, I signed up for a "Learn to Quilt" class from the local quilting guild.   At first, going to classes when my DH was home with no job seemed frivolous and even selfish. However, I've found a certain peace and satisfaction in this art form.   Funny thing is, it ties in with my losing weight. Last summer, while I waited to visit the surgeon and jumped through all the hoops like a circus poodle, I was also humiliated to find myself making clothes in a size larger than the pattern companies made. I had to "size up" from their largest, creating a pair of pants that were grotesquely huge. In despair, I never finished those pants. I was too mortified.   The other day, I found those pants buried under the piles of cloth I made teddy bears out of for my grandchildren. I laughed and cut those pants into 6" charm squares for a quilt.   Then I looked at my closet door. Hmmm! I have clothes in there that cannot be re-tailored down, but the memories of the "fat girl" events they represent should never be forgotten.   I now have a pile of clothes to be cut down into a memory quilt of charm squares and black rails, since many of those clothes were black (or matched black) because I honestly believed black was slimming. No, I just looked like a black beach ball.   I'll finish the pretty new blue quilt I'm learning on within the month. Then, I think I'll start on my memory quilt. Maybe I'll use it as a visual aid when I write "No Fat Chicks" this fall.   Lena
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Basic Bavarian Variations

As promised, here are some of the variations. There are more! Wait until you see the delicious mushies I found! I'm so excited! Even though I'm on solids, I remember how difficult it got eating only mushies and "clear liquids." These help!  
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The Economy Hits Home--One Month Later

Things have gone from bad to worse here. My poor DH has recovered from whatever illness got him on the trip home. After two weeks of flu-like symptoms and a trip to the doctor's, he's been looking for work like a fiend with no success in sight.   No one will give a trucker with less than a year of experience a chance, especially not in this economy. The local want ads are full of truckers --both experienced and men like my DH-- begging for any trucking job they can get.   My DH has applied for any job he can do, even forklift driver and warehouse worker. He's called and applied at every temp agency that will talk to him. They all say the same-- "Don't call us. We'll call you if we have anything." I guess he'll be applying at McDonald's next.   I'm down to 237 lbs as of this morning, and I had a recent fill that's put me darn close to the sweet spot. Guess it's a good thing I'm not eating. There's not much food or hope left, here. I think we're going to lose the house. I can't remember the last time I slept a straight eight.
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The Tension Eases Slightly

DH and I went to one of those "We Buy Houses" guys yesterday. While Patrick declined to touch our house, he did it for the right reason-- we don't need him right now.   Patrick assured us that the mortgage company will call eventually, and they will likely make a deal that will allow us to keep our home. It's just likely to take awhile. He said the sheer number of foreclosures happening dictates the mortgage companies are willing to work with anyone who'll talk to them despite the embarrassment. Besides that, the volume of foreclosures mean it can take more than a year to complete the process!   If Randy takes a year to find a job, then we may as well hang it up. We don't need much in the way of income. A mere $1600 a month would guarantee we could stay here and still eat.   Randy and I took a few hours to digest the information and numbers Patrick gave us and decided to take his advice. We relaxed and vowed to not be so hard on ourselves. Good thing, too. The coffee pot blew up last night. LOL!
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First Goal Down! 100 pounds to go

Hooray!! I stepped on the bathroom scales this morning and beheld a sight I've not had in years -- 249 lbs. First time I've been below 250 lbs since early in this decade, like 2002.   My next goal is ambitious. I'm going to try for 225 lbs by June. That's a little over 1.5 pounds per week for 16 weeks.   June is my birthday month, and my DH will be out of training before then. I'm hoping he'll earn at least as much or more than what he earned at his old job. We haven't been able to celebrate birthdays in recent years. I'd like to do so, even if it means going to the steakhouse and eating a teeny bit off DH's plate. (grin) That's celebration, just to go out.   I think I'll set my goals like this all the time. Every 3 months, I'll shoot for a reasonable goal that will keep me working toward that someday of looking like that picture in gold again. (sigh)
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Mushies-- Italian Vegetable Soup

BG http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/italian-vegetable-soup/   I printed this one out for myself! However, I may omit the barley, because I do find my banded tummy doesn't care for starchy things.   Lena
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Country Pork Stew

Country Pork Stew   Serves 4 generous portions   Ingredients: 1 tsp olive oil 1-1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1” cubes 1 cup chopped onion 4 cloves of garlic, pressed or equivalent from a jar 1 tsp. Dried sage Black Pepper, to taste ½ cup dry white wine (or ½ cup white grape juice combined with 1 T. cider vinegar) 1-3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth 2 T. tomato paste ¼ tsp. Ground allspice   Note: While these directions are given for an electric skillet, you can use a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. An electric skillet gives very even heat, and has a useful simmer setting, but not everyone has one.   Heat the olive oil in the electric skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork cubes and onion, sautéing until brown, about 4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients in the order given, stirring a moment before adding the next. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and walk away for one hour. It’s done when the pork is fork tender.   Nutrition: 284 calories 7 g fat 42g protein 7g carb 1g dietary fiber 111 mg cholesterol 380 mg sodium   Exchanges: 0 starch, 5.5 lean meat, 1 veg   Weight Watcher points: 6   Low Carb serving suggestion: Serve over either Cauli-Rice or any version of Faux-tay-Toes.   This recipe was adapted from a recipe provided by www.SavingDinner.com. Highly Recommended!!
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Mock Mashed Potatoes, Deluxe and Turnip Versions

I've pasted the original recipe below for Mock Mashed Potatoes. I do a Deluxe version where I add softened cream cheese and give it a whirl in the food processor. I swear, it's so close to the mashed potatoes I serve at holiday time, I didn't miss the carb-loaded real thing.    
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Day 16- Solid Foods Maybe-Maybe Not

Okay, so it's 3:30 AM and I have insomnia. Not because of anything band related, just life issues. You know, finances, family --the usual stresses.   Today, in theory, I'm supposed to start re-introducing full solids into my diet. I think I'm going to go verrrry slowly. Most meats still won't pass my stoma. Last night was the first time I got chicken past my stoma without it being chopped into ittty bitty bits. I can eat fish and scrambled eggs, but I'm leery of trying anything more solid in the way of proteins.   Veggies OTOH go down fairly well. I only yarked up rutabaga fries recently, and that wasn't so much of a surprise. Those things are a bit fibrous. Guess I'd better mash my rutabagas for another couple of weeks. I can deal with that.   My DH got a hard lesson in shopping with a bandster yesterday. He's been going to school on weekends for the past couple of months, so my roomie had the lesson first. DH discovered just how many "methyl-ethyl-bad-stuff" foods there are for a bandster in the grocery store. He'd bring a possible meal to me and I'd have to point out why I couldn't have it, like pasta in a stir fry mix. Finally, he got so frustrated he gave up and let me stroll around until I found the ingredients for the Chicken Diane recipe I'd had in mind all along. He pouts, but gets his starches on the side instead of in the main dish like I used to cook.   He says he's afraid of what I'll do to adapt many of our favorite recipes to my new lifestyle. He's right to be afraid, somewhat, but less than he thinks. I've already made some adaptions and he barely noticed or complimented me. (snicker, snicker)   Some adaptions he will notice, as soon as I'm sure I can have beef and pork. For instance, a family favorite around here is due for a severe makeover. Piggybank Pork Bake will no longer have cream of mushroom soup and egg noodles. I'll make my own mushroom sauce (Thank you Alton Brown)and the "noodles" will be zuchinni cut into long strips with a vegetable peeler or my V-slicer.   My pantry is ready! Fried pork rinds already replace bread crumbs, a spaghetti squash will be baked today for "spaghetti noodles" for a special dish, cauliflower has already been steamed for rice and potatoes, romaine lettuce is a yummy replacement for bread in sandwiches, and cream cheese awaits my many low-carb cheesecake recipes instead of pies and cakes.   As a last thought, I'm writing myself a note. After I allow a cheesecake to cool, cutting it up into the correct portions and freezing the portions I won't serve that night works very well. I've still got two Crustless Red Velvet Cheesecake portions left over from before New Year's in the freezer.   Back to bed!
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Mushies-- Rules before Recipes

Several folks have asked me to post more mushie recipes. I'm cool with that, but let's get the rules straight. This is what my doc allowed, so you know where I'm coming from.   1. All of the foods from the clear liquids and full liquids stages. 2. Baked (not fried) fish, chicken, or turkey. No skins. Cut in very small pieces. 3. Lean ground beef finely crushed 4. Dried bans, peas, and lentils-- well cooked. 5. Canned or well-cooked vegetables 6. LOW carb! 30g total maximum carbs per day. No bread, pasta, potatoes, or rice allowed, ever. 7. Cottage cheese and non-processed cheeses are permitted, as long as daily carb maximum is not exceeded. 8. Salads-- egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, or turkey salad must be mixed well. Use low calorie mixes, if you must use commercial products. 9. Scrambled or boiled eggs. No fried eggs. 10. Stop drinking all liquids 10 minutes before meals and wait 30 minutes after meals. Leave your drink in another room so you aren't tempted.   Now look at all those lovely choices. Yum! I can hardly wait to share with you all the recipes.
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Is Humiliation Part of the Treatment?

Just how much humiliation am I supposed to take? Today was a group session at the surgeon’s. You know what I learned? What an ass one of the surgeons is. That’s it. After the weigh in, in which I gained a whole half-pound, we had the usual and repetitive lecture on how important it is we shrink our livers. I was feeling pretty good about my weight, actually. I’d had a full bladder and heavy winter clothing on, but the scale said only half a pound. I could live with that. I knew also I’d had a few too many macadamia nuts over the past few days and vowed to cut them out. Finally, the surgeon appeared. He was as handsome as rumor had claimed. I had a hard time understanding his accent, since he was from South Africa. The Afrikaners I’ve known can seem to mumble a bit to our American ears. I’d had an Afrikaner teacher back in real estate school and I’d adored him, so I was prepared to like the surgeon, Dr. Cywes. How wrong I was. After introducing himself and matching faces to files, he immediately turned to me and asked me if I felt my life was busy. I warily answered, “Yes.” Then, without warning, he launched into what I can only call an attack, using me as the proverbial bad example of a patient who wasn’t on board with the program, addicted to carbs, and out of control. I was shocked and humiliated. I protested that I’d only gained half a pound. He thrust his finger at another member of the group. “She lost ten pounds.” He then went on with his lecture, now pointing out how I was defending myself and in total denial of my actions. For the next hour, I swallowed tears and humiliation while he pontificated as if he knew me, accusing me of eating all sorts of carbs, ignoring the diet, and –the crowning touch—comparing me to a drug addict in need of a twelve-step program. I was never so grateful when he finally ended his speech and swept out of the room like he could barely stand to be around us a moment longer. Baby, the feeling was mutual. Worse, I found out one of the other women in the room had gained a pound and a half. I can only surmise that my file was on top and therefore most convenient. All I can say right now is that I will make a special request that the other doctor is my surgeon. I barely responded when another one of his staff came in and told me my paperwork was complete and the packet would be on its way to Tricare tomorrow. She informed the whole group that surgical dates are now being filled for January, so we can plan for late January or perhaps early February. Lovely. Somehow, we must all remain on the liver reduction, low-carb diet through the entire holiday season. Are they insane? Why don’t I just move to a nice deserted island until January 1?
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One Month Post-Op-- The Fill Appointment That Wasn't

This should more correctly be called: The Fill Appointment with no fill. That’s right, I didn’t get a fill. Since I’ve lost 8 lbs of pure body fat, I’m not hungry, and eating correctly, Dr. Baptista feels I’m one of the bandsters who walks out of the hospital already at or very near the “sweet spot” and may never need a fill. (Happy Dance!!) As long as I continue to lose 1-3 pounds a week, I may never need a fill, but if I do he’ll be monitoring me and will let me know! Now for the semi-sorta-bad news. When he did my surgery, he found two hernias. The hiatal hernia, he corrected as he commonly does. However, there was a hernia lower he cannot repair at this time. I must reach at or near a normal BMI of 25 before that surgery has a hope of being successful, because it’s not far above my navel, where the overweight abdominal fat would possibly rip and tear his work. That’s fair, even if it means I have this weird lump in my abdomen for a year or two. After all, I have a minimum of 100 pounds to lose before I come close to my healthy weight range. Not like I’ll be in a bikini before then anyways.
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Low Carb Recipes on Food.com

I signed up for the beta test, and I'm pleased so far. Yes, they need to work out some bugs, but it's not bad.   Here's what I got in my email:   Welcome to Food.com! Click this link to log in and get started: http://www.food.com. What exactly is Food.com? It's a handy little application that lets you search through recipes indexed from the best recipe sources on the web, and allows you to store the ones you like - all in one place.   What is the Beta about? This is a REAL Beta, which means you have access to Food.com while we are still actively debugging and developing the application. You can learn more about the features and fun stuff on Food.com in our FAQs. There is a link to the FAQs in the left hand side of the footer of the site. And if you find things that don't feel fully baked, let us know! Use the feedback links in the nav bar and the footer on the site, or simply email us at feedback@food.com..   We're thrilled to have you help us cook up something fantastic. Sincerely, The Food.com team
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Mushies- Chicken and White Bean Stew

For BG http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/chicken-and-white-bean-stew/   At BG's request, I went hunting a few soups and stews for mushies. For the next few days, I'll post links to my finds.   Remember, you can always strain out what you think your tummy can't handle.   Lena
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The Bear I Made For Selena

For those who didn't see the blog, my assistant Selena had a teddy bear I'd made her. She gave away that bear to an autistic child going into the hospital.   Here is the replacement bear I'll send. I've named it, "A Pearl Beyond Price" because that's what Selena is, and not only to me.      
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Day 13 -- Where'd the Spiders Go?

Okay, another small non-scale triumph from shower time. I'd already noted my feet did not swell nearly so much lately, despite a lot of walking lately. I'd grinned and moved on. That was expected. The doc had promised, and it was true. Cool beans.   What I didn't expect was what I saw --or rather, didn't see-- when I dried my legs this morning after my shower. Where'd the spider veins go? My feet, ankles, and legs used to be covered in blue and red spider veins and varicose veins, as if my three-year-old granddaughter had colored me with her magic markers.   One particularly nasty set of both varicose and spider covered an area the size of two silver dollars on my right leg, on the inside calf. It's almost gone! Yes, there's a pale blue bruise, but nothing compared to the hideous mark I've worn for years. :smile:   Excited and curious, I replaced my right leg with my left on the toilet top where I'd been drying my legs. My left has been the bane of my existence for two years. Without warning, the ankle and foot would swell until I'd burst blood vessels on my instep. Even those are reduced in size and color! :cool2:   Holy moley! Can this all really be happening, or am I dreaming?
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Mushie--Crock Posole

BG http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/crock-posole/   Again, I caution those that may be sensitive to starchy food to try this recipe with care. Hominy is a starch.   If you don't know what hominy is, here's a wikipedia definition for you.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hominy   I'm from the south and part-Cherokee, so I grew up eating hominy in many forms. If you can't find hominy, try using some leftover cooked whole kernel corn.   The carb count on this recipe is an acceptable (to me) 13g, but some folks can't handle the hominy. If you try this recipe before I report, please come here and let us know.
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Day 12 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Fridge

Tonight I cooked a meal I couldn't have: pork chops with an apricot sauce, despite the fact it's low carb. My healing isn't done, and even chicken still presents difficulties passing the stoma.   While my DH and roomie attacked the "normal" food, I hummed happily and turned to the fridge to find some mushies.   Then I stopped.   I was shocked to realize I wanted the veggies, but no meat. Was I nuts? Didn't I want a nice juicy slab of animal? Uh, no. Not really.   I pondered this while I pulled out the kale, rutabaga, and broccoli I'd cooked a couple of days ago, deliberately overcooking them to the correct "mushie" stage. Tsking over the limp and soggy state of the broccoli, I chose it first. Zapped in the microwave, that serving lasted me about the same amount of time as the guy's massive portions. (I'm really getting into this serving myself a la russe --one course at a time.)   The guys piled back into the kitchen and scooped great big second helpings while I daintily picked up the kale and warmed it in the microwave. Dante, my roomie, helped himself to a bit of the kale with me, but my carnivore husband disdained the veggies.   By the time I'd finished my "dessert" of mashed rutabaga with a bit of Splenda Brown, the guys were burping and patting their stomachs happily. (snicker) Yes, they're both "manly men." They show appreciation by acting like apes.   I'm still a bit surprised at myself four hours later. If I'd wanted protein, there's eggs, cottage cheese, tuna, and even some Spam. (It's a mushie meat that passes my stoma. Compared to chicken, it slides down easy.) I don't want it.   I'd better think about a protein drink or something.
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Day 5 Post-Op-- The Treasure (?) in the Closet

I'm laughing at myself this morning. Last summer I made a pair of lounging pants, only to discover I'd gained more weight and couldn't fit into my new creation, with the lovely pale blue and sparkly stars. Disappointed and disheartened, I folded the pants and put them on the "after surgery" pile. :confused:   Today, I looked at my five remaining soft loose pants that are bagging off me and sighed. I'm so sick of those pants. A glint of pale blue and stars caught my eye. Hope shot through me. Dare I? I looked around like a kid stealing cookies. Why not? With trembling hands, I pulled out the lounging pants.   They were loose! OMG! They look like clown pants on me! :thumbup: Later, after I've worked a bit, I may just pull down that whole "after surgery" pile to see what other treasures await me. Some still won't fit. I've got sizes in there from 18-24, reflecting all my years of yo-yo dieting. Maybe...just maybe...   Lena
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Mushies- Chocolaty Velvet Ice Cream (Fattening)

Okay, here's the more fattening version. However, it doesn't require an ice cream machine, and it can be made using sugar free and fat free ingredients to reduce the carb impact. I found sugar freee chocolate chips at my grocery store, so I may make my own chocolate sauce using Splenda. We'll see how it goes. BTW, I'm allergic to nuts, so I'd appreciate someone telling me how the nuts taste in this one.   The original recipe has 382 calories and 32 carbs. I'll bet we can reduce it with a bit of effort.  
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Another Online Journal Convert Right Here

Julie.Ann and several others told me about online food journals like sparkpeople.com, thedailyplate.com and fitday.com.   I've been keeping a print food journal for over two years, but the ink and paper costs were eating me alive, to be honest.   Finally, I looked at the three I mentioned and decided on fitday.com. That's a personal choice! I don't advocate any one brand. However, I'm now totally converted to online food journals after just three days.   At first, I was frustrated by searching for my specific food I'd injested, especially when it came to recipes. Finally, I started using the Custom Food option when I couldn't find what I needed or wanted to use a recipe's nutrition info. Whew! Much better.   Funny thing is, I'm staying on my diet better now. Maybe it's that whole "I know nothing on the net is truly private" paranoia, but I'll take what works. I never fudged on calories or carbs in my journal, but this way ensures a certain level of honesty.   Today, I'll probably break my diet --again. This time, in a good cause. I'm driving down to St. Augustine to visit my Mom. Mom's a underweight very eccentric retired artist. (Yes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in the creativity department. She painted with color and glass, I paint with words.) I'd better take notes of what I eat. Better put a notepad in my purse.
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