Still Moving (Sorta)

Well, I never put my pedometer on today because, as I anticipated, the wind was blowing something crazy and I didn't go for my power walk this morning.  Know how I felt about that?  Disappointed!!  Go figure!
So, in a snit, I just didn't measure any of my walking today despite the fact that I generally walk at least 3 additional miles over my power walk in the morning.  Oh, well, my mind measured it and somewhere deep in the flab, my fat measured and cringed a little. Imagine, cringing fat!

5 Miles Milly

Got my 5 miles in today (actually 4.66, but who's counting?).  I am developing a love/hate relationship with this.  I love doing it, I think, I hate the fact that I have to do it!! I will probably not walk for the rest of the week because the weather is supposed to be yucky and I don't do yucky weather.  Its all I can do to get out of bed in yucky weather.   But you know what?  I have walked almost 15 miles in the last 3 days.  That's freaking amazing to ME! Who'da thunk?  And I promise, if the wind is calm in the morning then I will walk.  I just can't walk in a hurricane!! (in Arizona?)

Walking, walking

Well, I now have 2 days of solid walking under my belt.  I start first thing in the morning and do an aerobic walk between 2 buildings at work.  It's almost exactly 2 miles and I can cover it in about 25 minutes (if I don't have to pee!!).  It not exactly flat as I originally thought, there is a slight grade to it, but its a good training course for someone that hasn't walked more than a 100 yards in damn near as many years.  The weather is changing and the winds are supposed to kick up and I hate wind.  If its bad, I won't walk, which inspired me to walk today.  Now there is a combination of words I would have never expected from myself;
Walking and Inspiration!! 

The balance of the day, the other 3 miles, is just the distance that I walk around work.  I make a concerted effort to go to the bathroom farthest away from my desk (without leaving the building) and as much water as I drink, I go lots!! 

Aren't I just something (or other)?

Activity Points

So, today I walked 10,400 steps, with close to 4000 of those being aerobic.  I would sure like to know how to convert that to activity points?  Help?!

Spaghetti Pie

This was pretty good.  Very rich!! I don't know who could possibly eat a sixth of this pie, its so rich!  So I broke it into 8 servings.  Even with that it is very filling.  With a salad, its a perfect meal.   And its very purty!

Spaghetti Pie

POINTS® Value: 6
Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 pound(s) cooked ground beef 93% Lean
2 cup(s) Prego Heart smart fresh mushroom Italian sauce
6 oz uncooked spaghetti
1/2 cup(s) Egg Beaters Refrigerated Egg Whites
1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese
3 oz fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup(s) light sour cream
1 cup(s) scallion(s)
1/2 pound(s) brown italian mushroom(s)
4 clove(s) garlic clove(s)
1/2 cup(s) Weight Watchers Reduced-Fat Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

Brown ground meat and season to taste, I use salt, pepper, garlic pepper and a little Italian seasoning. Add the spaghetti sauce.  Set aside. 

Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Add the egg substitute and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, green onion and remaining Parmesan cheese. Spread over spaghetti crust. In a nonstick skillet, saute mushrooms and garlic until tender. Spoon over cheese mixture. Spread with spaghetti sauce. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Makes 8 servings.

Followers, WooHoo

Girls, I am loving this.  I didn't know a body could get so excited about internet friends.  Its too cool. 

I came across a Marilyn Monroe quote that I love and I think it reflects my attitude about myself.  I have always tended to try to "improve" me when I felt loved and accepted for being just the way I was.  When I am pushed to make changes, I am prone to bow up and resist with everything in me.  Interesting insight into myself.  Stubborn, I am!!

I wanted to put this in my sidebar, but can't figure out how to make it look cool, so for now, here it is::

"I'm selfish, impatient, & a little insecure. I'm OUT OF CONTROL & at times I'm hard TO HANDLE, but if you can't handle me at my worst, THEN YOU SURE AS HELL don't deserve Me at
My best"…Marilyn Monroe

Math and Spaghetti Pie

I just went to post my weight on the WW eTools which is where I keep all my "records" and realized that my leader needs some remedial math studies.  I actually had a 1.8 gain, not just .8.  Now is it the end of the world?  Absolutely not!  As a matter of fact, its a down right beautiful morning and I am making spaghetti pie for dinner.  Sounds good, huh? I have never had spaghetti pie before, but the recipe looks really good.  I will write up a review afterward. 

County Fair Food!

That ought to be illegal!!  I didn't even eat my entire corn dog, like maybe a third?  But...You knew that was coming right??  Chile Cheese Fries.  Dear Baby Jesus!!  Ok, so they were horrid and nasty (not) and we threw them away (yeah, right) and I wiill be a good girl forever and ever amen (or until the next county fair).  That was easy!!

Weigh In and the County Fair

Well, I was up a bit today, .8 to be exact, but that's ok. Traveling is hard on the Plan and regardless of what I did (or didn't do) there were so many variables that I couldn't meet.  Just my water intake alone was hosed!!  So, its all good and we move on. 

I am still really "puffy".  My hands are swollen and my fingers look like little sausages. I need to drink lots more water and wash this crap out of my system. 

Its been a busy weekend.  Got hair cut and colored yesterday, weigh in today and nails done too and we are going to go to the County Fair tonite.  One of my favorite country artists, Jake Owen, will be performing and I really would like to see him.  Linky thing -- > YeeHaw

And somewhere out there, there is a corndog with my name on it!!

Our leader today asked us if we "partied" after weigh in, knowing we didn't have to do that again for a week.  Of course the answer was Yes!  Then she asked "When do you start making those plans?"  My answer:  "As soon as I step off that scale".  I don't think I got any points for honesty!?

I Love Spring

Despite the fact that the weather has been weird, cold and wet for us, I love Spring.  Things are blooming and the birds are all dancing and singing and nesting and getting those eggs layed and hatched.  This is just my favorite time of year.  The following are just in my front yard.  And remember, I live in the desert and I don't water anything.  Mother Nature takes care of that for me.  Its the only way to roll when you live in a water deprived environment. 

This is a kangaroo paw.  Its native to Australia.  Its a strange, lovely plant and I should have taken this picture several weeks ago when those little fuzzy things were crimson in color.  Unfortunately, they fade over time and I didn't catch them soon enough.











This is my driveway wall.  Its covered with a cat claw vine which I need to cut down to the ground, but wanted to get some photos of before hand while it was blooming. 

Its very prolific and if left to its own devices will tear up the wooden cover of the driveway so we cut it down every year and it comes back looking like this.  I love my cat claw!!

See, up in the eves how thick it is.






This is an even better picture of that density. Its cool cause the birds like to nest in it, and I don't mind that myself.

And the flowers are beautiful.

Fish Tales

Am I weird that I don't like salmon?  I mean, I really don't like salmon.  I like mild, generally white meat fish, like mahi mahi, sole, tilapia.  Salmon is just too...something.  Yuck!  I think its because its heavy and kind of oily.  Fishy!!  Isn't fish supposed to be fishy?  I don't know, I am so confused.

There is No Place Like Home!!

Ah, two Wizard of Oz references in just a couple days.  I think I need to pull out my WoO video and watch it.  I would love to have a Flying Monkey or two.  Anyway...

I am home!  Yayyy!  Took me forever it seems like.  Yesterday morning I woke up at 2 freaking 30 in the morning and could not go back to sleep.  So I just got myself cleaned up, packed up and sat and read for several hours until I could go get some breakfast and head into the last day of the conference.  Talk about boring!! I actually did not stay for the entire thing as the last section was not pertinent to anything I had to deal with so went ahead and left for the airport.  Got the car turned in and went to check in, but they wouldn't allow me to check my bags more that four hours early?!  What?  I didn't think I was that early, so I asked the ticketing agent and she told me that my flight had already been delayed 2 hours!  OMG!  I wasn't going to get home until around 1 a.m.

I asked her if she could get me on an earlier flight and bless her heart, she managed to get me on the next flight out.  Eileen, I love you. For real, Girl!  But now I have a 3 hour lay over at LAX.  That's cool.  They sell Lite beer and I can sit and watch people for hours.  And I am very friendly and enjoy talking to people. I got to pet Hercules who is the Pit Bull buddy of the Little Person who has the Pit Bull/Little Person show on Animal Planet!  It was kinda fun actually. 

My flight out of there was supposed to be at 7:05, so I head over to the gate, only to discover that it was going to be late too!  8:05 to be exact!  Except we didn't get off the ground until 8:30 and I didn't get home until after 10.  I said my hellos to the golfer, put my jammies on, took a sleeping pill because I was too tired to sleep and crashed.  I am still exhausted.  I am getting too old for this nonsense. 

Its good to be home.

It's a Good Thing that Divorce is Expensive and I Am Broke!

Yesterday, before I left the house headed for the airport, I kissed the Hubby goodbye (woke him up to do this) and told him I would call him when I got to my destination later that afternoon.  We had spoken about this the night before so this was sort of an affirmation of that conversation and the plans we had already made.

So when I got to Santa Clara and checked into my hotel, I called home.  No one answered.  And I called again a short while later and...no one answered.  And again and again and again.  Until I started to get frightened because this is rather unusual for Hubby.  When we have plans, he generally follows the plan.  So I called my sister who, as usual, did not answer her phone and then I contacted my best friend to schedule her to run by the house on her way home from work to check on Hubby, who by now, in my imagination, was lying in a puddle of blood after having amputated his arm with some power tool or had had a heart attack and one of the pugs was licking him to death. 

He called me when he got off the golf course.  I think I should have just let the pugs lick him to death.  It would have served him right!!

Watermelon, Strawberries and Grapes, Oh My!

Breakfast Blues

Ok, I am at a conference and registration is in an hour.  With Continental Breakfast which usually equal coffee and pastries. So to avoid that trap, I am on my way to the restaurant for an Eggbeaters Omelet.  Hopefully, the "free" food will also have some fruit.  That I will dive into!!

Hotel California

What kind of hotel is this?  There is no blow dryer?!  And I just now realized it! And its 3:30 am!  I am in deep doo-doo!! I do not have a hair style that will allow me to go wandering around in public without some extreme management technique being applied along with a can of hairspray.  Um, wonder if there is a Walmart anywhere around?

Edit: Why would you put the blow dryer in the closet in a little bag that says hair dryer? 

Travel!

Tomorrow I fly into Santa Clara, CA for a conference.  I have never been there and am (was) really looking forward to going, but looks like the weather is going to be all hosed the entire time I am there.  Pfffftttt!

So, taking some work out clothes so I can go to the gym in the hotel instead of talking the walks I so enjoy and, of course, an umbrella so I can get from the car to the restaurant I want to go to (I am going to the Fish Market for at least one meal).  As for working out in the gym, hopefully, it will give me the opportunity to try some of the equipment out and determine if I would like to actually join a gym at home.  I can't see me actually doing that, but, hey one never knows!  I could start a wild affair with an eliptical thingy (have no idea what it is actual called!).

I am so pathetic sometimes.

By the way, Saturday is the 1 year anniversary of my quitting smoking.  Damn, I rock!!

Birthday Parties - Someone Elses

We are going to a friend's house to celebrate her SO's birthday this afternoon.  I volunteered to make guacamole, because I make a killer quacamole and I like to make it (and I like to eat it!). 

Avocados are $1 each right now, which isn't horrid, but the last few I have purchased have been practically inedible with so many bad spots in them that you might get about 1/2 of an avocado you could actually eat. 

So with this in mind, I bought 10 avocados today, thinking if I get 5 avocados worth, it would be perfect.  Wouldn't you know, every stinking one of those avocados was absolutely perfect!!  So now, I have enough guacamole to feed a small country.  I will take some to the party this afternoon and the rest to work tomorrow. 

I haven't posted this recipe because most of us are trying to watch what we consume and this stuff has absolutely nothing to do with eating healthy.  However, if anyone really wants, just let me know and I will put it out there.  Its not a secret and as most know, there are as many guacamole recipes as there are people that eat the stuff.  I am just partial to this one (and I made it up so Mother Love and all that).

Oh, Tacos, You Exquisite Creatures

Could I wax poetic about tacos? Um, yeah, I think I could!!

In case you missed the debut, here is the run through again, this time with some more photos to pique your interest. 

Ingrediants:

2 lb. 93% Lean Ground Beef (raw) If you can find leaner, use it.
1 large, finely diced potato
Salt, Pepper, chili powder, fajita seasoning, garlic powder (to taste)
24 small (4") corn tortillas
4 tbsp canola oil
3 cups iceberg lettuce (shredded)
2 cups chopped tomato
1 cup diced onion
1 pound low-fat colby cheese or 4 cheese mexican style cheese
1 cup salsa

Add finely diced potato to ground beef along with spices and cook over medium heat until meat is browned but not dry and potatoes are softened. Set aside.

I use Arizona Brand White Corn Tortillas for Tacos and Tostadas. These are 4" tortillas and are 2 for 1 point. If you can find something similar (really thin 4" tortillas) they will probably work.

These are made commercially in Phoenix, AZ and sold everywhere.  If your grocery store does not carry them, ask someone to look into them.  They are available.

In a deep sauce pot heat 2 CUPS of canola oil to very hot. Oil should be rippling, but not smoking. Fold tortillas into taco shape gently so as not to break the bottom (the thin tortillas make this easier) and holding from the top with tongs dip rapidly into the hot oil, making sure all of the "taco" gets a bath and remove immediately.

Lay on a cookie sheet, overlapping the next shell on the last one, until all 24 have had their "bath". If this is done right, and the oil is hot enough, if you measured out the oil, pour it back into whatever you used to measure it with (let it cool first) and you should see that the tortillas didn't absorb more than about 4 tablespoons of oil. You need the entire 2 cups for depth in the pot only. Leftover oil can be reused, might have a slight corny taste.  That lone ranger taco laying sideways there was dud.  It tore before I got it out of the bath.  Into the garbage.

Fill shells using a normal serving spoon. Each shell should take about one ounce of meat. With my spoons, that's about 1 and 1/2 spoons of filling per taco. Do not over fill tacos.

You may have meat left over or you might be short just a little depending on how much you filled the tacos. Play til it works for you.

Put the tacos in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and crispy. Bottoms will stay soft and pliable so you can open them without breaking. Are these beautiful or what?

Fill with Lettuce, etc.

This recipe is for 2 dozen tacos because that is what 2 lb of ground beef will make. You may have a little filling left over.  Freeze it or use it in a taco salad the next day. Making half the recipe should not affect the Points.

Edit: I just realized, I didn't put the best picture of all in!!

These are moist and delish and when you bite into them,. they crunch.  Divine! 

According to the WW Recipe Builder these are 3 POINTs per taco or 8 POINTs for 3.  I, under the threat of penalty of death, would not admit to how many I ate tonite.

Taco Night

Need I say more?!