Traditional Tuesdays

I've had a bit of a hiccup on the weight loss train. DH and I fell "off the wagon" when we were super busy last week. Then this weekend we were determined to hop back on and I got sick. My throat hurt so bad I wanted to rip it out of my neck! So, all I wanted to eat was Chicken Noodle Soup and Popsicles. However, on this little detour I've noticed a couple of things:

1) When I'm eating low-carb and I get hungry I don't get whacked out. Last week when I was off of a low-carb diet and I got hungry (ie my blood sugar dropped) I would get emotional, kinda depressed, overwhelmed and have great difficulty making decisions. I CRAVED sugar and had a very hard time making the best choice for a nutritious meal. I had fallen off the low carb wagon but we still had fruit and veggies in the house and I could have eaten healthy. Nope, I would dive for the cookies and bread. So, I had this amazing realization, when I eat low carb and my blood sugar drops I'm just hungry and a bit grumpy (who isn't?). I'm not overly emotional or overwhelmed. It's pretty easy to choose the healthiest thing for me to eat. When I'm low-carb I see food as fuel instead of comfort.

2) I get terrible stomach aches when I'm hungry and not eating low-carb. I feel like I'm going to throw up but I'm hungry....it's awful. When I eat low-carb, nope, hunger just feels like hunger.

3) I don't eat breakfast when I'm "off". I drink coffee like a madwoman all morning and then at noon I'm STARVING and craving, yep, sugar and bread.

4) And my final observation is about how often I get hungry. On the wagon, I eat 3 meals a day and get hungry every 3-4 hours. Off, I'm hungry every 2 and I'm not just hungry, I'm "whacked out" like I described above.

So, I have new motivation to get back on the low-carb wagon and the weight loss train! Not only do I want to lose weight but I want to FEEL BETTER! I don't want to be on an emotional rollercoaster all day long depending on where my blood sugar is registering. And those stomach aches are awful! Today I'm going to stick with Chicken Noodle soup but if I feel better tomorrow it's back to eating the way that makes me feel best!

Here is my favorite low-carb recipe for the week:

scallops
2-4 T butter (depends on how many scallops you have)
parmesan cheese
parsley (optional)
green onions (optional)
garlic (optional)
bacon

Place scallops very close together on tin foil on broiler pan. Melt butter, pour over scallops, sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Broil for about 10 minutes on low until the parmesan cheese is lightly browned. Top scallops with minced parsley, green onions and/or minced garlic. While scallops are cooking, cut bacon strips in 1/2 and cook in frying pan until done but still soft. Allow bacon and scallops to cool a bit, wrap bacon around scallops and secure with toothpick. Serve over a hearty salad with dressing. If you are in a hurry, just cut the bacon in to 1X1 squares and toss in with the salad and scallops. Make sure you take at least one bite with a scallop and bacon though!

Note: Veggies for the salad that go with the bacon wrapped scallops particularly well are snap peas, red bell pepper, romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado! The dressing I like with it is ranch and DH likes bleu cheese.

Monday Morning Random Fact

It's hard to think of a Random Fact through my haze. I'm sick today. My head feels like it's being squeezed in a vice grip, throat hurts, cough, runny nose, blah, blah, blah. Summer colds just stink. All I want to do is snuggle under the covers and drink hot tea but it's going to be over 100 degrees today so I doubt the covers and tea would make me feel better. Anyway............

Okay, I got one. I was a ballet dancer when I was young. I was really, really into it. I went 4-6 times a week to classes. I helped in the beginner's class to help pay for my own lessons. Even though I never aspired to be a professional dancer I worked hard at ballet. I even got on point at age 10 which is on the young side for point. The only reason I quit is we moved and there was no where to take lessons in the town we moved to. It had a population of 350, not kidding.

Friday Funnies

I got this from an article in "Cookie" magazine. I had tears rolling down my face as I spit out my coffee all over the table because I was laughing so hard at this. I've had so many of these same thoughts about Pre-school TV........

"Mysteries of Pre-school TV by Julie Klam"

Max and Ruby
Where the hell are the parents? How old is Ruby anyway? She takes her little brother into town on the bus, grocery shops, puts Max to bed.... Every time Grandmother leaves after a visit, you want to yell,"No! Don't go! They'll be alone again!"

Miffy and Friends
What's with her strange lack of seating? Her parents drive a convertible, yet they don't have any kitchen chairs. At dinner, they all stand at the table. Why? The show is European, so they must have access to IKEA.....

Arthur
How can an animal character have another animal as a pet? He has a dog, Pal yet the janitor in his school is also a dog. Is it some kind of social commentary? He's not the only one either--this all dates back to the classic Mikey-Pluto-Goofy conundrum.

Franklin
Why doesn't he sleep in a bed? Instead he's stuck with a rug on the floor. Yes, he's a turtle but all the other animal leads get to sleep in beds.

The Backyardigans
What the heck is Uniqua anyway??? Tyrone is a moose, Austin is a Kangaroo, Pablo is a penguin, Tasha is a hippo.........Uniqua is a????? My best guess is a prehistoric bug.

And here is one of my own questions about a kid's show..........

Little Bear
Why do his parents wear clothes but he doesn't? The kid is naked all the time but his folks are dressed to the nines in Victorian formal wear.

Do you have any questions for the producers of kid's shows at Noggin, Nick Jr or PBS Sprout?

Thursday Thoughts on my Faith

Nope, still nothing this week. The only reason I'm posting at all is to keep track of my Spiritual dry spell. Maybe today will be different.............

Sick to my Stomach........................

..........................no, it's not the flu. I am just sick about the way a certain TLC Reality Show family is being ravaged, dissected, discussed, attacked and exposed in the media. I won't even say their names but it's not necessary because I'm sure EVERYONE who watches a TV in the USA knows who I'm talking about. The season premiere last week had 10 million viewers. I will admit I watched a portion of it but became uncomfortable when the interviews with the couple discussed things that should be private and turned it off. I realize that this couple has willingly participated in the show and all the media attention around it and it's possible that the family would be falling apart even if it weren't shown on TV. The couple themselves are partially to blame for the media circus around their family. However, I hate the media for exposing this family. It's sick what TV executives have allowed to continue with this show. But there is another culprit in this mess, if we the American people weren't watching there would be no public carnage of a family. The paparazzi only follows them because we, the American TV public, WANT THEM TO!!!!!!

I do not know this couple personally and I have NO IDEA what is going on in their lives. And out of decency, privacy and my love for the Institution of Marriage I am not going to discuss anything I've "heard" about them in the media here. That would be contributing to shameful gossip and I refuse to participate. I refuse to discuss even what they themselves have said because 1) it would be gossip and 2) with skillful editing and a producer's "spin" of the interviews nobody but the couple and those close to them have any idea what is really going on. I am going to discuss the modern phenomenon of "Reality TV" that has chewed this family up and spit them out...............no, swallowed them and vomited them up.

I was a HUGE fan of the first "Survivor". I thought it was a fascinating study of Group Dynamics and I was glued to my TV for every episode. As the season went on however, I became more and more perplexed that the person who I was "sure" was going to be voted off the island, was not and the "perfect, popular angel" of that episode was given the boot. I feel stupid now, not to have put it together until I watched interviews of the cast after the season ended. THEY EDITED THE SHOW, DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The producers couldn't control what the cast members would do or say but they could put a spin on each episode by showing certain characters doing/saying negative things and others only the positive so the ending would be a surprise and talked about at length by the public for days later. Also ensuring a returning audience for the next episode. How else can one explain how the cast member who seemed to be the most evil, hated member won? Do you think he was really that clever? Or is it possible the producers just edited the show so we thought he was hated by the entire cast? With the editing the show was far from "real" and might has well have been scripted. I haven't watched an episode of Survivor since. It's not a fascinating exploration of Group Dynamics, what we see on TV is not real. It's a TV show, mindless entertainment and nothing more.

Reality TV is a genre I would be thrilled to see disappear from our airwaves. It was bad enough when MTV put eight 20-somethings in a house together and put them on display for the world to see. We saw them spout off their opinions, get drunk, party, sleep together, cry, cry a lot, yell and yell a lot. I don't think it was a sound, moral idea for a show but it did/does get ratings. I can't say for certain but I'm not sure too many of these kids lives were permanently damaged by their stints on the show. While I don't think it was wise for these people to put there "real" selves on TV for a mass audience to watch and scrutinize, they are young and young people make crazy mistakes. Young adults are also resilient. They get older, reason through what they did as a young adult, process it and usually move on. Case and point, I have a beautiful tattoo on my arm down by my elbow that I put "on display" for all to see and scrutinize when I was 22. The tattoo was not a mistake but the location was and it's permanent. However, I have processed it, learned from it and moved on. I can live with it, but what if I had decided to put a tattoo on one of my children when they were born? That would be a different story...........

You see where I'm going with this. When TV executives/producers decide to put children and families on display in a "Reality TV Show" there is always a chance that some ugly stuff could be filmed. Actually, there's more than a chance and if something ugly comes up the cameras should be turned off! Period. It is completely wrong to subject children to having their family's dirty laundry put out for all the world to see. I struggle to think of how you would control that kind of damage in a child's life. Just the problems themselves in a family alone take their toll on children, why add publicity of the problems to it? Why add public discussion to a family's private struggles? WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS WOULD WANT THAT? WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS WOULD WANT THAT FOR THEIR KIDS?

My very strong opinion is that the Reality Show, unnamed here but obvious, should be canceled. First and foremost in the interest of protecting those precious children. But also to protect the sanctity and privacy of a marriage. A marriage whose partners claim to be in trouble. Marital problems should be dealt with privately and with dignity. Shame on TLC for having such disregard for Family and Marriage. Shame on them for benefiting from people's personal pain, especially innocent children's pain. What disgusting part of a human being would produce it and profit off of that? TLC, are you listening???????

I'm not saying that imperfections in the Institution of Family should be swept under the carpet and we should all turn a blind eye to the fact that marriage is hard and that many, many families have tremendous problems. What I'm saying is that it's a crime to broadcast a specific family's problems. No good can come of this. Join me in protecting children, boycott Reality TV with children in it!

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea." Mark 9:42

Traditional Tuesdays

I'm down about 12lbs and it feels so good! When I started this new weight loss journey I was thinking I wouldn't really feel much different until I got 25+ lbs off. I forgot how good even a small weight loss can feel. I'm 12 lbs lighter puts a bounce in my step and encourages me to keep going. I DO feel different and I can tell I look different but I don't think others could unless you saw me naked and only DH is allowed to do that. Yes, he has mentioned places he's noticed on my bod where I'm shrinking. Also, I should mention that DH is down about 15 lbs and he feels and looks great!

I've had a few slips and one day that was a downright disaster (I was deep in the throes of PMS so I do have an excuse) but for the most part I'm sticking to healthy eating and healthy portions and the weight is coming off. Praise God! I'm still amazed at how much energy I have even late in the afternoon. Also, I have no more acid reflux which used to plague me 4-5 times a week. So, onward and upward or downward if I'm talking about the scale! Here's a new recipe that I really like, I made it for our Low-Carb, Traditional Foods Father's Day Brunch: Egg and Sausage Casserole from Recipezaar.com

• 12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 12 ounces shredded colby-monterey jack cheese or (I used 6oz cheddar & 6oz of jack because that's what I had on hand)
  
• 6 ounces sliced mushrooms, drained(I had to leave these out ={ because DH hates them)
  
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 8 ounces julienned ham or sausage, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used only 1/4 cup to reduce carbs)
  
• 1 3/4 cups milk (I used 1 cup of milk and 3/4 cup heavy cream again to reduce carbs)
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 8 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine.

Place half of the cheese blend in the bottom of a 13x9 casserole and spread evenly.

In a medium skillet, melt butter, add mushrooms, green onions, and peppers cooking until onion and pepper are tender.

Arrange vegetables over cheese evenly.

Arrange ham or sausage over vegetables evenly.

Add remaining cheese evenly over meat.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off, in a large bowl using wire whisk, blend flour, milk, parsley, and eggs; pour over layers in dish.

Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until set and lightly brown.

Let stand for 10 minutes (to let egg and cheese set).

Cut into squares.

NOTE: To make ahead, complete recipe upto adding Custard mixture. Stop after topping with last half of cheese. Cover and place in refrigerator over night. Next morning prepare custard and bake accordingly.

Monday Morning Random Fact

My Random Fact is about my Dad, in honor of Father's Day.

Back in college my Dad into acting. He performed (and starred) in many plays at Dartmouth College. While he was in college he became friends with the girlfriend of a Hollywood screen writer who worked on "The Graduate". My Dad was given the opportunity to audition for the role of Benjamin Braddock. The story is that he was one of the final three they considered seriously for the role. Hoffman was an unknown at the time he auditioned for the movie and it pretty much set his Hollywood career in motion. My Dad could have had Dustin Hoffman's life!!!! But then would I be here? Koo, Koo, Katchoo!

Hope you had a happy Father's Day!