Saturday, October 20, 2012
Arrena's birthday is this week and so Rusty and I surprised her with a special closet door. She now has her very own Tardis... We still have to add the lettering and maybe a few more details...but it is coming together nicely and she was definitely surprised. See my facebook page for more detailed photos.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Jewerly Becomes Wall Art
Supplies:
- MDF Board
- Window Screening
- 4 - 8 small nails to put together frame
- Wood glue to glue frame together if desired
- Upholstery Nails
- Hot Glue
- Ribbon
- Small Rubber Bumper Pads
- Hanging hooks
- Paint
- Paint brush
- Ruler
- Pen/Pencil
- Hammer
Instructions:
- Cut MDF boards to the size you desire. I like to do several sizes together as it looks better than one lone piece. (Gallery Art Style)
- Sand edges of boards if needed.
- I used narrow strips of MDF to make a frame. They measured 1" x 10 and 1" x 6.5". Glue and/or nail them together to create a frame.
- Paint all pieces the desired color. I recommend 2-3 coats of paint.
- Use a ruler to mark where you want to nail your upholstery nails. I like 1 inch down from the top and 1 inch between each nail.
- Use hammer to nail upholstery nails in place using marks you made as your guide. You want to nail then about 1/2 way into the board leaving space for the necklaces/bracelets to hang from.
- Turn frame over and hot glue window screening to back glue one edge and pull as you glue to keep screening tight.
- Hot glue ribbon over the cut edges of screening to keep back neat (not necessary but easy and keeps it looking clean and neat.)
- Apply Rubber bumpers on back in four corners to slightly bump away from wall to give room for earing backs.
- Apply Hanging hooks to all pieces.
I made this particular set for my future daughter-in-law, Susan. She needed a place to keep her jewerly and their bedroom colors are chocolate and sage. I plan to make myself one and will probably make some for my other daughter-in-law and friends if they want them.
All jewerly shown in the top photo is available to purchase... please let me know if you are interested in any of it. It is all custom made by me!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
This morning as we were walking Melissa asked me how I would make a pumpkin smoothie. She had some canned pumpkin leftover after making pumpkin muffins and wanted to use it up. So, knowing I needed breakfast anyway, I gave it a try...this is what I came up with that tasted very good and was only 80 calories!
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (40 calories)
1/2 cup skim milk (40 calories)
sprinkle of each: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger
1/2 - 1 package of truvia (you could use other sweetners if preferred)
Ice
Put ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
Enjoy!
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (40 calories)
1/2 cup skim milk (40 calories)
sprinkle of each: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger
1/2 - 1 package of truvia (you could use other sweetners if preferred)
Ice
Put ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
Enjoy!
Saturday, June 09, 2012
Chocolate Truffle Mousse Cake
Truffle: (Sugar
Free version – other versions listed below)
Ingredients:
1 cup
cocoa
10 TBSP
Oil
½ cup heavy
whipping Cream
·
Mix together and Melt in
Microwave
½ cup
agave
1/8 cup
coconut Flour
4 eggs
·
Mix together and microwave for a
couple minutes until smooth
·
Note: at this point I felt mine
was too thick so I added 1 more egg + 2 more TBSP heavy whipping cream.
·
Add:
¼ tsp
coconut extract
½ tsp
vanilla
·
Pour into 2 8-9 inch round pans
that have been sprayed with Pam spray. Bake
at 325 for 30-35 minutes
Chocolate Agave Mousse
Ingredients:
½-1 cup
Heavy Whipping Cream
1/8-1/4
cup Agave Chocolate Syrup (see below)
¼ tsp
Coconut Extract
·
Using Mixer or Blender Whip
Ingredients together until fluffy and stiff peaks form.
Assemble:
·
Allow Truffle to cool.
·
Spread ½ of Mousse Mixture on top
of first layer.
·
Top first layer with second layer
and spread top with remaining Mousse Mixture.
·
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Chocolate Agave Syrup
Ingredients:
½ cup
Agave Nectar
½ cup
Water
½ cup
Cocoa
·
Mix ingredients together.
·
Microwave for 5 minutes or until
mixture thickens to consistency of chocolate syrup.
·
Add:
1 tsp
vanilla
·
Allow mixture to cool completely.
·
Pour into container and Keep in
refrigerator.
Truffle: (Alternate
Gluten Free version)
Ingredients:
10
Squares of Semi-Sweet Chocolate
½ cup heavy
whipping Cream
·
Mix together and Melt in
Microwave
1/4 cup
agave
1/8 cup
coconut Flour or ¼ cup rice or sorghum flour
4 eggs
·
Mix together and microwave for a
couple minutes until smooth
·
Pour into 2 8-9 inch round pans
that have been sprayed with Pam spray. Bake
at 325 for 30-35 minutes
Truffle: (normal
flour and white sugar)
Ingredients:
10
Squares of Semi-Sweet Chocolate
½ cup heavy
whipping Cream
·
Mix together and Melt in
Microwave
1/2 cup
sugar
1/4 cup
flour
4 eggs
·
Mix together and microwave for a
couple minutes until smooth
·
Pour into 2 8-9 inch round pans
that have been sprayed with Pam spray. Bake
at 325 for 30-35 minutes
Saturday, May 12, 2012
WOW - I think I need to give an update...
I logged into my blog today and realized it has been almost 2.5 years since I have posted anything on this site.
Rusty continues to work for Liberty Schools as a Network Administrator – he keeps their computer network up and running. He also runs the embroidery portion of our home-based business.
I continue to work full time for Kids 4 Truth International as their clubs administrator. I love talking to churches helping them to understand and utilize the program and curriculum as it would best fit their needs. As mentioned in my previous post I have worked hard this past year working to resolve some health issues and feel better than I have in a long time. I enjoy working on custom jewelry projects for our home-based business and trying to keep up with everyone including Rusty, our five children, two future daughter-in-laws, girlfriends, Rahab (our 16 year old cat), Lily (my 2 year old Pomeranian), and Autumn (Arrena’s year old kitten).
Rusty and I continue to be involved in church in a variety of areas including choir, Kids 4 Truth, Children’s Sunday School, audio/sound booth, children’s missions tour, along with other ministries and activities as they are available.
Much has happened in the past few years. Here is a quick update for those who would like to know what we are doing:
May 2010:
·
Paul walked the
graduation aisle at Bob Jones University after completing his courses in
December 2009 and starting work at Answers in Genesis in January 2010. Rusty
and I met up with Paul in Hebron, KY where we drove together to BJU for the
graduation staying at and visiting with the Roberts, Roberts, Gillens, and
Noels.
·
Peter graduated
from Tri-City Christian School and left a few days later to work at the
Creation Museum for the summer. He returned the summer of 2011 and will return
again this summer to work there again. He loves it there.
Fall 2010
·
Tim
returns to Pensacola Christian for his junior year of college.
·
Peter
goes to Bob Jones University for his freshman year of college.
·
Andrew
continues at Tri-City Christian as a junior.
·
Arrena
continues at Tri-City Christian as an eighth grader.
Timothy surprised everyone with a marriage proposal to Alyssa Joiner. He had already obtained permission to ask Alyssa from both sets of parents and was just planning the perfect time/place. He did a great job of having all the parents and siblings there for his special proposal during their annual Christmas Photo in front of the tree and waterfall at the Westin Crown Center lobby. We are all excited about the fall 2012 wedding that is being planned.
December 31, 2010-January 1, 2011 – We prayed
in the New Year with over 80 friends and family gathered at our house. This was
our largest New Year’s Eve Party ever.
Fall 2011
·
Tim
returns to Pensacola Christian for his senior year of college.
·
Peter
goes to Bob Jones University for his sophomore year of college.
·
Andrew
continues at Tri-City Christian as a senior.
·
Arrena
continues at Tri-City Christian as a freshman.
December 20, 2011- Arrena is honored by her class as the homecoming representative for the freshman class. All four of her brothers were able to attend homecoming for her special night.
April 1, 2012 – Paul gets engaged to Susan Moore on the 6th month anniversary of their first date. Interesting fact, Paul and Susan played the roles of Joseph and Mary in the Creation Museum’s Christmas Town (live Christmas nativity and town scenes.) They are planning a July 2013 wedding at Sand Run Baptist Church in Hebron, KY. Paul met Susan at work at Answers In Genesis and they enjoy Bible Studies, music ministry at church, outdoor activities with other young adults from the museum, game nights, and much more.
Looking ahead:
·
May 16, 2012 – Peter returns
to Creation Museum to work for the summer.
·
May 26, 2012 – Andrew graduates
Tri-City Christian School.
·
June 4, 2012 – Andrew begins
work at Pensacola Christian College for the summer
·
August 2012 – Peter returns
to BJU for his junior year; Andrew begins his freshman year at Pensacola
Christian College majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
·
September
2012
– Arrena begins her sophomore year at Tri-City
·
September
29, 2012
– Timothy marries Alyssa and we officially have our first daughter-in-law
(although we already feel she is our daughter).
·
July 19,
2013
– My parents celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
·
July 2013 – Paul and
Susan get married.
For those who have asked: How I Lost the Weight and Have Kept it Off
My
Journey to Better Health
Marrena Ralph
Many
people have asked me how I lost my weight and how I am keeping it off. I am
sharing this as a help and encouragement to those who want to know. I want to
emphasize that everything I did was recommended and watched over by three
different doctors (family doctor, GYN, and radiologist) – all who are thrilled
with the results. I am not encouraging anyone to do this without talking to
their doctor first, but since I have been asked multiple times for this
information I decided to write it up as a help to others.
Before
I begin details, please allow me to share what got me here and why I am
determined that this is a lifestyle change for me.
November 2010
– June 2011
It
started in the fall of 2010, although I had picked up a few pounds here and
there over several years that I couldn’t seem to take off, I started picking up
weight. From November to June I found myself picking up 15 pounds, achy much of
the time, and constantly extremely tired with no energy. The Achy and fatigue
are two are the biggest symptoms of fibromyalgia that I live with but this
seemed different. After talking to several friends including a couple nurses, I
decided to go to the doctor and have a complete blood work done – just to see
what was going on within my system.
June 2011
I
should not have been surprised, but I was – really I had been in denial over
what was going on. My blood work came back with high cholesterol (well, that
runs in the family, but mine had always been well within range before), high
blood sugar (really does not run in the family), anemic with elevated white and
red blood cells (big surprise!), and vitamin D deficient (extremely so!) I saw
the doctor just a couple days before going to camp, and we knew some of the
results but the vitamin D was still being processed and she wanted to run
another blood sugar test – but she didn’t seem overly concerned. I arrived at
camp and I knew I was sick – not only was my allergies terrible, but I had no
energy and didn’t even feel like doing things with the campers – which was very
unusual for me. I received a call at lunch on Wednesday from the nurse saying
the doctor received back my results and wanted to see me immediately and that I
must immediately go on meds for cholesterol, blood sugar, and vitamin D. I told
her I was over 12 hours away at camp and it would have to wait until next week,
but I would be in as soon as possible but didn’t want any meds until I had
another test ran. (Yes, still in denial.)
July 6, 2011
I
praise the Lord for my family and friends who were all praying for me and kept
in the know on what was going on in regards to my health. They also knew my
concern of going on medication as most cholesterol medications had a family history
of causing muscle weakness causing family members to lose ability to walk, etc.
We prayed that I would be open to listen to the doctor and that she would be
open to listening to my concerns over medication. When I went into the doctor,
her recommendation was much different from what her nurse had told me on the
phone. She wanted to immediately put me on Vitamin D in prescription form (not
a problem) but for the high cholesterol and high blood sugar she wanted to give
me “until the holidays” (she said that meant October 31) to lose my extra
weight. Her goal was for me to lose 20-30 pounds. She was also very concerned
about the anemia and wanted me to go in for a pelvic ultrasound and a mammogram
that I needed anyway (done at the same location so just do at the same time.)
My
doctor is just a couple inches shorter than I. Yes, I know that is short as I
am just 5’.5”. She told me the only way for people our size to lose weight was
to drop calories and WALK. She wanted me to walk an hour outside every day. She
said this would give me the natural vitamin D my body needed and would help me
lose weight. She said her goal for me would be about 120 pounds which would
mean I should normally eat about 1200 calories. I told her I already ate
between 1000 and 1200 calories a day and have picked up about 15 pounds in 6
months. She said in order to lose weight I would have to drastically drop
calories. She gave me this formula: daily calorie intake to maintain weight
equals goal weight x 10. In order to lose weight one must drastically reduce
calories which is calculated at basically your maintenance calories divided by
1.6.
Goal
Weight
|
Normal
Daily Calories
|
Daily Calories
to eat until goal weight
|
120
|
1200
|
750
|
135
|
1350
|
850
|
150
|
1500
|
938
|
190
|
1900
|
1188
|
200
|
2000
|
1250
|
I
left determined to follow my doctor’s instructions to the letter. AND I did! In
order to drop my calories to 750 daily I knew I would have to drop all junk
foods and most if not all sugars. I was determined to get the blood sugar under
control as additional tests had revealed I was on the borderline for diabetes
and I really didn’t want to worry about those medications and issues. Honestly,
I had never in my life counted calories so I learned to just read boxes,
labels, and to use websites to my advantage. Two websites I found very helpful
were http://www.thecaloriecounter.com/
and http://www.myfitnesspal.com/. I also knew I had to be accountable and keep
track of what I ate, so I started journaling every single bite that went into
my mouth. This included GUM! I was picky and it paid off! With being summer, I
ate many salads which were nice since fresh squash, tomatoes, salad greens,
etc. was readily available. To my amazement, I found that corn chips (nacho
chips) are a whopping 120-130 calories for just 9-10 chips! How many of us eat
just 9-10 chips when eating chips and salsa or chips and cheese?
July 6 – September
9, 2011
Before,
I get into other details I must add a sideline to this story. I mentioned the
anemia and mammogram above. Before recommending the pelvic sonogram the doctor asked
me about my monthly flow. She said that the blood work indicated that either my
monthly flow was too heavy or that I was bleeding internally. I knew I had been
experiencing very heavy cycles but figured it was due to “beginning the change”.
My doctor was shocked when I told her of my flow and said this wasn’t normal. She ordered the pelvic ultrasound which showed
that my uterus was 3 times the normal size and the endomentrum was 3 times as
thick as normal. After this, my doctor
recommended that I have a uterus ablasion. I was against this but the doctor
wanted me to go see a GYN and see what she had to say. When I went to the GYN I
learned that she feared I had cancer in my uterus due to the sizes that were
shown. She needed to go in and do a hystroscope (procedure where they use a
camera to look inside the uterus), do either a DNC or biopsy (to test for
cancer) which since she is already in there do the DNC it would be easier on my
system and take care of the thick lining, and since she was in there and would
only take another minute do a uterus ablasion (burning of the lining) so that
the problem doesn’t come back. All of this would require a weekend recovery
time with full recovery within 2 weeks and would save from a hystrorectomy. So I went in on September 9th for
this procedure and it went well. A week later, I received the official results:
No cancer was found and no additional procedures needed. I rejoiced by calling
my husband, sons, stopping by and telling my future daughter-in-law who broke
into a huge smile with me! (very special), and emailing all those who had been
praying with me.
July 20,
2011
As
for the mammogram: I received results back that I needed to go back in for a
spot compression mammogram (concentration on one specific area). Of course,
this was mid July as I am learning of all the other issues and I just wondered
what test is going to be wrong next! I went direct from a spot compression test
to the sonogram room where they did a sonogram on the area. They found multiple
combination cysts which they believed were non-cancerous but they wanted to
watch and recheck in 6 months (January).
July 6 –
October 31:
Back to the story on the weight
I
immediately started watching and journaling my calories and walking at least 1
hour a day and most days I walked 2 hours. I was determined to lose the weight
before the end of October. Every day I weighed myself using my wii fit. I
learned to wear the same clothes each time I weighed so I didn’t have any
excuses that the weight was wrong because of what I had on. I learned how to
add sweet to the diet by using truvia (stevia, a natural sweetner) and fruit. I
also learned which meats were lower in calories – for example: chicken is lower
in calories than red meat and when having hamburgers have a salmon burger
instead of hamburger – you get more ounces for your calories. I learned to budget
my calories as you would money and look for the best or most food I could get
for my calorie count. In fact, we had to watch that I ate enough calories a day
for often I was content but knew my calories were too low and if I didn’t eat
more I would be hungry all day the next day. I can honestly say that I never
ever went over my doctor’s recommended 750 calories to lose weight until I well
passed both her and my goals.
By
the end of August I had dropped 25 pounds. I went on a trip to Knoxville and
was shocked when the security guard looked at me and told me I had lost weight –
that he could tell something looked different between my drivers’ license photo
and the real me. WOW! What a compliment! At this time I was only 5 pounds from
my doctor’s goal and 15 pounds from my goal. I kept going not knowing how low I
could go and be comfortable.
Our
25th anniversary was September 20, 2011, and by this time I had passed
my doctor’s goal by 5 pounds and was 5 pounds from my goal. Both Rusty and I
was comfortable where I was but still saw I could lose more…and would stop once
when we felt I needed to stop. I continued doing as I had been instructed…walking
now only 1 time per day as school had resumed and it was difficult to get in
two walks a day before dark.
October 26 –
31, 2011
I
went back in for more blood work to see where my counts were. My weight was
down 15 pounds lower than my doctor’s goal which was another 10 pounds lower
than I was on our anniversary! I was absolutely thrilled! My counts came back:
·
cholesterol:
now normal = down 1/3
·
blood
sugar: now normal = down from 106 to 80
·
anemia
= normal with normal white and red blood counts
·
Vitamin
D = normal range – up from 11 to 98 (normal range: 30-100)
Once
again I rejoiced by calling and emailing family and friends who had prayed with
me through the journey. I also had my first splurge: I had a ½ piece of Godiva
Flourless Chocolate Cheesecake from the Cheesecake factory. We took the entire cheesecake and cut it into
16 slices instead of the normal 8 slices. We individually wrapped each slice so
that when I want a special treat I could get a slice. Of course, we calculated
the calories for this special treat just like we had been doing the entire
time.
October 30 –
November 1, 2011
Both
Arrena Jeanette and Rusty joined me on the weight loss journey.
November 1 –
December 31, 2011
Continued
to journal calories and started slightly raising my daily calorie amount.
Purposely waited until after December to raise to maintenance calorie count so
that I did not give myself excuses to gain weight or eat too much over the
holidays. I am determined to keep off the weight and not pick it right back up –
no yo-yo diets for me! This is a lifestyle change!
January 2012
Went
back in for a mammogram recheck and shocked the radiologist! When I scheduled
the appointment I told the receptionist that they would have to create a new
baseline for me as I had lost a lot of weight. At this time I had lost at least
45 pounds! They started the appointment with another spot compression test and
then sent back into the sonogram room. They had to measure each and every one
of the “multiple combination cysts” to determine changes. Half way through the
sonogram the technician asked me a few questions such as are you are vitamin E,
what did you do to lose weight, etc. We finished and she said to wait a minute
and the radiologist was waiting to review the information and would be in
shortly. The Radiologist Doctor came in pulled out a chair and sat down then
said “Tell me what you did.” He went on to tell me that all but one of my cysts
had “greatly reduced in size”. He told me what I am doing is exactly what I
should do and continue to do. During this visit I learned that Vitamin E helps
to reduce the size of cysts so I decided I would take a vitamin E supplement to
see if we can get rid of or reduce the cysts even more. He told me he would not
need to see me again for a year! Rejoicing over a great report I once again
shared with family and friends.
February 2012
I
once again had my blood work checked. This time for me as I wanted to make sure
counts were staying steady and as fatigue had set in again. I thought it was
probably the fibromyalgia as February is always my low time of year, but I
wanted to be sure. I also raised the amount of vitamin D I was taking as I was
no longer on prescription strength vitamin D. My counts all came back good –
even the vitamin D; however, it had dropped in 3 months from 98 to 68 so I know
I want to keep an eye on it. I am looking forward to the summer months when I
can walk outside again and get natural vitamin D. My blood sugar is staying
consistent as is my cholesterol counts. This is despite adding additional
calories and agave.
January – May 2012
I
continue my journey to good health. I have learned to add agave in many recipes
and this has given me opportunities to enjoy good sweets. One of our favorite
desserts continues to be my Frozen Yogurt which I will list below. It satisfies
that urge for sweet, cold, and ice cream while at the same time being good for
you.
I
also officially hit the lost over 50 pound mark. I am still working to get my
calorie count up to a maintenance amount. I find if I don’t eat enough my
weight drops and if I eat sugar it usually is up a little the next day. My
weight, like anyone’s, flexes between 1-2 pounds plus or minus, and I am within
1-3 pounds of what I was when I got married.
It
is rare if I allow myself to go over a maintenance calorie count per day. I
have done so on a couple occasions such as my trip to the Children’s Ministry Leaders
Conference at the Creation Museum and the trip to Pensacola, Florida for Tim’s
college graduation. However, these couple days off did not cause me to gain any
weight and it was nice to feel I could have a treat when needed/wanted without
wrecking all I had accomplished.
Now,
that you know the history and story of why I went on my plan I will outline
what I did to make this happen.
Daily:
·
I
ate 750 calories – this was broken down as follows:
o
Breakfast
100-150 calories
o
Lunch
100-200 calories
o
Supper
350-400 calories
o
JOURNALING
is a must!
·
I
drank lots of unsweetened tea. I love Teavana Teas (www.teavana.com) as they come in many flavors
and caffeine levels.
·
I
walked 1-2 hours a day. Usually 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the late
afternoon/evening.
Typical meals:
·
Breakfast
o
Cereal days:
§ 1 cup rice
chex – preferably dry (I don’t like soggy cereal!) (1 cup = 100 calories)
§ IF I use
milk, I now use skim milk. I will only use about 1/8 – ¼ cup of milk for a
calorie count of 10-20 calories)
§ I don’t
sweeten my cereal. However, you could add truvia for 0 calories.
§ Iced or hot
tea
o
Smoothie
days:
§ 1 cup (140
grams) frozen strawberries (50 calories)
§ ½ small
banana (50 calories – calculated at 1 gram = 1 calorie)
§ 2 TBSP
nonfat yogurt (13 calories depending on brand)
§ Truvia
Packet
§ Water to
desired consistency
·
Lunch
o
Salad days (combination
of salad components…added carefully to make sure it doesn’t get too calorie
costly)
§ 1 cup (50
grams) Romaine Lettuce (10 calories)
§ 1 cup
Spinach (7 calories)
§ ¼ cup yellow
squash (1 cup or 113 grams = 18 calories) This baby is a jewel in filling up in
the summer months.
§ 2 TBSP
chopped tomato
§ Carrots
§ Celery
§ Yellow
Banana Peppers (5 calories)
§ 2 TBSP of
Black Beans or Garbanzo Beans (when needed for more calories or flavor – fewer calories
if you use dry beans and cook yourself as canned beans are more calories)
§ 1-2 TBSP
Kraft Free Dressing (15-20 calories)
o
Potato Days (one of the
following)
§ Baked Potato with Non-Fat Yogurt – Baked Potato
is grams x .93 to calculate calories so almost 1 calorie per gram. The Walmart
Non-Fat Yogurt is approximately 13 calories for 2 TBSP.
§ Baked Sweet Potato with Truvia Packet and
Cinnamon
– Baked Sweet Potato is grams x .9 to calculate calories. Truvia packet and
cinnamon have 0 calories.
o
Soup Days (calories
dependent upon amount and calorie count for that soup)
§ Broccoli Soup
·
1
cup soup = 60 calories
·
1
Thin Slice of Gluten Free Bread = 76 calories
§ Homemade Potato Soup
·
I
calculate calories each time I make this as my recipe is a dump and make
recipe. So add up calories for all ingredients, then weigh the soup, and divide
calories by number of grams the sum equals calorie per gram. This is the most
reliable way to calculate calories for anything.
·
Remember
if you calculate calories by gram and need to thin your soup some first add the
amount of soup you want as it was calculated and then add your additional water
for 0 additional calories. IF you use milk to thin the soup you will need to
add those calories.
§ Scrambled Egg Hash – spray pan
with pan and then add the following…cook until as done/browned as you like.
WATCH the size of your potato if you make this; however, this is very filling
and rarely get hungry.
·
1
Egg – beatened – 70 calories
·
2
TBSP Pace Pincante Sauce – 10 calories
·
Potato
(I dice then bake in microwave for 3 minutes. Remember grams x .9 – I choose
the amount to use per how many calories I want – save extras for next day if
needed.)
·
1
TBSP lowfat cheddar cheese – 20 calories.
·
Dinner
o
Meat &
Potatoes
(choose what you like from the following)
§ Chicken – 3 ounces
either grilled, pressured in pressure cooker, or boiled = approximately 100
calories
§ Salmon Patty
– Sam’s Club Patty = 130 calories
§ Other Meats –
choose size and calculate calories accordingly remembering that grilled items using
spices are fewer calories than fried, baked or other methods of cooking. http://www.thecaloriecounter.com/.
REMEMBER: you do not have to eat the entire amount…cut off and weigh what you
want/need. Yes, you can do this…just cut it before you start so you know how
much you can eat.
§ Baked Potato
– .93 per gram
§ Rice – 1 cup
cooked = 205 calories! Yikes! I rarely
eat more than ½ cup because of this. I prefer to eat potato as I feel like I
get more for my calorie count.
§ Veggie – Broccoli
or Green Beans (without butter) is 85 grams = 35 calories
§ Raw Carrots –
85 grams = 35 calories
§ Asparagus –
135 grams raw = 27 calories – calculate before steaming…then steam for accurate
accounting.
§ Yellow
Squash – this baby is great! 1 cup (113 grams) raw = 18 calories – calculate before
steaming if you want them steamed then steam.
§ Canned
veggies are more calories for fewer amount
§ Salad –
choose components and add (see above for some ideas)
o
Taco Salad
§ Taco Meat –
I always rinse and drain my meat. Add tomatoes to your meat to stretch it and
make fewer calories. Weigh your meat, cook it, RINSE MEAT, add spices (be sure
to count any calories if listed), add tomatoes (carrots are good too), then
weigh your final amount. Add all calories of all you added to your meat. Take
total calories and divide by number of grams total is the number of calories
per gram.
§ Romaine
Lettuce – 50 grams = 10 calories
§ Tomatoes
§ Peppers if
desired
§ Onions
§ Rice if
desired – BE CAREFUL 1 cup rice = 205 calories!
§ Beans if
desired – remember, cook your own beans from dry instead of using canned beans.
The difference in calories is worth it. Let me know if you need to know how to
successfully cook dry beans.
§ Salsa – I use
Pace Pincante Sauce = 2 TBSP for 10 calories.
§ Watch out
for sour cream it is calorie costly – try using plain non-fat yogurt. It works
just as well, has fewer calories, and is better for you.
·
Desserts and
Snacks
– okay we all need them. So here is what I used.
o
Dessert
§ Marrena’s Frozen Yogurt
·
140
grams of frozen fruit
o
Strawberries
= 50 calories
o
Mixed
Fruit (pinapple, mango, peaches, strawberry) = 70 calories
o
Mixed
Berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries) = 80 calories
·
2
TBSP plain non-fat yogurt (Walmart brand = 13 calories)
·
1
Truvia packet if needed
·
Light
Whipping Cream (in can) if desired = 2 TBSP = 15 calories
·
How
to make:
o
Process
fruit in food processor until they resemble small crumbs.
o
Add
yogurt and process until smooth and resembles soft serve ice cream.
o
Add
Truvia if desired.
o
Note:
you can mix your fruits…just calculate calories accordingly. Our favorite blend
is ½ strawberries and ½ mixed berries.
·
Can
be made into frozen pops – just divide total calories by the number of pops to
calculate calories per pop. These are great for that need something sweet urge
mid afternoon.
§ Marrena’s
Frappe’ = 60-80 calories
·
¼
- ½ cup cold brew coffee (I prefer cold brew but you could use regular coffee)
·
1/8
cup skim milk (10 calories)
·
1.5
TBSP Sweet Whey (15 calories)
·
1
TBSP Agave Chocolate Syrup (I make my own) (35 calories)
·
Blender
cup of ice
·
Agave
Syrup (natural or flavored) if desired for more sweetness (1 tsp = 20 calories)
·
Add
all ingredients to bullet type blender and process until ice is small bits and
drink it blended and consistency of a frappe’.
·
Note:
I have made my own syrups using trivia in the past and they aren’t bad, but not
as good as the agave syrups.
o
Snacks
§ Steamed
Broccoli with no butter – 85 grams = 35 calories – this is a great energy
booster.
§ Raw Carrots –
85 grams = 35 calories
§ Raw Celery –
1 stalk = 1 calorie
§ Raw Yellow
Squash – 1 cup (113 grams) = 18 calories
Notes:
·
It should be
noted that I am allergic to wheat. I do NOT avoid wheat to lose weight I avoid
it as I am allergic to it and it makes me sick. Therefore, you will see very
little if any bread listed in my typical meals. I also realize this helps me
avoid sweets such as cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and cakes.
·
Gluten Free
products are normally higher in calories and definitely higher on the glycemic
index. Be careful when using these products. Gluten Free does not mean Calorie
Free.
·
I do not use
sugar free products that contain sucrulose as I am allergic to this and will be
sick for several hours after eating or drinking items with it in it.