Scout Camp

Check out the date! I have been too tired or busy to record much of anything. As I said, Steph & I were off to Camp Wilderness with the scouts. The food at camp was amazing. Shannon Rock planned the menu and was the go-to chef.



He loves to cook so the menu was extensive, delicious however, very wrong for me. On the up side, there was lots of meat meaning a variety of protein. On the down side, there was a lack of fresh salad, veggies and fruit. Watermelon, grapes and bananas were offered but, as Sonnet is quick to remind me, they are all off my list. Shannon was so sweet though; he did bring some grapefruit just for me. How thoughtful. I ask you – what would you do if your week began with gourmet (and I mean fancy and yummy one inch thick pieces of cinnamon bread) French toast and maple sausage. Other breakfast items were pancakes, bagels and cream cheese, Captain Crunch cereal. We did have breakfast burritos one morning and you know how much I love eggs. A sample of lunch and dinner items were hamburgers, coleslaw, clam chowder, tri-tip sandwiches, potato salad, nachos, egg salad sandwiches, spaghetti, cheese bread, pork chops, corn on the cob, spare ribs, home made Mac & cheese, chicken wings, etc… Most of these dishes you will recognize but each one were kicked up with fancy sauces. There was not anything served that was not made from scratch.

I have not mentioned the desserts because it will become obvious what a complete failure I was at sticking to any resemblance of sensible eating. Oh what the heck, here goes…chocolate mint pudding with crushed Oreo’s and whipped cream topping, sour cream banana cake with cream cheese frosting, German chocolate cake with, yea, home made coconut, nut, heavenly, gooey frosting, Earthquake cake, fruit/berry cobbler and the traditional Smore’s



Needless to say, I ate bad. It was all delicious to the taste but did not always set well with me. Because I have been eating leaner lately, these meals felt very heavy. I was uncomfortable and felt gluttonous. I cannot believe I use to eat like that every day. Well, maybe not like that, because I cannot cook so well; but that same way in that I had foods that were decadent. I had obscene quantities and even though my quantities this week were not as big as they used to be, I still felt stuffed. I had meal after meal with no fresh veggies or lean fruits. I understand I am ultimately responsible for what I eat and could have made better choices. After all, I did bring tuna, crackers and my granola bars as a precaution. However, all my planning did little when confronted with meal after meal of ambrosia. It was like placing a recovering alcoholic on a weeklong wine tasting tour bus. Needless to say, although it was a great week, Stephen and I both are glad to be home and more in control of what we eat.

Today I ate two spoonfuls of cottage cheese before running out the door to choir. When I returned home, I had tuna and crackers with cheese. I also had a nectarine. It’s 5:30 now and I don’t really want to much of anything. I will probably have one of my granola bars. Sonnet is supposed to come back over tonight for a walk.

Monday July 28, 2008 Phase Two Day 98:
It felt so good to get up and out walking with friends this morning. I had a couple bites of cottage cheese before I left and now that I’m back I think I will have cottage cheese and cantaloupe for breakfast.

I met with a boy scout for a merit badge this morning but after that have just been lazing around watching episodes of ‘Monk’. How wonderful to have this down time. When Sonnet got home from the dentist she offered to fix tuna and crackers. We split a nectarine to complete out lunch. After a few more minutes of Monk we were off to check out a sale at Gottschalks. Turned out to be a great sale! Errands and some unexpected serice took up the rest of the afternoon. I stopped at the store before going home. I saw some Dove brand chocolate covered almonds. Humm…dark chocolate and almonds – two of my favorite things. They are very good. When I got home, I made snack baggies consisting of two chocolate covered almonds and ten regular almonds. I have found a little chocolate goes a long way.

Stephen & I had salads for dinner. I added a smoothie to enjoy while we watched a recording of the Pioneer Broadcast. It was wonderful! The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang accompanied by the Temple Square Orchestra, of course, with featured guests the Osmond’s.

Tomorrow we weigh and measure. I do not think it will be a pretty sight. I am sure to be up a pound or two because of the scout camp week. Oh yea, I started my period today. I&N say to never count your weight and measurements during your period. Looks like I am off the hook as far as accountability tomorrow. I think I will do it anyway just to see.

Tuesday July 29, 2008 Phase Two Day 99:
Wonderful day – and it is only 10:00 in the morning! First thing, I was out the door for step class. It is so good to be in town and into my routine! Next, I came home and got right out into the garden. Both the flowerbeds were a mess. I spent hours just weeding and pruning – it was great. Sonnet came over early to weigh & measure. I was hoping to be only a pound over or maybe even break-even. What a surprise to be one pound down. Personally, I think it was the hours of gardening that sweated that pound out of me.

Now I am on my way downstairs for some cottage cheese and cantaloupe. Then into work with a stop by the bank……So I ended up going into work where Stephen called me to say that Las Palmas (a favorite nursery) was going out of business. Woo-hoo. I checked it out but not too much to talk about. I stopped by Home Depot and Blockbuster but totally forgot about the bank. Oh well, tomorrow. At home, I ate two boiled eggs as egg salad mix on crackers. I also had two of my snack baggies.

Stephen said he only wanted salad tonight so dinner will be another light one. Sonnet & I will workout at the weight lift class this afternoon and Stephen will take a bike ride........OK so when we got home from gym class Stephen was home. He said it was too hot to ride. Dinner turned out to be salad, a fresh fruit cup and a piece of yummy garlic & lemon chicken Sonnet made.

On the road

Wednesday July 9, 2008 Phase Two Day 79:
Good morning! Walked with friends this morning then came home and ate cottage cheese watermelon and cantaloupe. Simple chores around the house as well as blog and email catch-up. It is so hot today – 106 at present. I am supposed to pick up light fixtures for the cabin today but I do not want to go out running errands in this heat. For lunch I mixed tuna, green onions and celery and had it on my favorite crackers. Earlier I had a snack of almonds and one piece of Dove chocolate.

I picked up Sonnet this afternoon – yea she is home. She had a great time in Seattle but is happy to be home. When we got back to the house I made a taco salad. Sonnet did not have any because her tooth was really bothering her. That’s all I had tonight - nice and light.

Thursday July 10, 2008 Phase Two Day 80:
Running back up to the Tahoe cabin today. My friends Dave Knotts is contracted to put a new deck on the cabin. I have eaten cottage cheese & cantaloupe and am taking a baggie of almonds and three pieces of Dove chocolate. Eating right on a seven hour road trip is always a challenge but I have no desire to junk out……..OK so I am back from my trip. I did great! On the way up I only had the almonds and chocolate. When I arrived the guys were heading out for a golf game. I had a snack of strawberries and blueberries. For dinner I ate a salad and a peach smoothie. They got back late and brought pizza. I ate one piece then set out for a power walk. I was gone about 50 minutes – it felt good.

Friday July 11, 2008 Phase Two Day 81:
Got up and had cantaloupe. The guys were back at the deck and I was busy putting up light fixtures inside. I am so proud of myself for learning how to get them installed – the good news is I only got shocked twice – very exciting. I made the crew a nice lunch of tuna sandwiches, potato salad, watermelon and berries. I threw in the leftover cream cheese pastries that were in the frig from the family gathering last week. I restricted myself to one tuna sandwich and some watermelon. The guys were going to finish out the day then head home for the weekend. Later that afternoon I left them there and headed for Sacramento to spend the night at Shelly’s. We had a nice visit and went out for a chicken salad dinner.

Saturday July 12, 2008 Phase Two Day 82:
This morning everyone was sleeping in. I woke up an got on the road about 9:00. I wanted to eat something good. I did not particularly want fast breakfast food although a McDonald egg mcmuffin sounded good. But, I recently learned that McDonalds financially and openly supports the gay movement, so, that is the end of McDonalds for me. My search for something to eat eventually lead me to a grocery store. I picked out a nice peach and found a good granola bar. That lasted me all the way home.

I arrived at the house just as Stephen & Sonnet were returning form the show. We were all hungry and began to graze. I ate three small pieces of tri-tip, 2/3 of a large nectarine and a couple crackers. Sonnet & I went to the store and Blockbuster to rent the movie P.S. I love You. When we got back I went outside to check out the garden. Stephen & Sonnet came out and we all puttered around. Steph cleaning the pond filters, Sonnet & I trimming plants and weeding. When we got back in I made a yummy chicken salad and we settled into our movie. Sonnet & I had planned to take a walk but it was way dark when we were finished. I was ready for bed.

Sunday July 13, 2008 Phase Two Day 83:
Sonnet & I weighed in today – Yea, I am down another pound and Sonnet is down three and a half. Today I am going to wear a new dress. It is cute and only fits me because of the weight loss. I grabbed two spoonfuls of cottage cheese and the other ¼ of my leftover nectarine before I raced out the door to choir…….Our choir sang so beautifully today. Now that I am home again I am so hungry. The first thing I reached for was one of the new granola bars. Very good and very satisfying.

Sonnet & I are leaving for Shelly’s house in a while so I think I’ll make some tuna and have a good lunch before we head out…….well I did not have tuna but before I got in the car I had some chicken. I packed a baggie of almonds and two chocolates for the road.

We arrived in good time. She fed up egg, bacon and tomatoes in a lettuce wrap. Shelly, Sonnet & I took a long walk this evening through the neighborhood. The homes are very nice and the yards manicured. Oaks majestically dot the landscape with a mixture of pine, monkey puzzle, quaking aspen and a large amount of crepe myrtle in full bloom. A plethora of flowers adds splashes of color. Beauty, good company and conversation made for a wonderful evening.

Monday July 14, 2008 Phase Two Day 84:
Eggs and bacon at Shelly’s before we left for the Tahoe cabin. Dave, Wyatt & his helper Edgar left early this morning to go up to the cabin to start the new deck projects. On the way up I snacked on almonds and two pieces of chocolate. In Tahoe, Sonnet & I lunched at the marina. She tried the chicken lettuce wrap and I enjoyed the Cobb salad. We were eating outside on the terrace under an umbrella when the weather turned. It began to rain fierce. I couldn’t believe it! It came down hard then turned to hail. Fun! Our lunch was uninterrupted because of the umbrella. We decided to wait it out before deciding to get back to the car. During a break in the cloudbursts, we made a two-block dash, hopped into the car and drove to the store. There we bought supplies for the next few days of meals for Dave’s work crew and ourselves. I fixed Taco salad with watermelon and cantaloupe. Sonnet & I took a walk then the guys and me played Dominos until pretty late. Great day.

Tuesday July 15, 2008 Phase Two Day 85:
Everyone was up by 7:00. Sonnet and & fixed a yummy breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and cantaloupe. I only had cantaloupe and a piece of bacon. The guys are off to the lumber yard to pick up materials. Today is my day to churn and burn around the cabin. Cleaning, organizing and washing all towels and linens. By lunchtime we were hungry. I made ham & swiss sandwiches for the guys and put out watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes and the leftover taco salad. That’s what I had – taco salad. I topped it off with cantaloupe.

The piano tuner came and went. The dishwasher was delivered, the fire person came to give us the permit to cut down some trees and the dishwasher installer guy came. Some where in there I made smoothies for everyone. By the time everyone left it was 6:30. The guys cleaned up and we all headed down the mountain to Shelly’s. Sonnet & I stopped in Placerville at Mel’s Diner for dinner. Great Cobb salad! At Shelly’s we stayed up until 2:00. I had one piece of dark chocolate as a snack.

Wednesday July 16, 2008 Phase Two Day 86:
Shelly came in and laid down beside me about 8:30. She smelled fresh out of the shower and announced to me it was time to get up and in the shower. When I got out, eggs and spam were waiting and surprisingly delicious. I am going to have to remember spam in the future. Our first stop was to Craig & Sally’s home. After a nice visit, they gave her a B-day gift and a cake Sally made. We all had a piece together before we left.

Next we hooked up with Sonnet for some shopping and pedicures. Lunch was at a new restraint called U-Food. Fabulous! I had tri-tip chunks and salad. We tried their organic, whole wheat oatmeal raisin cookies – Outstanding! Later that afternoon, back at the house, I had a sliver of Shelly’s raspberry pie. It was soooo tart and tasty. The crust was especially good. For dinner we ate chicken, cauliflower and a bit more pie. Sonnet & I left of a fast 40 minute walk. Now that sounds like a pretty good day……………….but wait…….remember that chocolate cake Sally made for Shelly’s B-day? Oh yea, I had a big piece with ice cream while we watched a movie later that evening. Neris strikes again!

Thursday July 17, 2008 Phase Two Day 87:
Pirate Party Day!



Weeks ago Sonnet told me about a pirate Bunco party she attended. I thought that would be so much fun. Then I tried to think who would like the idea as much as me and I came up with one name – Shelly! I zipped of an email with the idea and a date Sonnet I & could come up. It worked out perfectly with her birthday so that’s how Pirate Party Day cane to be. We were having 10 couples over for a pirate Bunco party. First thing in the morning we set out to clean the house and decorate. I cannot even remember what I ate that day. The day was wonderful and the party was a blast! We served tri-tip and a big fruit salad. Every couple brought something to add to the feast. I know I had the tri-tip and fruit as well as Spanish dip on sourdough bread and baked beans. I sampled the bowls of nuts and M&M’s. Honestly it is a blur. After the Bunco we served up a Birthday cake. I only had a half piece but I think I went back for more bread and dip.

Friday July 18, 2008 Phase Two Day 88:
Today is Blake’s 25th B-day. My plan is to run back up to the cabin to meet with the tree guy and clean up a bit. Then Sonnet & I will head down the valley to Fresno and meet Blake & Sara, her parents and Stephen for dinner. We headed out early and caught breakfast on the road. Once at the cabin all went well and much was accomplished. We decided to stop for lunch in Placerville at Carrows this time. I had a Denver Omelet and Sonnet had some Salmon. Once on our way, we made it to Fresno about 15 minutes before the arranged Dinner time. I had a delicious Santa Fe salad.

We had a nice visit then all went back to B&S’s apartment for gifts and cake & ice cream. We did not get home until around midnight. I am so glad to be back in my own bed. Even if it is only for two nights. Monday morning Stephen and I are off to the mountains with 14 young men from the ward – Scout camp!

Tahoe Vacation

Wednesday July 2, 2008 Phase Two Day 72:
Today we are off to Tahoe – Yea. But there are things to do before we leave. First, one boiled egg down and off to walk with friends. When I got home, I churned and burned to get ready for an 8:00 appointment at the office. A made it all right but the appointment did not. After waiting a ½ hour I came home to pack. By 10:00 the house was clean, I was packed and ready to go. Stephen has arrived and now is doing his gathering up. Oh, I cleared the frig of things that would spoil and consequently ate the leftover tuna with three crackers.

We are off. Stephen & I like to read out loud or listen to books on CD while traveling. For today we chose a murder mystery and are tootling up the valley. Stephen did not sleep very well last night so a couple hours up the road we stopped to change drivers. A Wal-Mart was handy so we stopped for snacks and drugs. Just a side note– I started my period today. Maybe that is why I haven’t been moving down the scale this week. I&N say not to be bothered by anything during the period week so I won’t. Anyway I had cramps pretty bad and needed some Pamprin. As snacks I grabbed Jerky, almonds and sugar free Dove dark chocolate. It is very good. OK, so we are on the road again. He reclined to rest a bit as the story continued.

A few hours later we stopped for a bathroom break. I was able to call Sonnet in Washington. She is doing well and eating pretty good. Her good friend Diesel was there for a work thing and they had a nice weekend together. We talked eating and exercise. It is wonderful to touch base with her about this – keeps it real and alive. We decided to catch dinner in Placerville. Had a wonderful Oriental chicken salad. We reached the cabin around 7:00. It is so beautiful here. The air smells mountain fresh. Ran into Railey’s from some groceries. I found some cookies that look interesting. We will try them. Lots of grains – kind of like a granola bar.

Thursday July 3, 2008 Phase Two Day 73:
Sooooo wonderful to be here in the Tahoe cabin. Our cousins are some of the most gracious people we know. They have always been extremely generous with this beautiful vacation home. We can’t wait for them to arrive this evening and join us. Stephen & I both had cantaloupe and cottage cheese for breakfast. We are heading out on a bike ride this morning. Not sure how far but sure to enjoy the beauty of the day………It was a great ride, about 25 miles. Boy it is hilly up here. I have ridden 25 miles many times but these hills wore me out. We stopped for lunch at a marina on the lakeshore. I ordered the Cobb and Stephen had the Shrimp Louie salad. Just hit the spot. Home and showered and feeling good and pooped. Stephen is preparing kabobs for tonight’s dinner. We plan to eat early, around 5:00, so we can get in some fishing tonight. Before bed we had a peach smoothie and watched an old movie.

Friday July 4, 2008 Phase Two Day 74:
Happy Independence Day! Cousins rolled in around midnight last night. This morning we all got up at our leisure. Breakfast was lovely, as Betsy brought the entire produce section of Costco with her. We had bacon, eggs, honeydew, blueberries and raspberries. So good. A contingency has just left for the first adventure. A few will climb Mt. Talac and others are off 4-wheeling. I am here alone to wait for my Mom’s bus to arrive. I made a carrot cake and hope it will turn out OK. I picked up pineapple chunks instead of crushed pineapple by mistake so it won’t have as much moisture, flavor or actual fruit – bummer.

The bus was late so I shopped around while waiting for Mom. Bad news, I ate peanut M&M’s. Mom and I got back to the cabin and I will admit – it has begun. I served up sandwiches, the carrot cake, ate cherries galore, crackers with cheese and ham…what else….oh, and popcorn. Later I had some toast and jam. Mostly we sit around, visit, play games and you guessed it – eat.

This afternoon Betsy & I played tennis or should I say, played at tennis. It was good exercise and good fun. Around 6:00 I was left to make dinner while Stephen & Bets went to pick up the hikers. All went well on the mountain. Except for sore mussels, exhaustion and starvation, our hikers are fine. For dinner I made a wonderful salad with greens, carrots, eggs, feta cheese, tomatoes, both green and red onion and celery then covered the whole thing with fresh squeezed lemon. We had chicken thighs but very little seasonings, in fact only salt and pepper. So, I crushed up some brochette crackers and after dipping the meat in eggs I rolled them in the crackers then fried them in butter. The chicken turned out surprisingly well and was appreciated by all. I rounded out the plates with asparagus. Although we had plenty of dinner, Marshall broke out the lemon meringue tarts of which we all partook. If that wasn’t bad enough I had another piece of carrot cake.

Saturday July 5, 2008 Phase Two Day 75:
The plan was to get up and go fishing. Plans were made to be changed. We woke up at our leisure and visited most of the morning. Eggs, bacon and fruit again this morning – so yummy. We did make it out the door and on our way to Echo Lake for fishing about 1:00. We ended up taking Marshall & Johanna with us. It was Johanna’s first time fishing and she was adorable. Peanut M&M’s was not the best choice for a snack but it happened. We of course did not catch a thing, but a good time was had by all. We were headed back to the cabin but Marshall had his mouth set for a fish dinner so some of the group went to the fishing hole where they could make sure they caught something. At the cabin we snacked terribly. Cookies, cheese & crackers, and an ice cream treat.

The fishing crew came home with beautiful trout. They had not eaten all afternoon so I made fruit smoothies while Marshall cooked a lovely dinner of trout, spinach and corn on the cob. They were very good and tied us over until our delicious dinner was ready. Betsy & I enjoyed a nice evening walk around the neighborhood.

We stayed up very late playing Liars dice, Hearts and Sequence. Popcorn and the last of the carrot cake was heartily munched during the games.

Sunday July 6, 2008 Phase Two Day 76:
Mel was up and fixing tasty eggs this morning. Steph, Mom, Johanna & I left for church around 9:30. We got back at 1:30 to find Mel, Betsy & Marshall gone 4-wheeling. We were scheduled to eat our final meal together at 3:30 so I began preparing taco salad fixings. The 4-wheelers came in and started munching, well. Let’s be honest, we all started munching on fruit and some very gooey cream cheese pastries. Betsy brought them so I bear no responsibility for their presence in the cabin. Unfortunately, that is where my absolution ends for it was I who brought them out and warmed them in the oven. They were heavenly but I was sick to my stomach afterwards. When I do not have sweet, sweet things like that for a long time, my system cannot handle it.

I took a break from the kitchen to stretch out on the floor and put Marshall to work cutting up a watermelon. A rousing game of Phase 10 and Mel’s trip to the hardware store set dinner back a bit. Every time I caught anyone snacking on anything I made them promise they would eat a lot of taco salad. That really was not a problem because the salad turned out exceptionally well. I used the mixed greens from Costco combined with a head of shredded iceberg lettuce, two avocados, tomatoes and green onions. Then diced together, red onion, cilantro, red & green bell peppers. Limejuice was squeezed on the mix. Seasoned taco meat and Fritos were available on the side. Scrumptious!
Thus ended another wonderful gathering wrapped up in Tahoe.

Monday July 7, 2008 Phase Two Day 77:
Cleaning up, packing up and heading home. We stopped at McDonald’s in Placerville for a breakfast of an egg Mcmuffin, potatoes and orange juice. Down the road, we had In & Out for lunch. What can I say – we were traveling and not even trying. Home at last. Dinner was turkey, cheese and crackers. We did have to run to Wal-Mart and I got a tollhouse ice cream cookie sandwich. Gratefully this day is over and tomorrow I can get back to some sense of order in my menu.

Tuesday July 8, 2008 Phase Two Day 78:
Yea, I got up and went to step class. At home I made eggs and bacon with a couple pieces of watermelon for breakfast. So far three glasses of water down. I feel like purging all the sugar from my system. I have made and interesting retrospective observation; both times I ate peanut M&M’s over the last few days I remember thinking, “What is the big deal with these?” They did not explode with flavor as I thought they should or remembered they did. I am finding there are certain things I indulge in that give me satisfaction worth the indulgence. I should stick to those when making a choice. The smorgasbord of sweets so readily available may tempt but usually leave me unsatisfied, disappointed and even feeling physically sick.

Today is weigh in day but without Sonnet I will wait another week. Maybe not – she arrives back home tomorrow and might want to weight in Thursday because we will be gone next Tuesday. We will see. OK, after running a few errands I came home to eat a piece of chicken, a peach smoothie, a handful of almonds and one piece of chocolate for lunch. Next I am off to my weight life class at the gym……..Good workout - I love that class. It kills me but I feel so good. I came home and fixed a quick Taco salad before Stephen had to leave for interviews.

Carrot Cake and Ice cream

Friday June 27, 2008 Phase Two Day 67:
Walking with friends is a great way to start the day. Cantaloupe and cottage cheese for breakfast and supplements got my morning started. I knew I would be going into the office today so I made a small carrot cake to take for my office friends. Actually, I made two, one to take to the Pritchett’s and one for the office. I continue to experiment with the recipe and this time I think it is perfect. I used one carrot cake mix, one can pumpkin, one small can crushed pineapple (drained), 2 eggs, ¾ cup water and 1 cup each: raisins, walnuts, coconut. Top with cream cheese frosting and nuts.

My morning was busy and by the time I arrived at the office at 1:30, I had still not eaten anything more than breakfast. Although I was bringing a surprise treat, when I got there Phyllis surprised me. She said she knew I was coming in today and so she picked up a chocolate pie from Marie Callenders. That was so nice. Well, we put both goodies out in the lunchroom and invited everyone to come and join us. I probably would have had a piece of my carrot cake anyway because I wanted to sample the recipe, but I did not plan on a piece of pie also. They both were delicious.

So with two desserts for lunch I was on the road to dinner. Stephen & I went out to take in dinner and a movie. I suggested dinner at Chili’s because of the wonderful salad I had there earlier this week when Sonnet & I were with Sara & Blake. It was another delicious chicken salad. Now I don’t know if it was because I had had the desserts and was in dessert mode or what, but I decided to order one of the featured treats from the menu. It was a small – and I mean small, shot glass with fudge and a piece of brownie. I added a scoop of vanilla ice cream to it. While very cute in presentation, it lacked in taste. I did not finish the ice cream. Now we were off to the show. Wouldn’t you know it we received a free popcorn with our ticket purchase. You do not have to redeem the coupon but of course we did. The final break down was on the way home I asked Stephen to stop at Rite Aid because I wanted an ice cream cone. Remember when I told you about going to the chocolate shop for a treat, ordering sugar free chocolate in an effort to ‘be good’, then being so disappointed with it going back and ordering the real stuff? Well I think that is what happened here. At dinner I wanted a dessert and when I got that pathetic little offering they dished up I was unsatisfied. An argument could be made that with a piece of pie and a piece of carrot cake already consumed, how could I feel unsatisfied, but I do not like to argue so we will ignore that little detail.

Saturday June 28, 2008 Phase Two Day 68:
Getting up at 8:20 feels so good sometimes. Stephen was up and gone for a bike ride at 6:30. Did I mention that he did not have an ice cream last night? Well done him. During phase two, I&N let you add new food back into your diet one item at a time and only one new item a week. This is to let you see how the food item affects your system and weight. When introducing wheat I dove in very fast. The crackers I like are so good and I began eating them every day. I think they plugged me up a bit but I am trying to counter balance that with fruit. I need to make sure I am eating enough green leafy every day. It becomes easy to reach for crackers and tuna instead of a salad.

Stephen just called to have me pick him. He had a nasty fall 38 miles into his ride. He is bloody and scraped but not broken. When he is out of the shower I will fix bacon and eggs with fruit for breakfast……Yummy breakfast but boy is Steph banged up. He has pretty good road rash and a huge goose egg the size of a cantaloupe on his hip.

Busy at the computer all day so I grabbed three crackers with turkey and cheese as a quick lunch. For dinner I fixed a big salad with egg, cheese, tomatoes and grilled chicken. I had an avocado so I combined it with some ranch dressing, a hint of lime and green taco sauce. It made a very zesty dressing. We sat down to watch a movie and I enjoyed a peach smoothie. I topped the evening off with the last piece of my carrot cake.
No real exercise today.

Sunday June 29, 2008 Phase Two Day 69:
Took so long getting ready this morning that I didn’t have time for breakfast – a no-no. Church was wonderful. Stephen spoke in a combined Relief Society, Priesthood, Young Men & Young Women third hour. He is a good Bishop. His bandaged were oozing and will have to ne redressed. Poor guy, he is very sore.

When I got home I had crackers and turkey with cheese. When Stephen arrived, I made him some also and had a second helping myself. We laid down for a wonderful nap. This evening, I can’t remember how it came up, we were talking about fried green tomatoes. We decided to go to the kitchen to experiment. I had a big beefsteak tomato that fried up beautifully. Actually it was smooshie on the inside and we determined to prevent smooshiness ‘green’ tomatoes were necessary. Ripe red ones just were not the same. Steph thought eggs, bacon and fried tomatoes sounded like a good dinner. I only had a couple pieces of bacon, a bit if tomato just to see what it tasted like and a couple pieces of cantaloupe.

Sonnet is gone so I did not get in a walk. Just as a side note; I hop on the scale most mornings. I only record on Tuesday but I usually have and idea how I am doing. For some reason I am up a few pounds. Maybe it has to do with the wheat, not sure. I will see what the next few days brings.

Monday June 30, 2008 Phase Two Day 70:
Good morning! The alarm went off at 5:00 to signal it was time for us to get up and remove Stephens bandages. They came off pretty well. He was worried there would be dried spots that would need to soak off – so far so good. He showered and we redressed the wounds. He is stiff this morning.

I had a few bites of cantaloupe then hurried out the door to walk with friends. When I got back it was time to plant the pumpkin starts I received yesterday at church. It seems we are having a pumpkin contest at our ward fall social and everyone was given starts to plant for the contest. Should be fun. Just worked around the house this morning. For breakfast I ate more cantaloupe with cottage cheese. Lunch was tuna & crackers.

I am off to run errands and am going to stop by the store to get the ingredients for one the Rachael Ray recipes. I’ll let you know…………Stephen is not home yet but I have just finished in the kitchen and cannot wait to try my new concoction. It is a take-off of a RR recipe. Because it is such a hot summer day I do not feel like a hot or heavy dinner. I choose a salad of sorts. It calls for corn fresh off the cob. I am not supposed to have corn so I only used ½ cup of frozen corn, blanched it and threw it into a big bowl. Next, I cut about 1/3 red onion very thin and added it to the corn. A can of white beans were rinsed and added to the bowl in place of the called for kidney beans. Next, it called for 2 cups of elbow pasta. That was definitely not acceptable so I am trying cabbage instead. I cut the cabbage into small rectangular pieces about the size of elbow pasta. I then poured it into a pot of boiling water. My thought is to take the edge off the crisp crunch without turning it to mush. I rinsed it in cool water and added it to the bowl. On the stove, I browned a pound of hamburger in taco seasoning mix. The recipe called for 1 ½ tablespoon chili power but I had the mix so I used it. I diced the rest of the red onion and threw it in with the meat. So…the meat has been drained and is cooling on the counter. The bowl of corn, red onion, white beans and cabbage is on the counter at room temperature. I plan to add the two together when I dish it up. I have tomatoes out to quarter and add when serving as well as some graded cheese. Oh, I forgot, as suggested I have mixed 4 Tbls light olive oil with the juice of a lime (actually it said 1/3 lime juice but I like lots) and ¼ cup chopped cilantro. I will toss that on as part of the serving prep. Sounds Yummy to me!..........It is hit, very tasty. For dessert, I ate a package of dry sugar free hot chocolate while we watched a movie. After the movie, Stephen & I took a nice evening walk.

Tuesday July 1, 2008 Phase Two Day 71:
Today is my Mom’s 86th B-day! I called her for a lunch date but she was already booked – I tell you, you have to get in early with her. She is free for dinner so we are going to do that instead. Now I know it is weigh in day but without Sonnet I will forgo the recording as well as the tape measure.

Started today with my step class. Now I am going down to the kitchen to serve up some cottage cheese and cantaloupe. I spent most of the morning creating a slide show of my mom for today’s blog – I think it turned out nice. Part way thorough I grabbed a dried fruit and almond snack. For lunch, I heated some leftovers from last night’s concoction and a peach smoothie. It is five after four so I bet get on my way to weight lift class.

Class was great, after which I hurried home to clean up. When I was ready I picked up my mom to take her to dinner. We decided on the Outback. Of course, I had a yummy Queensland salad. Mom had the ‘Joey’ serving of Ribs and sweet potato. They brought a scoop of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce with a candle in it for her. The ice cream only whetted our appetite for real ice cream so I stopped at Dewar’s on the way home. We each ordered a scoop of peppermint stick ice cream with hot fudge. I know, but it was her 86th birthday! Surely you could see I had to join in the festivities.