Pumpkins and yum

The power of three

Before bed last night I read the most interesting article. Written by a guy that had all of his intestines removed, it's about the digestion of meat vs vegetables. And he busts a big meat myth. It's so fascinating. It explains why I had severe IBS eating veggies and not an ounce of trouble with meat. And then flash back to my stomach cramps after the cabbage fest yesterday...

I had a bit of a restless sleep last night. I kept waking up and going back to sleep. This meant that I was tired when I got up at 7:30. I laid in bed until almost 8 before getting up and dressed. I watered flowers in and out of the house and put bacon in the oven. Kev got in from PT and I made fried eggs. I couldn't get motivated to do anything.

Leftover lunch burgers

I did get up to the office and into my chair. I did get about 30 minutes worth of work done and then it was time to change for dance. I was on the fence about going. I had just gotten going with work and I was tired. But of course I went because I know I always feel better afterwards. And I did. Got home and showered and heated me and Kev burgers leftover from last night. I melted on cheddar and mozzarella and they were so good. When I was done and very full we made a run to the store to get little Sampson his nasty wet cat food, that he now loves, and to the pumpkin patch to pick out a couple for carving with neighbors tonight.

Pumpkins

We went next door around 5:45 and started the pumpkin fun. I brought my paints and decided on a Frankenstein-ish one. I painted the pumpkin green and painted on hair and then had stickers for the face. Little did I know that the paint would come right off so although I didn't like the stickers I chose I couldn't remove them. Boo indeed.

This was lights out tasty

N made this amazing Buffalo Chicken "Pasta" and I had to try it. I had about 1/4c and it rocked my world. Just found out that spaghetti squash only has about 5.5 net carbs in a full cup so I will have to make this. With a little less onion/carrot to keep it on the lower side. I also had a few freshly roasted pumpkin seeds and 2 small squares of cheese before heading home. We crawled into bed just after 9 to read and then I welcomed sleep with open arms.

A lesson learned and sherbert

Dance day

After some good sleep I got up at 6 and headed to the bathroom as usual. Kev had yogurt in the fridge so I got back into bed and slept until almost 8. It's getting harder and harder to get going in the mornings. Maybe it's the weather changing. I cooked bacon and had a little cottage cheese with my four slices and then soon changed and went to dance.

When I got home I showered and then couldn't seem to get motivated or focused to work. I started a bit and then got hungry, perfect timing for a lunch break.

Never again

I heated last night's beef and cabbage casserole stuff and because there wasn't a lot, I was still hungry. I cooked up the other half cabbage that I didn't use last night and proceed to eat...the entire thing while watching last night's Younger. That was two bowls of cabbage. Once it was over I did get up to the office to work. And around 3 was when the lesson was learned. I started having serious stomach pains. And then the cabbage farts began and I was bloated. My innerds are not used to that much plant and fiber matter. I just couldn't get enough though. It was so dang good. Tonight will be interesting. Poor Kev.

Perfect burger

I stopped work at 6 and Kev got home soon after. I made up a few burger patties and he grilled them up perfectly. We melted on Pepper Jack and watched some Scandal.

Holy cow, Sherbert!

And then...I remembered a recipe that I saved on Pinterest and we decided to try it out. It is for a low carb blender sherbert. I went traditional orange sherbert and used a box of sugar free orange Jello. I followed the recipe and found it didn't need any extra sweetener. All I can say is that holy smokes it's amazing! It reminds both me and Kev of one of those push ups I enjoyed as a kid. Kev also said a Dreamsicle. The fun is that I can use any flavor Jello to mix it up. This was a big winner.

Wednesday already

Chilly morning breakfast

More good sleep. The windows were cracked and it got pretty cool. So cool that I had to close them when I got up this morning at 6. I got up that early to make Kev some breakfast before he headed out for work and then crawled back under the covers when he left. I dozed and didn't get up until 8:30. My stomach was growling so I made three eggs and ate the sausage links I cooked earlier.

Afternoon snack

I made a run to the grocery for meat and a few veggies before getting to work. I got busy and when I looked up it was 3PM. And I was hungry. It was too late to cook anything so I slipped on some shoes and made a quick run to McDonalds. I got two McDoubles, plain, with no buns. It was a perfect snack to tide me over to dinner. I watched last night's This Is Us and went back up to the office.

Cabbage casserole

Kev got home just after 6 and I shut the work down then. We both didn't know what we wanted for eats so I got on trusty ol Pinterest and found this cabbage casserole. It's similar to the old unstuffed cabbage rolls I used to make but I used only 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, no onion and no tomato paste, lowering the carb count. I loved it and Kev had two bowls so it must have been good. We watched Scandal and I scouted for new, low carb recipes.

Tuesday is for taco bowls

Dance day!

Yay for good sleep! I did get up in the night for the bathroom but good sleep when I was in the bed. I got up at 7:30 and dressed. Collected trash and got bacon in the oven. I had some cottage cheese since it was dance day and did a little work before heading to the gym.

Meaty lunch post dance

Most of the ladies in class didn't get any dance in last week so many were huffing and puffing but glad to be back in action. I'm glad I did go to the other Y for two days of dance to keep myself able to do an hour. After class I got home and showered and went to work for a little while before getting hungry. I made up a couple burgers and Kev grilled them up. I also heated us the rest of the roast, tossed a pickle on the plate and watched about half of last night's Timeless. I finished up my food and went back up to the office for an afternoon of work.

Taco Bowl!

I did a good 6 hours before making myself shut it down just after 6PM. I made my way down to my well worn spot on the couch and we started getting hungry around 7.  We knew this morning what we'd be having. It is Tuesday after all. This meant only one thing. Taco Bowl Tuesday. I browned two pounds of ground beef (and salted it) and then sprinkled on the seasoning mix that Kev made a while back. Chili powder, cumin, Mexican Oregano, chipotle, onion powder.  I mixed sour cream with 1 TBSP salsa for the dressing and added on cheddar, 1 teaspoon of guac and some chopped green onion. There was even a little lettuce on the bottom. Delish. We didn't do much of anything until it was time for The Voice at 9. I let it record until 9:30 so I could fast forward through commercials. Bed was soon after.

Movie Monday

Monday morning

As usual, fresh sheets and showered means perfect night of sleep. I made it to five before having to pee. I got up closer to 8 and got the bacon cooking. I was slow moving and slow to wake up today so I shuffled around like an old woman until I was more alert. I watered flowers and let the kitties out on the back deck to roam a little before coming in and making scrambled eggs.

Leftover lunch

The morning zipped by. I changed and met Sherri and Ellie at the theater for Movie Monday. Today's movie was Girl on the Train. I haven't read the book yet but it's on my Goodreads list. After Outlander, which could be another two years. I'm a one-book-at-a-time reader and my pace is abysmal. But I will read it eventually. And the movie was a well done drama. It was heavy and takes a while to work itself out of your thoughts. I got home and heated a leftover burger and melted on some cheddar. I ate and did a little work at the table.

Steak and cauli is like my PB & J

I finished up the work within an hour and a half and settled on the couch for some Cedar Cove. I had a teaspoon of peanut butter and around 4:30 I was a bit hungry and heated the rest of last night's cabbage, about 1/3 cup. After I finished that tease I wished I had an another entire cabbage on hand and counted down to dinner. I was hungry this afternoon. I remembered that I picked up a bag of Cheddar Moon Cheese at Walgreens so me and Kev had a few. I learned of them from a Ketogenic site I visit regularly. They taste like high end Cheese-its and per serving, very tasty, and only 1g carbs. But also pretty pricey. I need to find a way to make something similar.

Dinner was around 6:30. I thawed a couple large sirloins and made roasted cauli to go with it. Then...The Voice begins the battle rounds! Woooooooo!

More roast!

A divine no/way low carb pancake breakfast

I went to bed around 10:30 last night and slept so so good. Some cool air came in from the open windows down the hall and I got up once in the wee hours for a bathroom break.

Because it was cool and perfect this morning we delayed getting up until close to 9. I know. That's way late for us. We eventually got our butts in gear and out of bed, got dressed and the was off to a slow start. Kev made coffee. I watered flowers as the bacon cooked in the oven. When it was done I mixed up a batch of no carb magic sweet bread and baked them in rounds like I do buns. I spread on a little butter and poured on some no sugar/no carb syrup I made a couple weeks ago and me and Kev were both in awe. I mean for real. We even high fived each other when done. That good.

Mid afternoon meating

We did the 4 mile loop to let our stomachs settle after that amazing breakfast. The day was so gorgeous I had to be out in it. We got home and ran a short errand and then I got out and raked the front yard while Kev changed the fish tank water. I had to be out. Around 3PM we both started getting hungry. He lit the grill and I had a burger and some sausage and watched some Scandal.

More roast and cabbage

I squeezed a little work in as I sat on the couch and enjoyed the Sunday afternoon, doors and windows open. We finished the laundry and put fresh sheets on the bed before showering and getting into our PJs. I had another chuck roast in the crock pot all day long and sauteed up some more cabbage to go with it. And it was lights out. Better than last week. I got a three pound roast for $8. I couldn't pass that up. I seasoned it up with salt, onion and garlic powder and let it ride for over 8 hours. We watched some more Scandal and attempted 5 mins of the debate and back to Scandal to finish the day.

A showing

Saturday breakfast with butter coffee

Kev got home from work around 12:30 this morning. We chatted for a brief time and flop, we were out. I got up at some point in the early morning to pee and back out until 8:30. It was the first sound night of sleep since Tuesday that wasn't constantly interrupted.

I got coffee going and bacon in the oven and fried eggs cooked. It was a beautiful morning so after we ate, and the dishes were cleaned up, I texted Dany about a walk.

Leftover lunch

We did the big loop and when we got back I showered and dressed and I ran a quick errand with Kev. At 12:30 we heated the last two stuffed burgers and they were as delicious as the first day.

Perfectly grilled burgers

I left to pick up Miss M and her step daughter at 1:40 and we saw Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It was a long move, over two hours but a good story. Typical weird, fantastical Tim Burton style.

Got home, changed pants and caught almost the end of the A&M game and then left with Sheila and Dany for an art opening at a local coffee shop. One of Dany's friends does fiber art (art with fabric and thread) and I purchased one of her pieces. There were snacks around and I had two almonds, a single cashew, two little bites of cheese and two swallows of an herbal tea lemonade. I then decided that I was ready to have my own show and I want it there. The owner is lovely and the place is so cozy. It will likely be early next year. I have some work to do. I got home and made up some burgers for Kev to grill. We ate and watched Scandal before bed time.

A lovely Friday

Sunny Friday morn

I had to plug a night light in upstairs to get some sleep. Tuesday night's little alarm mishap is still looming large. I woke periodically all night long. I did get up to pee around 2:30 but thank goodness got back to sleep. I slept best as it was getting light and got up at 7:45. And it was 30 degrees.

I made bacon and eggs and did some emailing before getting down to work. As soon as I got into it the arborist called and was almost to the house to check out the trees. The two maples needed pruning and one ash needed light pruning. We started chatting about landscaping and before I knew it an hour had gone by. I got the majority of the work done and had to wait on some info from the client so while waiting I did the small loop walk with Dany.

Leftover lunch

I made a quick run to the grocery, got home and heated a leftover stuffed burger. I had to heat and eat within ten minutes and then hit the road for my massage. After a relaxing hour and a half I stumbled out to my car and headed back home. I got the info I needed to finish the project, sent it off and was done for the day. At 4:30 I got a facial. I missed September's cleaning so it felt so great when it was all done and my face was squeaky awesome.

All mixed up

I chatted with Mom for a bit when I got back home and before I knew it it was 6:30. I decided that I wanted a repeat of last night's new gruel, the potato-less stuffed baked potato. It was just as good or maybe a little better. This time I browned the bacon and removed it to drain and stay crispy. I browned the meat in the bacon fat and then drained it good. I mixed in sour cream and cheddar (and salt and cayenne and a little garlic powder) and then heated the bowl to melt the cheese. I sprinkled the green onions on top and ate while watching Cedar Cove.

A new gruel

Post dance breakfast

Happy Birthday to my Mama! The big 7-1 today. How can that even be? Today also makes my four month mark back on no sugar and carbs under 10g/day. I don't have much to show for it other than I feel good and my mind feels sharp and not foggy like it did. Both are great things! My mood is also better. But clothes aren't fitting any better, which is the goal. I sound like a broken record but I really screwed up straying last holiday season through May. I can't seem to recoup from that. But I'm keeping on. I am thankful that I don't ever feel hungry and I never crave anything, except certain veggies.

I slept in fits last night and had to keep a light on. Yesterday I stayed anxious throughout the entire day and intro the night. I didn't want to go to bed. I took two PMs to help get some sleep but it didn't work completely. I set my alarm for 7:30 and made myself get up when it went off. I changed and hit the rush hour traffic to Boulder for 8:30 dance. That hour earlier is early. My body took a bit to get going. But it was fun and I got home and made bacon and eggs.

Leftover lunch

I showered and got busy on a couple projects. It was fun juggling them both. The third is on tap for tomorrow. I worked solidly until 2:30 when I got hungry. I went down and heated a stuffed burger and started watching last night's Younger. I stopped it when I was done eating and went back up to the office.

I worked until 5:15 and then grabbed my walking shoes and met Dany for the short loop. We both had light jackets on. YAAAY! Walking when a light jacket is needed is my most favorite thing ever. Hands can rest in pockets and a cool breeze on your face. It's invigorating. The high today was only in the high 50s. We're getting there!

Loaded baked potato bowl, minus potato

I got in and did some business admin stuff, mainly reconciling the account. I checked with a contractor on a project status and then headed down to the couch for the evening. I started getting hungry just after 7. I wanted to make this cheeseburger soup I saw on Pinterest but didn't have beef stock. I decided on gruel and I was taking items out of the fridge and decided to try something. I diced up two slices of bacon and added it to the skillet to brown. I added in a pound of ground beef and browned it in the bacon fat. I drained it all and dumped it into a bowl. I mixed in sour cream and cheddar and chopped green onions. Lemme tell you how good it was. So good. It was like a stuffed baked potato.

The morning

Post drama, post hike

Thoughts go to Kev's Grandmother today as she had emergency surgery in Alabama. ♥

And ooooh wee. Here's what happened this morning. It started with me waking at 3:30 to pee, nothing new. As I sat back on the bed I heard a noise that sounded just like the front screen door closing. Of course this puts me on alert and I raise the blinds to peek out for a while and watch. Nothing. I crawl back in bed and guess I fell asleep around 4. Around 4:30 the whole house alarm tears into its crazy ass loud scream. Now...it's set to "Away," which means it will go off if a door or window is opened OR if someone is walking through the living room. I pop out of the bed, exorcist like, eyes wide and crazy and got a couple guttural screams out before yelling "Get out of my house!" Get out of my house!" After a couple minutes I was lucid enough to use the remote and turn the alarm off and call Kev. We called the alarm company and sorted things out but turns out there was a low battery in the motion sensor in the living room that could cause a faulty alarm. Holy crap. Needless to say I was up for the day.

Oh lovely meaty

I changed out of the pee-in-my-pants pajamas (no I didn't pee myself because I had just peed an hour before, but you know I totally would have) and hit the road to Chautauqua for the 4 mile loop with Sherri. This was her first hike in the park and it's a good un! Lots of incline to get the heart rate up and a sweat happening. I got home and immediately cooked up four slices of bacon and a three egg omelet with cheddar. Ate it all and then showered, ready for work. A few things came in this morning that will keep me busy the rest of the week.

The alarm man arrived at about 3:45. He fixed everything up and I'm set for some sleep tonight. I worked until just after 6 and then lit the grill, changed the propane tank, lit the grill again and cooked up the very anticipated balsamic mustard steak I marinated yesterday. Oh it was so good. I polished off the roughly 1.3 pounds while watching Cedar Cove. I had a little orange sugar free Jello, my fav and finished the night.