Super yummy dipping sauce!

I whipped up this sauce for lunch today, I wanted something different from ranch or bar b que sauce. It is equal parts nonfat plain Greek yogurt, fat free zesty Italian dressing and about a teaspoon of mustard. 
It was super yummy with panko breaded chicken strips.
I left out sweetern but honey or sugar would be a nice touch.
It would taste fanatic on fish or fries.
If it is too runny for you add more Greek yogurt.

You can also spice it up with pepper flakes, or hot sauce.
Enjoy!

Yeah it been a while, sorry.

My last post I said I would post once I lost those dang 5 pounds, well it still hasn't happened, and I can't avoid it, I got to face the truth head on. So here is a new post, at the same weight, and it is about marriage, enjoy!

One thing I have learned while being married is that while it is about getting to know someone you love, it is also about getting to know yourself, more than you ever thought possible.

Because whether you like it or not, your spouse will pick up on your habits, good and bad ones. And your spouse will have a very canny way of showing you your true self, how much of a slob you are, how well you listen, or what is truly important to you.

So before you get married realize a good strong marriage has to survive two people getting to know themselves and liking who they have become, and still loving each other through it all. I have learned and accepted many things about myself, and I know I have a many more to learn, and so does my spouse.

I just don't think people really appreciate this notion before marriage, nor understand it. And once you begin to realize it, you make a choice to keep at it, and become more self aware, or you throw in the towel and deem it too hard, or not worth while, or you really learn your true nature and your spouses true nature and decide you no longer want to be a couple.

Then you have to learn a whole new lesson about grief and loss.

Just a few thoughts I have had this weekend, thanks for reading.

So close, yet so far.

So I am roughly 5 pounds away from losing a total of 50 pounds, it seems so weird, and sorta unreal. I am not even sure if it is true. Maybe this is all one long dream, but if it was a dream, I wouldn't need to lose weight, (I would hope I would be a hot sexy babe in my dreams).

I am pretty excited, but I also know it is a long ways from my goal, another 50 pounds worth. I know how much work the first 50 was, I can only imagine the next 50 will be even harder. But I really want it, and I know what works. eating next to nothing, and the nothing you do eat is all healthy, I am aiming for less the 1,400 a day, that is a little, and I really should eat a little less than that. I use an app to help me track my calories and it can get pretty sad at times, just how many calories can be in things, even healthy things, like lean protein, or brown rice. And all those healthy fats, sure they are "good" for you, but they are still fats, still loaded with calories, like ground almond butter, I used two table spoons on some celery for a snack today, that was 180 calories right there, (190 if you add the celery). talk about suck a duck.

But at least the scale is moving down, I can wear all sorts of clothes that had been packed away for years and years. I have lots of clothes I need to take in, or pass along. So that is good, I am also in pretty good shape and I am the most flexible I have ever, ever been. That is pretty neat.

One of the other things that amazes me is just how much water I need to drink. Just when you think you have had enough, you need to double what you just drank.

I guess the point here, is that you just need to keep going, keep eating that whole wheat bread, eat that salad and baked chicken, it does a overweight body some good. Maybe if I am lucky, by the next time I post, I will be half way there. Whohoo!!!  We shall see.

I added a pic of my dinner, about 400 calories of fish and veggies that I steamed.  I couldn't finish it all, just means there are left over calories to add a sweet snack at the end of the day.

Kitchen redoes, upcyling, and repurpose....

Here are some of this things I have around my kitchen that others might find handy, So I thought I would post them.

Like the child locks I love to use, are actually elastic hair bands, wrapped around two door knobs. I love this because one, they aren't expensive. Two, they can be used once the locks aren't needed. Third, you don't need an engineering degree to figure out how to open them. Lastly, they can be in colors that blend in, most people don't even notice them right off. So they are a win, win, in my book. 

Hair band for child lock.

As you can see simple hair band, easy on, easy off, if you are strong enough.

I also love to reuse the unexpected, like the dodads, that hold products together at the big box store, you know when you get three things of ketchup all held together. I just hung it over a door knob and it becomes an instant towel holder. I placed

The dodad off of ketchup, to hold towels.

mine right by the sink, in front of the roll of
paper towels. My hubs loves this because I use
less paper towels this way. Also you can color
code them, red for hands, green for dishes, or
fruit, or what ever you may need to dry off. 

I can't tell you how many paper towels I save using these instead.

I used another dodad, from lemon juice,(I am sure they have an official name, but who has time to look that up?) as a child lock on my food cabinet, it is a little tighter, so again, it is brawn that removes it, not brains. I have one that is from chocolate syrup bottles on another set of doors that sit closer together.

Another child lock from the dodad off of lemon juice.

I also found a bunch of pant hangers in my front closet when I cleaned it out, because I saw this awesome idea on Pinterest, I just popped off the clip parts on the ends, and tossed them in a drawer, and any time I need a chip clip, there you go, simple and easy to use, and they stay on super thick rolls of plastic, unlike some clips.

My chip clip, is off a pant hanger.

Added more storage space, from redone tv hutch.

 But one of my favorite redo items has to be my extra storage, I found a old beat up tv hutch at a thrift store and redid it, I painted it green, added bead board and new handles, and it fits right in. I don't think anyone realizes it used to hold a tv. With flat screen tvs all the rage, you can find many like these for super cheap, just think, you can redo one of these for all sorts of storage, like a child's room, or an outdoor patio.

Just get your mind a working, who knows what you might end up with. Like that bread box on the bottom shelf of my hutch, it holds my dogs toys and treats. But you can't tell by looking at it. Also you can't quite tell cause the photo is a bit dark, sorry, but I am stay at home mom, not a paid blogger.

I hope these simple ideas inspire you to look at things differently, and maybe you will find a re-purpose for items you used to toss. You never know what may come in handy.

Sorry I haven't blogged about my life lately, I have been busy sorting my house out, man, I have a lot of junk in a lot of places that makes no sense, but slowly and surely I am getting it all in order. Also my weight loss is going well, slow but well. Sorta happy I am getting more and more lighter. 

Here's a handy tip for you...

Green Shelf Liner, sexy I know.

OK I had a flash of genius a few months back while loading my car for a family outing.I had made some desserts and wanted them to arrive in one piece, so I needed a way to keep them from sliding around in the back of the car, so with a flash, I thought of it, shelf liner. You know that puffy, rubbery stuff, that keeps things from moving around. I knew I had a few small strips, so I grabbed one and Voila...Magic, real magic, that worked.


It didn't take much, and both containers fit perfectly, I tried moving them around by hand and they stayed in place so I was pretty sure it would work for the 40 minute drive, and I was right, they stayed right in place. So I left the piece in my car and have used it since, for glass plates, milk, and eggs, all stayed where I wanted them. I wish I had thought ahead and taken the time to beautify the car and jazz up the photos, but if I did that it would be years before I ended up posting it, instead of months. Give it a try, if they can survive the Hubs driving and mine, it should be good for anyone. You're Welcome.

This is a Pyrex dish, full of brownies

After the drive, didn't budge.

Lunch, water, and portion size.

I made spaghetti last night, with whole grain pasta and added, onions, peppers, celery and carrots. So for lunch I had left overs with a half slice of Toasted Wheat Berry bread. 

I took a pic to show off the serving size, do you know how little we are really supposed to eat, and how fast calories add up? Just a few extra scoops and you are adding 100's of additional calories. Do you know a serving size of cooked pasta is just a 1/2 cup?

My before plate, which is a salad plate.

I am using a salad plate and you can see just a half of piece of toast.  Without measuring I can tell even this is over a serving size, because I tell myself lies that, "it is OK and there are veggies, it is whole wheat, it's extra lean ground beef", but don't fall for it folks. Don't fall into the, "it's OK, because", trap, "it's OK, I worked out, it's OK, I skipped lunch, it's OK, it's low fat"  all traps that lead to extra calories that lead to extra weight.

I also made a point to drink water while eating, that will slow your eating and help you feel fuller so you eat less. And your brain can catch up and realize it has eaten enough.
I need more water, and I also have to say, I am really surprised at how little we should be eating.

I wanted more, but didn't need more.

That truly was the turning point for me, portion size, knowing serving sizes, listening to my body, and accepting hunger. Your body will adjust to smaller portions, just takes time about a week or so.

And I ended up not even eating all my lunch, cause I know what full feels like now. I am comfortable with how much I ate, I am not stuffed, but satisfied.

This is a 1/2 cup of cooked pasta on a dinner plate. One Serving.

Okay after I finished eating I realized I am kinda of a douche, if I tell you watch the serving size and don't show you the actual size, I had more spaghetti, so I got out my handy dandy 1/2 cup measuring cup and a full size dinner plate to show you. I was pretty close with my lunch serving after all. But in the past more than half my full size plate would have been covered with noodles and sauce. So get out those cups, measure your serving spoons, know what a serving is and what it looks like, then you learn how it feels when you eat one. I have one serving spoon I use all the time, I measured it and now when I dish up soup or casserole I know what how much I have taken, a 1/4 cup. Much easier to figure out your true calorie intake. And that really is the bottom line, what and how much you put in your mouth. 

It's been a long time baby...

Yes it has. But I ain't worried it isn't like I have a huge following that is feeling neglected because I am not keeping them updated on my life. So who really notices?

I have actually taken a break because I have been thinking about me just way too much lately, I think about me all the time and I am sick of me. Now don't think I am self centered more than the next person, I am just taking new drugs and I have had to watch and monitor myself for the last few months, to make sure I wasn't experiencing any weird or unwanted side affects, like suicidal thoughts or homicidal ones, or if I am light headed, or dizzy, or extra sleepy, or if my pee has turned funky colors, or if my knees have turned to liquid. So because of that, and my drive to get healthy I am always on my mind and I hate it.

So there was no way I was going to get on here and elucidate on myself as well. That would be too much.

Also I have become bored with reading, I can't read more than a few paragraphs anymore, I guess that is one of the unwanted side affects, oh well, it wasn't like I liked reading, oh wait yes I did, I loved getting lost in a book. So anyway the thought of proof reading anything is out of the question, not that I did much of that anyway.

I just wanted a quick shout out, I am still alive, I am still kicking and I have even lost more weight, I am now a round 230, yippie, so there is hope for me still. Hope all is well with you.