I Can Hardly Believe It Myself...

Day 28

Wow. You want to talk about encouraging? I lost seven and a half pounds this week. Keep in mind four pounds of that was water weight, but still....soooooo stinkin encouraging. I guess cutting down on sodium isn't so horrible after all.

Also, I just tried one of their soups. Not the best thing when you're really hungry (as it is just a broth) but a really nice change from the cookies. I'm really excited about this jump in weight loss. It REALLY makes me feel good about what I'm doing. That means that in four weeks, I've dropped almost 17 pounds. Can you say WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!! I'm seriously all grins.

So I didn't blog when I got back from my weekend as a Renaissance pirate. So here we are:

Friday:

Left work early for the first time in like two years. Ran to Wal Mart, grabbed lunch, met Tanika back at the apartment. We loaded up her car, locked up my two rowdy kiddos and headed to Arlington for our costumes. Long story short, we didn't get on the road until close to 4, but luckily traffic was on our side and we didn't hit anything too crazy. We missed our exit on the way...kind of. We stopped at a Fed Ex Kinko's in Conroe to print off our tickets (since we had to have them to get into the camp grounds...we were running later than expected) and then got back on the highway and kept driving. Only after we realized we weren't in Conroe anymore (by about 10 miles) did we stop and ask for directions. Come to find out, the street we were on with the Kinko's...was our exit. :) Tanika is one of my very most favorite people in the world so the drive down there was a blast. We sang and rapped and told stories and laughed like a couple of maniacs. It was glorious.



So, once we get down there...we realize how huge the camping thing is. If I had to guess, I'd say there were 3-5 thousand people camping. there were RV's and tents as far as the eye could see. And they don't mark the campsites, you just pull your car into a field where there is room and set up shop. It was really windy, and starting to get cold, but we got the tent up, air mattress blown up and grill going in less than 45 minutes. Skill baby...this was right after we got all set up. She's amazing. haha.





I love that woman.

So Saturday, we woke up...freezing, but the sun came out and started to warm things up. I cooked a yummy breakfast of chorizo and egg sandwiches and we indulged in the tent. Then we got dressed and headed over to ze' fair grounds. Self portrait. :)



The fair was huge. So much bigger than Scarborough. We were like kids in a candy store walking around. Looking in shops, people watching, drinking some beer. It was a beautiful day (a little chilly, but lovely nonetheless) and there was so much to see. We caught a couple of shows, but mostly just walked around drinking it all in. I got a lovely own necklace for $12 (total steal, I LOVE it) and we watched boys walk around in kilts all day as it was the Scottish theme weekend. There was even a storm trooper in a kilt...



And my favorite barbarian was there of course...



He is such a doll and is always at Scarborough. Here's a better shot of the whole outfit. I seriously could dress like this every day, but then it may not be as fun. Haha.



Then Saturday night was the party. We discovered on Saturday morning that there is a bonfire at night in the campsite. So we played some dominoes and indulged in a little whiskey. Tanika who doesn't drink liquor...haha. Oh boy...



After a game of bones and almost the entire bottle of Jack, we loaded up a plastic bag with some beers and went on the hunt for this bonfire. Well we found it. What a blast...oh we had so much fun. There were people out there with drums, everyone was dancing and talking and drinking. We met some really cool folks. Met up with my friend Monika who was down there as well and just had a blast. It got dark so early for the first part of the night we couldn't believe how early it was then we turned around and it was pushing 4 a.m. And we were happy...



Haha. Needless to say, I had the best weekend I've had in awhile. I definitely needed to just get away for a bit. Sometimes all you need in life is a tent, some dominoes, a bonfire and some drunk strangers to make you happy. I know it sure worked for me.

:)

SEVEN AND A HALF POUNDS IN ONE WEEK!!!!!!! WHEEEEEEEEE!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho...a pirates life for me!!!

Day Whatever...

I'm totally discouraged right now. I'm not going to let it get to me...but effin bloody hell. sometimes I wonder if all this diet crap is worth it. Well, of course it's worth it, but I've found out that I now have to cut out all the salt out of my diet. Wheeeeeeee.

So anyway, I'll figure something out. Maybe I need to go buy a low sodium cookbook.

On a brighter note, Tanika and I head out tomorrow afternoon. We're both probably a little more excited than need be. I'm busy burning CD's today to make sure we have everything we need for the drive down there. Perhaps I'll make a Wife Mix to take. Haha. I'm pretty sure I've made her plenty of ghetto CD's before, perhaps I'll mix it up. I'm also going to the grocery tonight to get stuff for eats while we're there. she's bringing the grill, so I'm going to mix up the hamburger meat tonight to throw in a tupperware container so we can just make patties and still have my yummy flavor mixed in. I've got some other things up my sleeve, so hopefully i can pull it off tonight.

On another bonus side, my apartment is clean. :) There are a few touches I need to make (like vacuuming and laundry) but Kari did an amazing job on the place. I feel like I have a real home again. I don't have to block off the kitchen for fear of Willow eating her way thru my trash bags. I don't know why I go into such hermit mode, but I do and I'm going to work really hard to keep it as nice as Kari has made it for me. I read something not long ago that said something along the lines of 'would you rather take five minutes and put your dishes in the dishwasher and wipe down your counters every night after dinner or have to spend 2 hours cleaning your kitchen every saturday.' Simple, I know...most people get this. I don't know why I don't mind being so messy. At least I have people that love me and know what a trap it is for me, so they're willing to help when I get to that point. I'll definitely need to start keeping it up better if I want my little niece/nephew Kirkwood to come and stay with me ever.

So, yay for pirate weekend this weekend. We'll truely be roughing it. No running water, no electricity. Just some portapottys and us. And a tent. And the bucket we are going to attempt to bathe in. haha. You'll be seeing pictures soon...if i can figure out how to post them in the body of my blog instead of just at the top. Yippee!!!

Oh Heart of Mine, Why do you betray me?

Day 20

I feel like I'm slacking off, not writing more than a couple times a week. Things have been so crazy for me lately - I just don't feel like I have the time. It's pretty crazy how much your life can change in one short week. Alas, I sit...different, yet the same, if that makes any sense at all.

I've got two issues today, number one is, I am VERY sleepy. I didn't help my situation by staying up late to read Eclipse (as if I've never read it before, this would be the third time...) but you know how you just get sucked into a book and even tho your eyes flutter to close, you shake your head and forage on.

My second issue is a bit more annoying, I have heartburn. I've realized that almost everything I cook is spicy. At least everything I cook that doesn't involve oil and butter and cheese. All this healthy cooking is blackened this and creole that. I think the combination of all those spices daily and the fact that I'm really not eating anything to absorb that stuff....I've developed a wonderful case of heartburn (hence today's title). So my love for spicy food is biting me and in the butt. ::shakes fist at Smart for Life cookie::

I love that I'm losing weight, but MAN some days are tough. Almost all the food I eat is spicy...so they told me to cut it down to a couple times a week. I guess I can do that.

I'm so damn sleepy and I am really fighting it right now. I think I'm going to go watch Warren Sapp's performance from Dancing with the Stars last night. I just love him, but I think Brooke is going to win. So glad annoying, smiling Susan Lucci is gone. Every time I saw her, I just wanted to go BOOOOOO.

I have nothing interesting to say today. I ate a cheeseburger this weekend. You know what? It was delicious.

OH this weekend. The wife and I (Tanika, my platonic life partner, for those that don't know) are heading to the Texas Renaissance Festival on Friday afternoon. Neither of us have ever been so we are extremely excited. We'll be camping on the Faire grounds..real camping. No running water, no electricity...only porta johns, and us. We are taking food galore, beers, probably liquor too, shmokes, beef jerky a little grill. It is truely going to be glorious. I need to go to the grocery on Thursday so I can get everything all mixed up as need be.

I wish we could take the babies but they'd just run rampant and Duece would bark at the planet.

I'll be posting pictures of us all pirated up. AND of all the looney ren people.

Are you excited? I'm excited.
Captain Ali

We're All Going Bananas

Day 15

This week has proven to be a stressful one. In a way, i knew it was coming. But I surely didn't expect it to take the turn that it did. If I talk to you daily, you probably know what is going on. While I appreciate the sentiment, I don't feel like talking about it. In some ways I feel like someone spun me on my head and when I finally stopped twirling, I had no idea what direction I was headed in anymore. In other ways, I know that I'm doing the very best thing for me right now, and that is all that I can hope to accomplish. I know that things will work themselves out for the best, but that doesn't mean that I didn't fall off the wagon a little last night and indulge in some vodka and sugar free red bull.

Of course, the result of that is I feel like total ass this morning. I rather enjoy waking up without a hangover. So this morning suuuuucks.

On the plus side, I tried my banana not cookies this morning (heated up for 10 seconds with a few sprays of calorie free margarine, as they suggested) and they truely are delicious. Heating these puppies up really does change the texture of them. I can't wait to try heating up the blueberry ones.

In all honesty, I feel like staring at my computer screen all day. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury so I'll be working like a maniac, just as I have been all week. Please pray for me at work. This has really been the most stressed out I think that I have ever been here. If you don't consider yourself a prayer - send me pink and blue thoughts.

Another plus side I have to make myself think of right now, is I lost another four pounds this week. A big yaaay for me. It's funny because they keep telling me 'now don't get used to losing so much every week. Two or three pounds is what you should expect'. I think they don't want me to get discouraged when I stop losing the big numbers weekly. To be honest tho, I kind of expect these numbers to maintain for a little while since I've cut out SO MUCH. I don't think I realized how crappy my eating and drinking habits were until I started doing this thing. If nothing else, at least I'm getting that under control. I can't wait till i start seeing real results and can take another picture that shows some real progress.

Damn that banana thing was good. I already want another one. Pause please, while I go get another glass of water...

Mmmmmm. Agua. :) Okay, so I promised Marcy that I would post my chili recipe. Keep in mind that I do a lot of this by sight and taste so I don't really have measurements. Just use your best judgement...and if you have a question, call me.

Lauren's Four Alarm Chili
2 pounds hamburger meat (I've used chili meat before, but I don't like it. It has a lot more gristle in it and fatty parts, but if you like using chili meat, knock yourself out.)
2-3 jalapeno peppers (de-seeded and chopped)
1 habanero pepper (de-seeded and VERY finely chopped. USE GLOVES. I really can not stress that enough. I didn't use gloves the first time I cooked with habanero and my hands burned for three days. I'm not exaggerating.)
1 bell pepper (diced)
1 medium white onion (roughly chopped. I love onion and I like big pieces in my chili. Dice it if you just want to get the onion flavor.)
4 cloves of garlic (diced. sometimes I use more depending on the size of the garlic cloves. I cook with a ton of garlic and really can't have enough so if you want more or less, again, best judgement)
Chili Powder
Cayene Pepper
Garlic Powder
Salt
Black Pepper
2 Cans Stewed tomatoes
1-2 Cans Tomato Paste (sometimes I only need one can. This is decided during cooking after I taste it. I like very tomato-y chili.)
1-2 Cans Red Kidney Beans (I also like a lot of beans in my chili. As I said before, do what you like.)

• Brown the hamburger meat in a large skillet.
• In another skillet, saute your bell pepper, garlic, jalapenos and habanero. I don't stew my chili for hours, so I cook my veggies a bit before I add them. It also really releases the flavor of all the spices you've got going on. These three will take longer to cook than the onion so I saute them for about 7-10 minutes on medium heat with a couple tablespoons of butter before I add the onion. Once the onion is almost translucent, remove from the heat and set aside.
• When the hamburger is browned (with no pink remaining), I strain off almost all the grease (if you leave a little, it adds a nice flavor and really soaks up the seasoning you are going to add).
• Once the hamburger is back in your large skillet (if you do not have a skillet large enough to make your huge pot of chili, put it in your largest saucepan at this point), you can start to season your meat. I add quite a bit chili powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. I do NOT like bland chili. Virtually, I add chili powder until the meat is burgandy. If it is your first time using raw ingredients (instead of a package seasoning) start slow and then flavor to taste once you've mixed all your ingredients. I save my salt and pepper for last.
• Now, mix in your veggies that are cooked. Add your cans of stewed tomatoes (you can also use diced, but like I said, I like the halves b/c I like tomato-y chili. Its like a stew), one can of beans and one can of tomato paste.
• Stir until all ingredients are mixed and let it sit on a medium simmer for about 10 minutes.
• This is when you decide what it needs. More seasoning, beans or tomato paste. If it is too spicy, the tomato paste will come in handy here.
• Salt and pepper to your liking and voila!
• Let simmer for about half an hour to an hour on a medium/low heat. Stir occasionally to get those flavors mixing around.
• Serve topped with sharp cheddar cheese and onions and a nice side of jalapeno cornbread.

This is also really good for vegetarians. Boca meat (it's soy meat) is a great substitute. Throw in some mushrooms and some cooked squash and zuchinni...very yummy.

Maybe I should make you people pay for these. ;)

Setting mouths on fire all over the world,
Lauren

Previously...on Ninjas Need Love Too...

Day 13 Continued...

The plus side of today...it is more than halfway over. the downside? I feel like very little progress has been made. It's frustration. I've worked really hard, I've gotten a lot done...but I still feel like I am treading water, to an extent.

This job stresses me out. STRESSSSSS. This stress then carries over into every single little aspect of my life. I don't even know what to do half of the time. Again...STRESS. I just want to curl up in a ball on my couch with my dogs and watch shows with people dancing in them. I don't want to watch the elections. I voted, I'm excited to see what happens. But I think I will just flip back now and then to catch an update and spend the rest of my night watching something crappy. I really want to go and rent Journey to the Center of the Earth. It is at the Redbox today, so I may just go do that. Nothing like a bad Brenden Fraiser movie to take your mind off things for awhile. I really wish I had my laptop already so that I could play some pirates. I miss my pirate family, they usually get me thru my days here, but I have been so busy I haven't been able to play lately.

So as happy as I am that I'm losing weight, I really hate Smart for Life right now. They took away my bacon. My booze. My pirates (might as well blame the diet). My social life (who wants to go sit with all their drunk friends in a bar...totally sober?). DAMN YOU SMART FOR LIFE.

Okay not really, I'm thrilled about the diet I'm just in an extremely foul mood today. Yesterday too. I really turn into Loner-girl when I get like this. Rather be alone and be in a foul mood than lash out at someone who probably doesn't totally deserve it (oh come on...everyone deserves it a little bit).

Life usually hands people lemons. Make some lemonade, sweet. I think life is handing me eggplant. Who wants eggplant juice? Not me, thats for sure.

I know it'll all pass. It always does. But I hate feeling bummed. Maybe it's a lack of carbs in my life. ;)

Anywho, I'm not sure how accurate it is, but I got on the scale this morning and am down almost 14 pounds. Crazy. Reeeeeeeeally encouraging...but crazy. This is what not drinking and not having sodas or grease/butter will do. Two weeks...I'm impressed.

So I'm back for another official weigh in tomorrow. I don't know why that reminded me to take my vitamins.

Come show me how ye bury yer treasure, lad!
Olivia

Quick and Dirty

Day 13

Okay so it won't be dirty...but it'll be quick.

This weekend wasn't so easy. With the halloween shindigs i found it much easier to fall off the wagon. The good part is, I've still somehow managed to lose another three pounds. :)

I had a really rough day yesterday, but also enjoyed some time last night planning our beloved pirate weekend with Tanika. She provided me with some laughter at the end of a very laughter free day.

I'll update more this afternoon.

It's cookie time,
Lauren