Its got to be better than this.....

And here I am again- on my ever losing battle with the bulge.
Just a simple mantra- STAY AWAY FROM SWEETS- one day at a time.
And it starts tomorrow.The goal is to lose 40 lbs- one day at a time :)
It can be done - move more, run from sugar....make a plan and stick to it...well! The plan is pretty simple , stay away from sugar :)
And I'll be here tomorrow to see if I made it:)

The New Year with new Resolutions?

Since the cookie diet and others that followed fell to wayside as you probably already guessed, there is a new movement that's gathering strength.
Stick to the basics:Cut intake and spend more to start using up the reserves(of fat!!)
To that end, there is a new toy in my arsenal- Just Dance 2'! Well, I am not sure how many calories it burns but I am happy dancing to the tunes and hopefully it translates into some significant changes in BMI.
Went up to the mountains last weekend and walked in the snow, now that's burning up calories- wish I could do it more.
To all my fellow 'trying to lose weight' enthusiasts out there, as long as we are still trying we are in the race.

Packing a mean lunch: part 2

Like every good intention, this one takes a LOT of commitment.
Day 3 and I am ready to call it quits, the fact that its  almost summer and 8 more days to packing lunches keeps me going.
Here is the strategy,I believe like every bad workman, its my tools to blame. Kids need better designed lunch boxes to make it easier on both the packer and the consumer. Lunch boxes should be
-easy to clean(good grade plastic,preferably dishwasher safe)
-easy to pack(minimize the need for wraps and foils,should have self containing leak-proof units)
-and good looking!
To that end I think I'll invest in a Bento lunch box this summer.(Put it on my ToDo-summer list,check out the Google ToDo gadget,pretty neat for us folks who don't own an iPhone/iPad and all the cool apps that come with it)
Todays lunch:
Grilled cheese tortillas( whole wheat tortillas with shredded Mexican cheese grilled on a pan for about 2 minutes,kind of like quesadillas)
Organic baby carrots with some spinach dip( carrots made it to the dirty dozen every year except this year , its 13th if that's any comfort)
Organic strawberries(another dirty dozen item) I love packing strawberries because a quick rinse is all it takes to make it lunch ready.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods?click=nav
The time consuming part was packing the carrots and dip and the strawberries all seperately so that they don't get squished up and make a mess. Maybe the Bento lunch boxes will help.
With summer almost here, we are starting to see plenty of affordable organic berries and peaches in sunny Califonia!Check out the U-Pick farms, we went cherry picking last weekend at Brentwood-heavenly cherries!

Packing a school lunch: make it an art!

And put an end to the endless "Whats for lunch?", "Sandwiches! Again!" "Can I have hot lunch please?"
I am seriously considering changing my Blog title to "How to pack a "I can't wait to eat my lunch!" lunch "
Problem:
3 boys with very specific tastes plus 1 mom who can't think straight in the mornings.
Solution:
Blog about it!! Or we could use this.
http://wocview.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/chinese-cooking-robot-cooks-over-600-dishes/

Like anything else, this is a problem that can be tackled IF you put your mind(heart and soul) into it.(That's me speaking out loud)
Lets start with the easy stuff:
What should the lunch box contain;
- one main dish with some veggies and carbs
- a serving of fruit/nut
- a drink of water.

Its that "main dish" component that invariably causes the headaches and groans and guilts. So lets leave that for the very end- I have faith in the Chinese, there will be a "Packing School Lunches" kitchen robot.
In the meantime, here is what went into lunch boxes today alongwith the fruits and drink.
A 5 minute Couscous Medley
-Half cup whole wheat couscous(My favs are the Traders Joes ones)
-half cup of any kind of broth.
Cook the couscous in the broth as per package directions.
Saute a small onion, some sliced french beans and carrots with a lil bit of chopped ginger(a 1/2 tsp). Throw in some green chillies and chipotle sauce for a kick and add the cooked couscous to the medley. A couple of minutes later of stirring on medium heat, some chopped cilantro, a handful of spiced nuts and a dash of lemon-voila!

Whats with the boxing routine on Wii....

for all the punches I threw ,a good solid 10 minutes,the wacko there smirks-'didn't even break a sweat!'. I am done for today-its already a new day,past midnight and I have a book to go -Hornets Sting...quite captivating.

Refill vs Exchange Propane Cylinders

So when it came to refilling my Propane cylinder in time for the weekend BBQ, I decided to research the process out some. I had the AmeriGas cylinder and an exchange at the local Walmart or Safeway costs $20-$22 for a 20lbs cylinder. The cylinder capacity is 20lbs but looks like both AmeriGas and BlueRhino decided to lower refill volumes in order to not increase prices. So you exchange your brand new cylinder for an old one thats filled with 15lbs instead of the 20lbs capacity that it holds. Moreover, in my case I was exchanging before I completely ran out of gas, so a couple of lbs lost there as well.
So after checking out a couple of sites, I find that the nearest U Haul fills up at $3.39 a gallon. A short trip away and after a couple of folks in line in front of me, I get my new AmeriGas cylinder filled up for $15 including tax( about 4 gallons filled). Pretty good deal considering I get to keep my brand new cylinder,the left over propane in it and filled up all the way to 20lbs.
Here is the conversion: a standard 20lbs cylinder holds about 4.7 gallons of liquid propane. So do the math- I think I saved about 8 bucks.
I now have myself set up for endless BBQs with a new empty cylinder from Costco(32.99 with a gauge) that  I got refilled again at the Uhaul for $17.56 ( a full 20 lbs). For someone like me, who uses the outdoor grill and stove more than indoor cooking, having a spare cylinder is comforting.
My 2 cents on saving a buck or two!

Declaring the "Mostly No sugar" week

Well- the "No sugar" week did not go quite as planned.
The warm brownie with a dollop of fresh cream beckoned and was obliged-sigh!
But on the positive side, burned 360 calories on the Wii fit plus.
All time favorites are Hula hoops and advanced step both fun and motivating.
Target for today:
350 calories atleast.
Dinner menu :
Since the fried okra did not make it to the dinner table, its back on the menu for tonight.
Alongwith chicken curry!
And salad.