So when I got home Friday with umpteen pounds of pork ribs, I had to decide what to do with it all. First, I put the ground chicken directly in the freezer, reserving one package and the ground beef for a meat loaf which I made a little bit later that day. Then I looked to see what I could use for marinades and that determined what I did with some of it.
I put two full packages of ribs in the crock pot to cook with some balsamic vinegar and soy sauce and a few other things, and just cooked it until it was shreddable. I added liquid smoke to that, making it more like kalua pork. I later put that into a few different containers in the fridge. We already had chicken, rice, and beans in the fridge, so there are some great items in there for burritos, nachos, salads, and other meals. Sunday, we took some of the shredded pork to my in-laws for their dinner. I mixed in BBQ sauce and made rolls for sandwiches. We had the same thing plus fruit from the produce basket for our dinner.
Anyway. While those ribs were cooking, I took my other 4 packages of ribs and the chicken legs and started dividing up into other containers/freezer bags.
I found a balsamic vinaigrette dressing which works well for marinade, some bbq sauce, and made an asian style marinade. Split the chicken legs in two bags and two of the pork packages into two, so I had 6 bags to mix meat and marinade in. I put 1/2 c marinade to about 1-1/2 pounds of meat, sealed the bags, squished them around, and put them flat in the freezer. I made two BBQ pork, one asian pork, one asian chicken, one vinaigrette pork, and one vinaigrette chicken. When I'm ready to cook them, I will thaw them and stick them in the crock pot or bake them in the oven or cook on the stove, depending on my mood. I also made 3 bags of plain ribs out of the remaining 2 packages. That took about 15 minutes total, to start 11+ dinners (including the ribs in the crockpot, which fed us for more than one meal AND four more adults for dinner)!!!
When I made the meatloaf later on Friday, I mixed equal parts ground chicken and beef, then froze the remaining beef in 2 separate packages. We only ate half of the meatloaf, so I made a lunch for The Rock and put the rest in the fridge. He ate the rest when he got home from work Sunday. Not too bad for about $4 of meat -- dinner for all of us and two lunches for The Rock!
I picked up the produce Saturday and made menus last night using whatever sides we have on hand, what came in the basket, and the meats that are in the freezer. I also cut out all the coupons in my circulars on Sunday. More on that tomorrow.
I shop case sales and look for the best prices on rice, flour, sugar, oats, dried beans, and just about everything else as far as staples go, so before I run very low I stock up.
This week, I will choose a baking day -- muffins and rolls to freeze for quick breakfasts, maybe some pancakes or waffles, bread because we're out, and maybe some pizza crust. I like pizza. Yum.
We have a chest freezer in the garage, and are looking at getting another so we can buy 1/4 beef next spring. Beef prices are so expensive right now! We haven't been eating much, but man I could go for a good steak. Buying it by the quarter is a lot of money at once, but it's a set price per pound, meaning it's ALL 2.39/pound (or whatever), including steaks and pricier roasts. If you have the space, it can definitely save you some money!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
The Shopping
So ... here's how we do our food budget. It does take time, but I'm on the go most days anyway. Some things are just a quick run in for one thing, so while this looks like it's horribly time consuming, it's really not.
Monday, I usually run to Walgreens for a few of their great deals -- anything that's free or super cheap, I will usually get if it's something we can or will use. Also Monday, I pay for a produce co-op online (bountifulbaskets.org) and pick it up on Saturday mornings. It takes just a couple minutes on Monday to pay and about 15 to pick up, depending on how busy it is. We get a lot of fruits and veggies, but it's all random. We often run out of fruit before the next Saturday because we eat more fruit than veggies, so we've figured out that when I go couponing on Tuesdays, I need to grab some from Walmart (price matching the best prices from whatever grocery store) OR price match the produce sale at Buy-Low on Wednesday or Thursday.
Tuesday, the local Walmarts double coupons up to a dollar, so I go there for whatever is free or cheap. In our state, there were milk coupons (only available to use if you live in Utah or Idaho) for 75 cents off a gallon. My printer was wonky, but I did manage to print 3 coupons (2 from one computer and one from the other), and got three gallons of milk for $1.38 each. I grabbed a couple other things as I ran through the store and only spent $8. That's pretty normal for me.
A friend of mine called me a couple days later to see if I was going to our local grocery store's meat sale. Yes, yes indeed. See, Buy-Low has amazing prices on different meats every Friday and Saturday, and Wednesday and Thursday they do produce sales. So she went to Walmart and price matched the produce and grabbed some for me. She gave me some $ and I went to the meat sale today and got the meat she wanted. I also picked up some stuff for my mom. There was a pork rib coupon online (that expired today) for $2 off two pounds or more, and their ribs were $1.79 per pound. They were packages of 2.5 to 4 pounds. I had 6 coupons and mom had 4, so we got a LOT of meat for not much money.
Since the husband gets paid on Friday, I do the meat run and other shopping on Friday. Sometimes I go to Walmart and price match, but other times I just go to a local store. But first? I check grocerysmarts.com for my area and see which stores have the best coupon deals for what we need, OR what we will need coming up.
This week, I just stayed at Buy-Low and got:
17 pounds of pork ribs (approximately)
11 pounds ground chicken
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken legs
3 pounds ground beef
2 pounds cheese
4 boxes fruit snacks
2 boxes fruit rollups
2 boxes cereal (I stocked up on cereal at Smith's a little while ago so didn't get lots)
4 packages cookie mix
2 boxes granola bars
4 boxes toaster strudel
1 bag bugles
1 bag chex mix
1 box of 100 poxiples (how my son says popsicles)
green onions
I spent $80.22 out of pocket for all of that and saved about $30 just in coupons -- I have no idea how much I saved on the meat. My produce from my friend was only $1.50 for 6 nectarines and 6 pears, so not too bad at all.
Stay tuned for Monday: The Cooking!
Monday, I usually run to Walgreens for a few of their great deals -- anything that's free or super cheap, I will usually get if it's something we can or will use. Also Monday, I pay for a produce co-op online (bountifulbaskets.org) and pick it up on Saturday mornings. It takes just a couple minutes on Monday to pay and about 15 to pick up, depending on how busy it is. We get a lot of fruits and veggies, but it's all random. We often run out of fruit before the next Saturday because we eat more fruit than veggies, so we've figured out that when I go couponing on Tuesdays, I need to grab some from Walmart (price matching the best prices from whatever grocery store) OR price match the produce sale at Buy-Low on Wednesday or Thursday.
Tuesday, the local Walmarts double coupons up to a dollar, so I go there for whatever is free or cheap. In our state, there were milk coupons (only available to use if you live in Utah or Idaho) for 75 cents off a gallon. My printer was wonky, but I did manage to print 3 coupons (2 from one computer and one from the other), and got three gallons of milk for $1.38 each. I grabbed a couple other things as I ran through the store and only spent $8. That's pretty normal for me.
A friend of mine called me a couple days later to see if I was going to our local grocery store's meat sale. Yes, yes indeed. See, Buy-Low has amazing prices on different meats every Friday and Saturday, and Wednesday and Thursday they do produce sales. So she went to Walmart and price matched the produce and grabbed some for me. She gave me some $ and I went to the meat sale today and got the meat she wanted. I also picked up some stuff for my mom. There was a pork rib coupon online (that expired today) for $2 off two pounds or more, and their ribs were $1.79 per pound. They were packages of 2.5 to 4 pounds. I had 6 coupons and mom had 4, so we got a LOT of meat for not much money.
Since the husband gets paid on Friday, I do the meat run and other shopping on Friday. Sometimes I go to Walmart and price match, but other times I just go to a local store. But first? I check grocerysmarts.com for my area and see which stores have the best coupon deals for what we need, OR what we will need coming up.
This week, I just stayed at Buy-Low and got:
17 pounds of pork ribs (approximately)
11 pounds ground chicken
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken legs
3 pounds ground beef
2 pounds cheese
4 boxes fruit snacks
2 boxes fruit rollups
2 boxes cereal (I stocked up on cereal at Smith's a little while ago so didn't get lots)
4 packages cookie mix
2 boxes granola bars
4 boxes toaster strudel
1 bag bugles
1 bag chex mix
1 box of 100 poxiples (how my son says popsicles)
green onions
I spent $80.22 out of pocket for all of that and saved about $30 just in coupons -- I have no idea how much I saved on the meat. My produce from my friend was only $1.50 for 6 nectarines and 6 pears, so not too bad at all.
Stay tuned for Monday: The Cooking!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
The Chores
I don't remember what all the gal had on her chart and my house is so unorganized, I can't find the handout. <insert hysterical laughter>
BUT I decided the following things had to happen every day (whether *I* do them or someone else does):
*Breakfast
*Lunch
*Dinner (which I try to have ready by 2:30 when the husband needs to sleep before work)
*Dishes (including pots/pans and sharp knives)
*Wipe down the countertops, stove, and sink
*Kitchen trash out
*Sweep the kitchen
*Wash diapers (yes, I use cloth diapers)
*Two loads of laundry (besides diapers)
*Toys put away in the living room
*Exercise
I also have "Wipe off dining room table" next to the stove, sink, etc., but I have to find it first. Just like I had to find the counters.
These are the other things I decided had to be done regularly, but not every day. More like once or twice a week.
*Trash out of bath/living room
*Toilet
*Floor in front of and next to toilet (a 3yo boy requires this done almost every day though)
*Tub/shower
*Bathroom sink
*Bathroom counter
*Wash towels (kitchen and bath)
*MOP the kitchen
*Scrub the grout in the kitchen/hall/bath
*Vacuum living room
*Vacuum hall
*Tidy bedrooms
*Trash out of bedrooms
*Vacuum bedrooms
*Wash off a shelf in the fridge (doing 4 shelves one at a time means that doing this task once a week will get the fridge cleaned throughout a month, lol)
*Menu planning
*Grocery shopping
*Double coupon Tuesdays at Walmart
*Clean out and out from under couches (it's amazing how much crap we lose in/under them!)
Truth be told, *most* of the chores are done by me. Runner Girl does her fair share. Little Mister helps me with laundry and cleaning up his toys. The Rock ... I didn't assign anything regularly to him but he does help when I ask.
Now, because I know I do coupon Tuesday at Walmart and it can take a LONG time, even though I'm not doing all of my grocery shopping on Tuesdays, I made Tuesdays a fairly light day for chores. I also try to schedule all doctor/dentist appointments for Mondays, so that's not a super heavy day either. So I just fit the chores in and around our lives.
I started making a final category of chores but I haven't implemented them. They are things that need done on occasion, but not even weekly.
*Clean out from under stove (again with the losing things)
*Clean out from under and behind fridge
*Reorganize a cupboard or closet or pantry
*Baseboards/walls (obvious fingerprints, cust/ cobwebs, etc.)
I made a master list and assigned everyone (except The Rock and the baby) some chores. The last two days, I've made a little list for Runner Girl and one for me and we cross things off as we do them throughout the day. Little Mister follows me around to do his.
So that's that!
BUT I decided the following things had to happen every day (whether *I* do them or someone else does):
*Breakfast
*Lunch
*Dinner (which I try to have ready by 2:30 when the husband needs to sleep before work)
*Dishes (including pots/pans and sharp knives)
*Wipe down the countertops, stove, and sink
*Kitchen trash out
*Sweep the kitchen
*Wash diapers (yes, I use cloth diapers)
*Two loads of laundry (besides diapers)
*Toys put away in the living room
*Exercise
I also have "Wipe off dining room table" next to the stove, sink, etc., but I have to find it first. Just like I had to find the counters.
These are the other things I decided had to be done regularly, but not every day. More like once or twice a week.
*Trash out of bath/living room
*Toilet
*Floor in front of and next to toilet (a 3yo boy requires this done almost every day though)
*Tub/shower
*Bathroom sink
*Bathroom counter
*Wash towels (kitchen and bath)
*MOP the kitchen
*Scrub the grout in the kitchen/hall/bath
*Vacuum living room
*Vacuum hall
*Tidy bedrooms
*Trash out of bedrooms
*Vacuum bedrooms
*Wash off a shelf in the fridge (doing 4 shelves one at a time means that doing this task once a week will get the fridge cleaned throughout a month, lol)
*Menu planning
*Grocery shopping
*Double coupon Tuesdays at Walmart
*Clean out and out from under couches (it's amazing how much crap we lose in/under them!)
Truth be told, *most* of the chores are done by me. Runner Girl does her fair share. Little Mister helps me with laundry and cleaning up his toys. The Rock ... I didn't assign anything regularly to him but he does help when I ask.
Now, because I know I do coupon Tuesday at Walmart and it can take a LONG time, even though I'm not doing all of my grocery shopping on Tuesdays, I made Tuesdays a fairly light day for chores. I also try to schedule all doctor/dentist appointments for Mondays, so that's not a super heavy day either. So I just fit the chores in and around our lives.
I started making a final category of chores but I haven't implemented them. They are things that need done on occasion, but not even weekly.
*Clean out from under stove (again with the losing things)
*Clean out from under and behind fridge
*Reorganize a cupboard or closet or pantry
*Baseboards/walls (obvious fingerprints, cust/ cobwebs, etc.)
I made a master list and assigned everyone (except The Rock and the baby) some chores. The last two days, I've made a little list for Runner Girl and one for me and we cross things off as we do them throughout the day. Little Mister follows me around to do his.
So that's that!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Holy Carp, It's August!
OK, first things first! WHO MISSED ME????
I kid. Sort of.
We've been fairly busy this summer with life in general, and some things have changed while others have not. I'm still not exercising consistently, but we have gotten Runner Girl doing some running almost every week at least. The Rock has lost about 60 pounds in the last few months and is looking dang good. He's feeling better too, which is important. Bitty is walking and running all over the place, and Little Mister? He potty trained in late May/early June, is night dry, and did soccer camp last week and had a blast. We've had a few birthdays, too, meaning I now have a 12 year old, 3 year old, and 1 year old. The Rock and Small Fry's birthdays are later in the fall.
My depression is better under control with my herbs. The husband has drugs for his. And he and I are both starting college in the coming weeks. I had intended to go last fall, but the postpartum depression was killing me (almost literally), so I put it off. I managed to find an online university that is fully accredited, comparable in cost to our local university (which is where the husband will be going), and will be starting there so I can still be the at-home parent while I earn my degree. But this has all made me nervous that our world is going to fall apart again.
Last week, I went to a midweek thing at church where they were teaching couponing and home organization. I missed the couponing part (but that's OK) because I had to leave early, but I did hear the part about home organization and cleaning. See, my depression has this vicious cycle. I feel unorganized and messy, and I get lazy and beat myself up, and I eat. So I get fatter, less organized, messier, meaner to myself, and I eat. And it just keeps going.
The sister who shared her struggle with keeping her home in order had some great advice. It wasn't exactly new, but the way she presented it spoke to me, and I've made a lot of headway in the house. I've tried other systems and they overwhelm me. But her advice was simple: Decide what needs to be done on a regular basis, decide who is going to do it, and decide to keep doing it and keep going.
That's it. No timers. No real schedules. Nothing has to get done at a certain time every day. She also said that, aside from a small daily list, only give yourself one or two things to do every day so that you will keep going. So I made a chart with days and chores and names of who does what and what needs to be done daily, but it's not complicated at all. And my depression? Better. The house? Better. Eating? Better. The husband? Better!
This afternoon, I noticed that our thermostat had quit working. Now, ordinarily, I would have been a bit embarrassed to tell the landlord because I would be entirely too embarrassed about the state of our house. No matter how much I felt like I was cleaning, the house was still a wreck, and his sweet wife keeps their house pretty immaculate. Granted, ours wasn't perfect and I have piles of stuff still in the dining room to put away and some things on the counter, but we'd gotten a lot of it caught up in the last week. So when I noticed the thermostat had no readout and I was pretty warm, I went up to tell him what was up, and on the inside, I wasn't panicked at all. I didn't run back into my place to shove things in bedrooms or scour the kitchen. The floor was mopped last night so the tile was clean (though I haven't gotten to the grout yet), fingerprints and smudges had been washed off the fridge and pantry doors last night, we've caught up on laundry, and Kiddo had cleaned up and vacuumed the hallway this morning. We'd just had an early dinner so there were some dishes around though not many. The living room wasn't even bad because I'd folded and put away laundry and Kiddo had cleaned up the toys and trash. So he came down and fixed the A/C and installed a bannister in the front stairs and I wasn't completely mortified!!
This gives me hope! HOPE! That I can keep the house better. That I can put a stop to the vicious cycle of self sabotage. That I can get rid of this weight and break the bad habits I've had for years and create new, good habits. Because really? I miss me. And I want ME back.
I kid. Sort of.
We've been fairly busy this summer with life in general, and some things have changed while others have not. I'm still not exercising consistently, but we have gotten Runner Girl doing some running almost every week at least. The Rock has lost about 60 pounds in the last few months and is looking dang good. He's feeling better too, which is important. Bitty is walking and running all over the place, and Little Mister? He potty trained in late May/early June, is night dry, and did soccer camp last week and had a blast. We've had a few birthdays, too, meaning I now have a 12 year old, 3 year old, and 1 year old. The Rock and Small Fry's birthdays are later in the fall.
My depression is better under control with my herbs. The husband has drugs for his. And he and I are both starting college in the coming weeks. I had intended to go last fall, but the postpartum depression was killing me (almost literally), so I put it off. I managed to find an online university that is fully accredited, comparable in cost to our local university (which is where the husband will be going), and will be starting there so I can still be the at-home parent while I earn my degree. But this has all made me nervous that our world is going to fall apart again.
Last week, I went to a midweek thing at church where they were teaching couponing and home organization. I missed the couponing part (but that's OK) because I had to leave early, but I did hear the part about home organization and cleaning. See, my depression has this vicious cycle. I feel unorganized and messy, and I get lazy and beat myself up, and I eat. So I get fatter, less organized, messier, meaner to myself, and I eat. And it just keeps going.
The sister who shared her struggle with keeping her home in order had some great advice. It wasn't exactly new, but the way she presented it spoke to me, and I've made a lot of headway in the house. I've tried other systems and they overwhelm me. But her advice was simple: Decide what needs to be done on a regular basis, decide who is going to do it, and decide to keep doing it and keep going.
That's it. No timers. No real schedules. Nothing has to get done at a certain time every day. She also said that, aside from a small daily list, only give yourself one or two things to do every day so that you will keep going. So I made a chart with days and chores and names of who does what and what needs to be done daily, but it's not complicated at all. And my depression? Better. The house? Better. Eating? Better. The husband? Better!
This afternoon, I noticed that our thermostat had quit working. Now, ordinarily, I would have been a bit embarrassed to tell the landlord because I would be entirely too embarrassed about the state of our house. No matter how much I felt like I was cleaning, the house was still a wreck, and his sweet wife keeps their house pretty immaculate. Granted, ours wasn't perfect and I have piles of stuff still in the dining room to put away and some things on the counter, but we'd gotten a lot of it caught up in the last week. So when I noticed the thermostat had no readout and I was pretty warm, I went up to tell him what was up, and on the inside, I wasn't panicked at all. I didn't run back into my place to shove things in bedrooms or scour the kitchen. The floor was mopped last night so the tile was clean (though I haven't gotten to the grout yet), fingerprints and smudges had been washed off the fridge and pantry doors last night, we've caught up on laundry, and Kiddo had cleaned up and vacuumed the hallway this morning. We'd just had an early dinner so there were some dishes around though not many. The living room wasn't even bad because I'd folded and put away laundry and Kiddo had cleaned up the toys and trash. So he came down and fixed the A/C and installed a bannister in the front stairs and I wasn't completely mortified!!
This gives me hope! HOPE! That I can keep the house better. That I can put a stop to the vicious cycle of self sabotage. That I can get rid of this weight and break the bad habits I've had for years and create new, good habits. Because really? I miss me. And I want ME back.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
I can't believe it's mid May.
And we still aren't running.
Sigh.
I'd make excuses, but something I learned long ago is this: Excuses are lies. Reasons are truth. And your mind knows the difference.
Here's the truth: I have gotten lazy. My kids fight me on going to the gym. I could still go, workout, and come home to the chaos and frustration after being gone an hour and the littles screaming at dad and fighting with each other. But the truth? I can't handle it. I can't do it. My depression got worse and worse. And so did The Rock's.
So last weekend, my fabulous landlords and neighbors were having a yard sale. They sold a bike for me (unused, unloved, and unworking), and they had a TV sitting there ... Now, I know a TV isn't usually thought of as a piece of exercise equipment (unless you're exercising your thumb on the remote), but we have a little DVD player ... and I thought to myself, "Mama, you have GOT to make a change somehow, and you know you aren't going to work out in front of the family. What if you bought that TV and put it in your room and worked out in there?" So I asked about the TV. And they GAVE it to me. For free.
I had to buy a cord to connect it to the DVD player, which I managed to do several days ago. Since then, we've had a traumatic week with mysterious rashes, antibiotic allergies, and croup, so I haven't made the time to exercise yet. But today? When Runner Girl gets home from school? I'm getting out Jillian's 30 day shred and a couple of sports bras and I'm going to go for it. Because I DO deserve better health and a happier outlook, even if I can't make myself go to the gym right now. If the kids want to watch a movie in there and let me work out in the living room (where there is a bit more space), all the better. I may strap the baby on my back and put Little Mister in the stroller and go for a walk, too! Even if it's raining. Baby girl's rash does better when she's cool, and LM needs cold air at times for his croup as well. So it's a win!
In other news, Bitty is 11 months old today and started walking yesterday. Ack! I'm the mom of two toddlers now!
And we still aren't running.
Sigh.
I'd make excuses, but something I learned long ago is this: Excuses are lies. Reasons are truth. And your mind knows the difference.
Here's the truth: I have gotten lazy. My kids fight me on going to the gym. I could still go, workout, and come home to the chaos and frustration after being gone an hour and the littles screaming at dad and fighting with each other. But the truth? I can't handle it. I can't do it. My depression got worse and worse. And so did The Rock's.
So last weekend, my fabulous landlords and neighbors were having a yard sale. They sold a bike for me (unused, unloved, and unworking), and they had a TV sitting there ... Now, I know a TV isn't usually thought of as a piece of exercise equipment (unless you're exercising your thumb on the remote), but we have a little DVD player ... and I thought to myself, "Mama, you have GOT to make a change somehow, and you know you aren't going to work out in front of the family. What if you bought that TV and put it in your room and worked out in there?" So I asked about the TV. And they GAVE it to me. For free.
I had to buy a cord to connect it to the DVD player, which I managed to do several days ago. Since then, we've had a traumatic week with mysterious rashes, antibiotic allergies, and croup, so I haven't made the time to exercise yet. But today? When Runner Girl gets home from school? I'm getting out Jillian's 30 day shred and a couple of sports bras and I'm going to go for it. Because I DO deserve better health and a happier outlook, even if I can't make myself go to the gym right now. If the kids want to watch a movie in there and let me work out in the living room (where there is a bit more space), all the better. I may strap the baby on my back and put Little Mister in the stroller and go for a walk, too! Even if it's raining. Baby girl's rash does better when she's cool, and LM needs cold air at times for his croup as well. So it's a win!
In other news, Bitty is 11 months old today and started walking yesterday. Ack! I'm the mom of two toddlers now!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
The Bitterness of Sugar
I know what you're thinking. "Bitter? Sugar? Come on ... it's sweet!" or you're thinking something like it.
I did a little experiment the other night, after having been sugar free for FIVE days, eating really healthy and lots of fruit and veggies, feeling really good. Yep, I was an idiot, and I tried sugar. I had three tiny cookies and a piece of chocolate. Sadly, that was a *little* sugar for me, a sugar fiend through and through.
The next morning rolled around ... I had a raging headache which turned into a migraine throughout the day, so I drank some Pepsi with my headache medicine to kill it. The stroller broke while the kids were out and when I got to them, they started asking for ice cream. So we got some. I ate a cone, which, in all honesty, was less ice cream than I normally would have eaten.
About this time, I was feeling lousy and tired and frustrated. It was dinnertime, so we got Mexican takeout. Really? From bad to worse! I was so bloated and so sick the rest of the night, and I've been super cranky since the cookies and chocolate. It was NOT a good thing. And it was all triggered from a smidge of sugar.
Today, I still feel bloaty and gross from all of that, but oddly enough, I don't want any sugar. Maybe because I've learned what it does to my body and my mind. The bitter result from eating sweets was not worth it. I just hope I can remember that when Easter rolls around since it is my birthday this year, too.
I did a little experiment the other night, after having been sugar free for FIVE days, eating really healthy and lots of fruit and veggies, feeling really good. Yep, I was an idiot, and I tried sugar. I had three tiny cookies and a piece of chocolate. Sadly, that was a *little* sugar for me, a sugar fiend through and through.
The next morning rolled around ... I had a raging headache which turned into a migraine throughout the day, so I drank some Pepsi with my headache medicine to kill it. The stroller broke while the kids were out and when I got to them, they started asking for ice cream. So we got some. I ate a cone, which, in all honesty, was less ice cream than I normally would have eaten.
About this time, I was feeling lousy and tired and frustrated. It was dinnertime, so we got Mexican takeout. Really? From bad to worse! I was so bloated and so sick the rest of the night, and I've been super cranky since the cookies and chocolate. It was NOT a good thing. And it was all triggered from a smidge of sugar.
Today, I still feel bloaty and gross from all of that, but oddly enough, I don't want any sugar. Maybe because I've learned what it does to my body and my mind. The bitter result from eating sweets was not worth it. I just hope I can remember that when Easter rolls around since it is my birthday this year, too.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Back in the trenches
We've been intending to start running again so that Runner Girl can get in shape for her cross country season this fall, but wow, it got cold and snowy again and my littles hate being cold. Not dragging them out in that.
And I think I injured my hip somehow because it hurts a lot. And has been almost every day for a while.
So I haven't been to the gym in a LONG time.
I did decide to get serious about the diet though. I am on day 3 of no sugar, no Pepsi, and I feel pretty good other than the dull headache and mood swings here and there. I've been eating more veggies and whole grains and fruits. Weird how if you're not filling up on junk you want good food.
Anyway, I walked with the kids to the park today. Runner Girl ran part of the way and her stride looks amazingly better. Hoping we get to go tomorrow too, so she can get more running under her belt and, hey, my hip still hurts but I FEEL better getting out and moving.
Hopefully I quit hurting so much once I lose some weight because, well, this sucks.
And I think I injured my hip somehow because it hurts a lot. And has been almost every day for a while.
So I haven't been to the gym in a LONG time.
I did decide to get serious about the diet though. I am on day 3 of no sugar, no Pepsi, and I feel pretty good other than the dull headache and mood swings here and there. I've been eating more veggies and whole grains and fruits. Weird how if you're not filling up on junk you want good food.
Anyway, I walked with the kids to the park today. Runner Girl ran part of the way and her stride looks amazingly better. Hoping we get to go tomorrow too, so she can get more running under her belt and, hey, my hip still hurts but I FEEL better getting out and moving.
Hopefully I quit hurting so much once I lose some weight because, well, this sucks.
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