Detox Day 5

Day 5:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

Snack: I forgot to eat a snack b/c I was so busy.  I really need to not do that b/c by the time I got to lunch, I knew my sugar had dropped, and I was starving.

Lunch:  Tilapia, sweet potato (no butter), and a mixed green salad with my Warden Farms Thousand Island

Snack: Too busy and in a hurry to eat

Dinner: Great Northern Beans and Flounder or Tilapia

I have found I crave water and need to drink more.

Detox Day 4

Day 4:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

Snack: I forgot to eat a snack b/c I was so busy.

Lunch:  Flounder, some broccoli, and leftover carrots and peas

Snack: can of pears

Dinner: Tilapia, sweet potato, and Great Northern Beans

Everything was OK today.

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, Granny left this earth for Heaven. 12:33 am.  That is when I got the phone call.  For the next 3 hours, I went from her house to talking to paramedics and EMTs to making phone calls to my brother and aunt to following the ambulance to the hospital to waiting to hear from the doctor.  My great aunt and I sat side-by-side as the dr gave us the official news, which I already knew in my heart.  We got to go in and say our final "good-byes."  I then gained the experience of working with the nurses on official paperwork, talking the Medical Examiner, and breaking the official news to those waiting at the hospital.  After finishing at the hospital, we went to the rehabilitation place where Mom was recovering from her broken ankle.  I know it had to be unbearably hard on her through the next few days b/c she could only leave the rehab place for a certain number of hours a day and she didn't get to say "good-bye" until the night of the visitation at the funeral home.

I gained quite a lot of life experience that day and the following days.

This last year has been filled lots of memories and a lot of work to clear out her home.  If I have learned one thing, it is this . . .
Look around.  If you aren't using it, donate, recycle, or trash it.  If you are getting up in age or are very ill, make decisions, let loved ones know, and make sure all of your business is in order.
It is hard on family members to deal with the normal stuff.  But when they are dealing with tons and tons of stuff, it is overwhelming.
Granny's business was in order, but she had so much stuff.  I'm glad she was into ceramics, sewing, crafts, quilting, crossword puzzles, gardening, and so much more.  There is just a lot of stuff to sort through.

I miss her, but I know she is happier now that she is in Heaven with Grandpa.

Detox Day 3

Day 3:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

Snack: banana

Lunch: Tilapia, mixed green salad, and a can of pears with no sugar added

There is this vinegar and oil dressing you are supposed to make/use on the salad.  Well, anyone who knows me knows I am picky about my salad dressing. At home I only eat Ken's Thousand Island.  When I go out, I am very picky and choose between Thousand Island, Italian, and Ranch.  There was no way I could eat a salad with the vinegar and oil dressing, so I found one at the grocery store, Walden Farm's Thousand Island, that is free of calories, gluten, carbs, fat, etc.  It is free of everything of which it can be free.  Well, it does have some taste.  It isn't horrible, but it isn't Ken's.  I have eaten it twice now (dinner last night and lunch today).  I will continue to use it until I can have mine again.

Snack: almonds

Dinner: Flounder, carrots, and peas

I have only been drinking water, but I didn't drink as much today.  I have my glass of Detox tea ready to enjoy [said with sarcasm] later tonight.

Detox Day 2

Day 2:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

Snack: banana

Lunch: Leftover Minestrone Soup from the Detox menu/recipes

Today, I added some salt, which made it a little better.  I ate half of today's portion too.

I had a can of pears with no sugar added.

Snack: almonds

Dinner: Leftover Salmon, stir fry vegetables, brown rice, and a mixed green salad

This tasted better tonight too.  I mixed my Salmon with the brown rice.

Again, I drank a lot of water today.  If I even thought I was hungry, I drank water.

Today, I worked hard to remember my snacks.  Yesterday, my snacks and I weren't in the same place when I should have eaten them.

I also did a 30 minute workout at Curves with a little more difficult cardio.  

Each night, before bed, Mom has a candy bar.  It is her way of surviving this.  Ha ha!  She is being so supportive, so I don't care that she eats her candy.

Detox Day 1

My BFF went to her dr's appt a few weeks ago, and after studying her blood work/panel, he suggested she do a Detox program.  To support her, if she wanted to do it, I checked into it.  I decided I wasn't going to spend the money to purchase the shakes and supplements, but I would give it a try following the menu or meal rules.

My mom has been great.  I gave her the info, she read it all, and then she went about planning our meals for 10 days.  I would have, but she just took over.  It is nice to have the support.

Day 1:
Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk
(It is a shake powder I get from my dr.)
This is what I have every morning (that I have milk), so I just continued it to replace the Detox shake.

Lunch: Minestrone Soup from the Detox menu/recipes
It is made with Vegetable broth, carrots, celery, kidney beans, green beans, and tomatoes.
After beginning to eat it, I realized it needed something.  To me, it had a weird smell, and it was so bland that I only ate about half of my portion.

Dinner: Salmon, stir fry vegetables, and brown rice
Our vegetables were broccoli, carrots, corn, and edamame (sp?).  I can't have corn with the Detox, so I ate around those.

I drank 3-4 bottles of water all day, and before bed, I drank a 12-16 oz glass of warm herbal tea for Detox (according to the box).

I tell you, if it were not for Mom, I would not be doing this. Today was rough.  Nothing tasted right, and I missed my cold artificially sweetened tea and tasty not-so-great for me foods.

North Star Writing Project

Today, our district's ELL (English Language Learners) department hosted a writing workshop for ELL students from our middle schools, and it was held on my campus.  Teachers from North Texas and professors from the University of North Texas were the presenters.  There was one presenter per room and then 1 middle school teacher for every 4-5 students.  The students focused on Expository Writing.  All in all, it was a good day.  I can't wait for our teachers to use the strategies in the classroom.

World Thinking Day 2014

Happy World Thinking Day!  Today is the day each year that Girl Scouts and Girl Guides all over the world think about one another and the Girl Scout movement.  My troop did not study a country this year, but they were invited to attend our local Service Unit's World Thinking Day event.  About 10 troops set-up tables with a backboard full of information about their chosen country, a SWAP, and a food to represent the country.  Each SWAP and snack cost $0.25, which went toward Family Partnership.  Only three girls from my troop attended, but they enjoyed the event.  They learned about Germany, Mexico, Guatemala, Italy, South Korea, Great Britain, Japan, Russia, and an African country that I can't remember at the moment.  I may have missed a table too.

How did you spend World Thinking Day?

Happy Birthday, Carly!

Today, Carly turns 3!  It has been an adventure being her caregiver.  Genetically, her emotions swing drastically from one side to the other in a second. She is only a lap cat when she is in the mood. She must have her tuna every night. She can't have a bit of the bottom of her food bowl showing or she wants you to refill it immediately. At night when sleeping, she must be able to lay her head on your legs. I love that she has to see me to the door every morning and meets me at the door every time I come home.  We love her greatly, talk to her constantly, and would be lost without her.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day isn't that exciting of a holiday for me.  As a child, I enjoyed the little cards and sacks or boxes we used to exchange our cards.  As an adult, I think it is overrated. 

It is crazy enough teaching elementary students on Valentine's Day, but at least there is a specific time for the card exchange and party. 

In Middle School, it is quite different.  The students exchanged bouquets of flowers (some quite large), packages and bags of candy, cards, and stuffed animals (some nearly as large as me) all through the day, whenever they saw one another.  The candy was not put away, but it was eaten all day.  All that sugar plus a Full Moon made for quite an interesting day.

I had the opportunity to teach 8th grade Math during the middle of the day, so I got to experience all of this first hand.  The students were fun and did their best to follow directions.

How did you spend Valentine's Day?

Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole

Another new recipe for us.  Not sure what went wrong, but it was really watery.

Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Size: 1/6th • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts Calories: 318 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 27.3 g • Carb: 34.3 g • Fiber: 3.6 g   

Ingredients:

• 6 oz no-yolk noodles (Ronzoni Healthy Harvest, or brown rice pasta for gluten free)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, minced fine
• 3 tbsp flour (gluten free use rice flour)
• 1 3/4 cups fat free chicken broth
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1 oz sherry (optional)
• 10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 cup frozen petite peas (thawed)
• 2 (5 oz) cans tuna in water, drained (I used albacore)
• 4 oz 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar (I used Cabot)
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions:
Cook noodles in salted water until al dente, or slightly undercooked by 2 minutes. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large deep skillet. Add onions and cook on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat
Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spray 9 x 12 casserole with butter flavored cooking spray.
Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined, increasing heat to medium and whisking well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil. When boiling, add sherry, mushrooms and petite peas, adjust salt and pepper to taste and simmer on medium, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 7 to 9 minutes). Add drained tuna, stirring another minute.
Remove from heat and add 1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar and mix well until it melts. Add the noodles to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated. Pour into casserole and top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray and top and bake for about 25 minutes. Place under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp (careful not to burn).

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

We tried this recipe from the site where I found the WW recipes.  It was very good!

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 35 min 

Ingredients:

7 ounces thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon salted butter
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
Two 10.75-ounce cans 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 cup nonfat milk
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, but only cook it until it's al dente (you still want a little bite to it). Drain the pasta and set it aside.

3. Melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, celery and bell peppers. Cook until the vegetables have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix milk and soup until smooth. Add this mixture to the vegetables in the pan. Stir in cheddar cheese. Continue to heat the mixture until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. Add in chicken, pasta and tabasco, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle Jack cheese on top.

4. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and bubbly and golden brown.

Tips:

*If you're trying to figure out a serving size for this casserole, simply use a knife to divide the pan into 6 equal servings. There's your serving size (it's pretty substantial)!

*Leftovers of this casserole are great for a couple of days after making it.

*Turn this casserole into a day-after-Thanksgiving meal by adding leftover turkey instead of chicken.

Nutritional Information per serving:
Serving size: 1/6th of the casserole
Calories per serving: 490.5
Fat per serving: 22.5g
Saturated Fat per serving: 12.3g
Sugar per serving: 3.3g
Fiber per serving: 2.7g
Protein per serving: 31g
Cholesterol per serving: 89.3mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 39.4g

WW POINTS per serving: Points Plus Program: 13 Old Points Program: 11

This one was yummy!

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 369
• Calories from fat: 28%
• Fat: 11.4g
• Saturated fat: 5g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3.8g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.4g
• Protein: 35.6g
• Carbohydrate: 31.3g
• Fiber: 3g
• Cholesterol: 79mg
• Iron: 2.4mg
• Sodium: 479mg
• Calcium: 360mg

Ingredients

• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth $
• 2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided
• 1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts $
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion $
• 1 cup evaporated skim milk
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) tub-style light cream cheese $
• 1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese $
• 1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips) $

Preparation

1. Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks, and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350°.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; sauté 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Hot Chocolate 5K

We did it!  We did the Hot Chocolate 5K this morning.  Despite there being snow and ice on the ground and a wind chill below freezing, we dressed in layers and set off.  We finished and set a new personal record.  We had so much fun, enjoyed the hot chocolate and chocolate fondue, and the feeling of accomplishment.

We are already planning more races/walks.

Snow Day!

Yesterday, it began snowing just as the students were arriving at school.  The News folks kept saying that we would get a dusting or half an inch with little accumulation.  Well!  It snowed from 7:00/7:30 until some point between 2:00 & 3:00.  Everything was white.  Beautiful!  However, the snow began becoming compacted on parking lots and road ways, turning to ice, and making it quite slick.

I went less than a mile from work to the post office.  I used a few neighborhood streets to get through, and I slid at two intersections.  Once at the post office, I decided to walk down to a grocery store to get bread.  My walk was fine, even in the snow/ice.  I slid and slid trying to get out of that parking lot though.  Once out, I was good for a while.  I took high traffic side streets before making my way to the highway.  That part of the drive was fine.  At least 2 of the 3 lanes were fine.  Trying to get from the side road to the service road to get on the highway, I slid around.  Scary b/c there was more traffic around me.  Once I got on the highway, the roads were fine, but the traffic was horrible.  It took me 45 minutes to get home once I was on the highway.  My normal commute is around 20 minutes total.

The temperatures have held steady in the low 20s all night. My school district chose to cancel school today b/c of the parking lots.  Most are white with snow and ice. Someone said it took them 45 minutes to get out of their school parking lot yesterday afternoon. Looks like I will relax today!

We will get out around or after lunch time b/c we have to get our Hot Chocolate "stuff" for the 5K tomorrow.  They don't do pick-up the morning of, so we will brave the weather/roads to get it.  So excited about our run/walk tomorrow!

Here are a few snow pics I took yesterday.

 These are from inside my school building, looking out, around 9:30 am on February 6th.

 

These are from inside, looking out, around 2:00.

This one is from around 4:00, when I left.

This is from when I got inside my car to leave for the day around 4:00.

Around 5:30, when I was arriving home.

Crazy Work Week and Difficult Day

Last week was so busy, over scheduled, and had me off campus 3 days.  This week, I was on campus more, but it was a busy, busy week.

I have been far less stressed this year than I have been in the past, which is nice.  But . . . the most stressful thing happens first thing every morning.  Checking with the secretary to see which classes don't have a sub and then creating a plan for those students/classes.  Most teachers/faculty do not realize what we do and what all is involved.  The most difficult days are when we have 3-4 classes not covered.  We use all the subs as much as possible, which I am sure makes them unhappy and exhausted b/c they don't get a conference period. Because our class numbers are much smaller this year, we have been splitting classes across content areas as much as possible.  Putting students in classrooms with certified teachers who know the content is better than pulling random people or putting subs in rooms.  This really upsets teachers at times, but we are trying to do what is best with students in the time we have to decide it.

Today was a difficult day.  After our meeting with Central Office personnel yesterday, I was to create a plan for one of our content areas.  I did that. It was a great schedule using teacher strengths and doing what is best for students.  They were asked to consider it, we would talk more next week, and we would implement it Feb. 18th. Instead of the teachers bringing their concerns to me, they became very upset, went to an administrator, and we had to change the plan.  I hope, at some point, they try my plan.  It would be so great for students.

The kids handled the snowy day really well and were excited at dismissal to get out and play.

Here is a picture of what Carly (aka Kitty) did all day as it snowed.  She sat and watched it through the front door.  She also spied a bird or two. (More about the snow on tomorrow's post.)

Fitness Motivation

I am so proud of my BFF!  On January 6th, she made a decision to begin working out no less than 5 days a week.  She has walked more than 39 miles and has not missed a worked out.  She is sharing motivational saying and keeping us going.  I am super proud of her excitement!

Look who else has embraced walking!

Carly (aka Kitty) gets on the treadmill almost daily.  She is so funny!

I'm Frustrated!

On July 9, 2012, I rejoined Curves and got focused.  I changed my eating habits, worked out regularly, and started getting control of my health.  I seemed to do great until around March 2013.  Since then, things have been difficult. I lost only a few more pounds by July 2013.  Since then, I have gained a few pounds, but I have lost them again.  I wasn't as focused in the fall of 2013, but since January 6, 2014, I have been back on my game.  With the support of my BFFs, we have been walking, eating better, cutting out soda, etc.  However, I am not seeing changes in my weight.  Actually, in the last week, I have gained about 2 pounds.  I think I lost 5 before gaining these two.  It is so frustrating!  I am trying to eat better, work out daily, cut out all soda, and eat Weight Watchers recipes.  I am so frustrated to not see more progress.  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Slim & Healthy Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole

We tried another recipe from the Weight Watcher list.  It was OK.  Not too exciting, but OK.

Slim & Healthy Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 55 mins

 Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons low sodium taco seasoning mix
• 1 can (11 ounces) Mexican corn, drained
• 1 jar (12 ounces) chunky salsa
• 6 corn tortillas (10 inches each)
• 1 can nonfat refried beans
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup grated reduced fat Monterey Jack or Mexican style cheese blend
• Chopped fresh tomato and chopped fresh green onions for garnish, if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Mist a large skillet set over medium heat with nonstick cooking spray. Add the onion, garlic and beef to the skillet, breaking up the beef and stirring until the beef is browned and onion is softened. Drain the beef mixture. Stir in the taco seasoning, corn and 1 cup of the salsa and mix well.
3. In a small bowl, combine the refried beans and water until smooth and spreadable.
4. To assemble, spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place 2 tortillas over bottom of the dish. Cut one tortilla to fill any gaps as layers are assembled. Spread ⅓ beans evenly over tortillas. Top with ⅓ beef mixuture and ⅓ of the cheese. Repeat layers one time. Arrange remaining 2 tortillas over cheese. Top with remaining beans and beef mixture.
5. Cover and bake in 400 degree oven until hot about 25 minutes. Remove foil and top evenly with remaining salsa and cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, another 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and let rest and set for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh tomato and green onions if desired.

Martha’s Notes:

Nutritional estimates per serving: 298 calories, 9.1 g fat, 27.9 g carbs, 5.4 g fiber, 26.8 g protein and 7 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values. Substitute ground turkey or chicken for the beef if you prefer. Chopped chicken would also work well.

The person sharing the recipe said:

I was able to slim it down by 2 pointsplus values, by using fat free refried beans, using reduced fat cheese and cutting the amount of cheese in half.

Somewhat Relaxing Weekend

We actually had no booth sales yesterday or today, so I was able to get a few things done and rest.  Grocery shopping was done after checking out a few new recipes to try.  Nothing too exciting happened. It was nice to just rest. We watched the Super Bowl, checked out and commented on the commercials, and did laundry.

Motivation Board

My BFF has really gotten into fitness, walking, eating better, and finding motivational signs, pictures, and quotes to share to keep us going.  She shared a few pictures of Motivation Boards.  After getting home from church and eating lunch, I decided to make mine. 

I didn't have any material or cork board, so I used a white table cloth from Granny's.  I found some coordinating ribbon to hang across.  I then printed out and hung my quotes and signs with paper clips from the ribbon.

It isn't perfect, but it works for its purpose at the moment.