Ending July on a Good Note

After our yard work extravaganza, I picked the first batch of tomatillos. The plants are still covered with fruit and will be ready for another picking soon. What to do with tomatillos?  Make salsa verde!

I started by grilling the tomatillos, peppers (I had a mix of poblano, serrano, jalapeno and anaheim) and onions.

After they were all a little charred and softened, they were ready for use. Don't worry I did scrape off a bit of the extra char - sorry peppers!

Everything went into the food processor with lime juice, cilantro and a few spices.

This batch made enough for a big jar to use now, a tub to give away and a packet to put in the freezer for later. This is my first attempt to freeze it, so fingers crossed it does well. I will probably use the frozen for cooking so I am not concerned about the texture.

Yesterday I had to go to our main office in the county administration building. Since it is right next to the courthouse and Wednesday is a busy court day, I parked a couple blocks away and walked down main street. On the way back to my car, I ducked into a couple shops. I feel in love with a shop that sells decor and toys for children. Seriously, I think I loved 90% of the merchandise. I wanted to treat myself to this embroidered pillow, but $165!

This may be the cutest little narwhal I have every seen. I wonder if there is anyway he will show up in my Christmas stocking (hopefully my husband is reading!)

So many precious books. I would have loved to pull up one of their cozy chairs and stay all afternoon.

Do you need a baby to have a mobile? Surely not.

This guy was made with different papers and a bit of paint. I wonder if I could create something as cute. It would be perfect in my craft room...or living room?

I stopped at a little meat market that has been in business since 1947. It still has that old-time look inside - down to the manual pencil sharpener just like the one that hung in my grandparents basement stairway. I actually mentioned it to the guy and he said that is were his grandparents kept theirs too.  I found an interesting article in our local paper. I had heard of meat lockers but really didn't know what they were. This excerpt explains:

In all those decades, much has stayed the same. The original locker keys and giant old-fashioned wooden desk remain in the small office. They still use a rotary phone to communicate from the front counter to the back rooms. And the lockers themselves are still there, going back to a time when most homes did not have freezers. So how do you store a whole cow or pig without most of it rotting before you can eat it? You rented a locker, just like Jeff Merkel’s family. He remembers going to Edwardsville Frozen Foods every week with his mother and helping her retrieve a week’s worth of meat from their rented freezer locker. Those lockers are still available, even with the advent of freezer compartments or chest freezers in basements. A quarter cow renders about 200 pounds of meat, which would take quite a large freezer at home. Instead, some 80 or 90 families still rent a locker for $70 a year to store large quantities of meat.

Read more here: https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article143602814.html#storylink=cpy

 
I chose a couple of kabobs for dinner- one pork and one chicken. Both were good, but honestly I can make them at home for a fraction of the price, right? I enjoyed my grilled romaine again and corn is always a grilling staple in our house.

While I was grilling dinner I tossed a couple chicken thighs on the grill for a future meal. I seasoned the chicken thighs with cayenne pepper and garlic-ginger paste. What is going to happen with this plate of goodness?  Stay tuned...

I love poking around new places. I suppose you could call it a bit of mental health care to go with my physical health focus.

I didn't get started until the middle of the month, but July has still been a good month for me. Since my "new year's day" I have tracked my food - not perfectly, but pretty well. I have definitely been more mindful of what I am eating - both quantity and quality.  I am trying to not get hyper-focused on how much I lose or don't lose each week. I think I might do monthly reports. That being said, I lost 8.4 pounds in July :)

That brings us to August. My plan is to keep doing what I am doing and add in some walking. I might even try hopping in the pool again. I wonder if they remember me at the gym.

What are your August plans?

Weekend This and That

That was an extra quick weekend...losing that hour and all :)  We finally got Millie to get a job. She has chosen to be an Uber driver. Unfortunately, the only one willing to ride with her doesn't pay very well.

Truth is. that scene played out when we stopped at the gas station on the way to the farm. Zommie was in a rush to get to "treat heaven" and Millie had a frisbee date with Buddy.

 So fun to watch these two chase frisbee after frisbee...tripping over their tongues as they go.

 Funky dirty tongues that is...

 Pretty much every frisbee was returned like this.

While we were at the farm we arranged to have this cabinet delivered. It once belonged to my husband's grandmother. I am working on turning it into my linen closet.  This little nook in the hallway is right outside the bathroom door and seems to be the perfect spot.

My mom has been visiting my brother's family in California for the last few weeks. She arrived home Saturday with these goodies from my sister-in-law. The lemons and avocado were grown in her friend's yard. The kumquats are from their yard (those are the biggest kumquats I have ever seen). She also sent several types of mints.

My sister-in-law is Cambodian and has introduced us to some delicious foods. I've tried to make a few, but never know which herbs she uses (or can't find them in my stores).  She sent me a couple to try growing in my garden.

My husband has recovered well from his oral surgery, thanks in large part to his mom's mashed potatoes I believe. After eating them plain for days, Sunday morning he asked me to make potato patties one of his all time favorite breakfasts (since he met me). I mix cilantro, jalapeno and cheese with leftover mashed potatoes.

I use the mixture to form the potatoes into patties and fry. I serve it with an over easy egg. He was so eager to eat them I didn't get a picture of the finished product.

Sunday afternoon I went shopping with a couple friends and my sister. In general, I am not a shopping person, but we had a good time. All the summer shoes are out. I was surprised to hear a saleslady refer to these as sandals...but they certainly aren't boots...

 Strappy seems to be this summer's theme.

 I found this display just a little too creepy.

We also did some clothes shopping. I am trying to think outside my box a little. I would have tried on this dress, but it was a size too small :(  I picked up a couple things for work. Overall, the clothes shopping wasn't too bad and I am almost looking forward to doing a little more. Maybe I will reward myself when I get back to my low.

 Star Wars is EVERYWHERE. I found these in the Build-a -Bear store.

And of course, I found this in the LEGO store.  I think my husband was a little disappointed it didn't come home with me.

I never thought I would drink so much vinegar. I enjoyed sampling a several balsamic vinegars - fig, pomegranate and summer peach were probably my favorites. I also sampled a couple olive oils. That just made me want to eat lots of bread and I really don't need bread dipped in olive oil :)

It is another super busy week at work. My goal is to get a walk or two. My eating is still mostly good. I did have have one day that was over my goal, but the tracking kept me from going crazy, Not to mention, one "over" day in two weeks is much better than 14 days in two weeks :)

What do you have planned this week.

Weigh-In and Freedom

I am quite happy with today's weigh-in.  I am down 3 pounds this week. I am especially proud of how hard I worked this week to make celebrating my birthday and a holiday fit into a healthier lifestyle. I struggle with an all or nothing mentality - if I don't do perfect I have failed. But this time I didn't do perfectly and I am okay with that. Yes, maybe I would be less okay if I didn't lose :)  

I have heard lots of people say that "dieting" is just too restrictive.  And, of course, I have been that person too.  No doubt there are times I just want ot strap on the feedbag and eat whatever/whenever I want. However, there is a flip side to that "restriction."  I have found freedom too. When I go to the grocery store I know what I am buying and what I am NOT buying. I don't have to stand in front of a huge rack of chips trying to decide if I should buy some this time.  Do I need them? Do I deserve them? How will I feel if I do? Can I ration them or will I gobble them all up? Then picture the same scene repeated as I move on to the ice cream section or the bakery.

The freedom is that I know I am not buying them. Period. So I can completely skip those "danger" zones. When I leave the store I am free of guilt and stress. I know what I have purchased is good food that is helping me toward my ultimate freedom - freedom from my fat :)

The same can be said about our house. There aren't "naughty snacks" calling to me from the cabinet because I didn't buy them and invite them in. So I am not constantly struggling with "should I have some? or "forget this I am eating what I want."  Now please don't misunderstand I absolutely work in sweets, chips and other goodies - I just am not keeping them at home. I would have to make a conscious effort to go get them and thankfully that usually stops me. Maybe one day I will be stronger and I won't need this protection, but for now it is working for me.

I am much happier with the "naughty snacks" not hanging out in the house.I am becoming a believer in not allowing myself instant treat gratification. I feel so much better when I have planned for the treat and rarely regret it afterwards.

For example..  Today at Walmart I noticed this big "healthy snack" section in the produce aisle. In general, I am not a fan of individually packaged items - usually more expensive and I feel guilty about the extra trash generated. However, sometimes I feel like a portioned out item can be a very useful tool for success. Let's face it I don't want my laziness to interfere with making good food choices.

Okay, I just thought these were cute. I am sure that is what the marketers are banking on. Definitely more than a snack for me though.

I was intrigued by all the different items. Then this caught my eye.

Yes, I can be an impulse buyer. (My husband says checkout lanes are designed specifically for people like me.)  In this case, the caramel/chocolate/nut dip sucked me in like a vacuum. And who doesn't feel virtuous eating apples? A yummy treat for only 130 calories. Turns out the dip was yummy...for the first couple of bites. But then it became tainted by the sourness of the apple - I am sure they had been doused in lemon juice to prevent browning. I felt like I forced myself to finish it. There were only 5 apple slices so you know the majority of the calories came from the dip. When I finished I realized I would have been much happier with an undisguised treat like this...

I can have all three of these candies for the same calories.  I can spread them out over the day and truly enjoy them. Why do I have these candies at home, you ask?  I don't. I took the picture at work using the candy stash we have for people when we hold workshops.

Hopefully, it is another lesson learned that I can apply to future success. I'd love to know how other people handle "goodies."