---> Brick Wall Busters Challenge April 08 <---

[seb]

Thanks for checking my journal, Lisa. Typing seems to be a challenge right now, so this will be short. I'm on the mend, but never having surgery before, I didn't realize how long it would take for me to feel well. But, my mom is here to help out, which is a real blessing.

[sbaquera78]

Glad to here you are on the way to recovery, Sue!

I did not work out at all on Saturday. We bought a new car, and then had to head to a first b-day party. I splurged and had icecream cake from DQ. It was spectacular. This was the first time I have gone off my protein power eating plan. I have been eating low carb for about 7 weeks. I have to say it tasted great, but man did I have a massive headache and all around yucky feeling afterward. I think that splurging is going to have to be few and far between. It just messes with my sugar to much.

Anyway, today I am going to try and do callanetics, when little man takes a nap. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

[ItsToni]

Hey Ladies!

Boy - warmer weather sure brings busy schedules, doesn't it?

My weekend hasn't been NEAR as busy as the weekdays - though, the upcoming week looks rather full...again. I'm actually getting sort of nervous that summer will be over before it even begins LOL

So far, I've made it through the day on plan. Though, I haven't had much energy to even drag myself to the kitchen to cheat LOL I'm preparing some foods now for the next few days: green beans w/bacon and some bacon jalapeno poppers and some jello fluff (If i have enough cream cheese left from the poppers).

If I can dig up a bit of energy, I'd like to take the dog for a walk when DH gets home, which should be soon. Would be nice if I could make that a daily habit.

Need to make up my grocery list and dinner chart tonight so I'm prepared for the week. Going shopping tomorrow after work

Have a good night all!

[sbaquera78]

I made chocolate macadamia bark today. My boys were eating candy and I wanted something too. I got the recipeoff of the Stella Style website. Wow are they good.

I am making Cauliflower pizza tonight. It sounds weirdly(might not be a word) good. You use cauliflower to make the crust and then top it like you would a regular pizza. Craziness!

Well I didn't get around to doing any type of exercise today. Will be good tomorrow. Talk to you all later.

[ItsToni]

Only 2 more hours to bedtime and I've made it through day one!!! woo hoo!!! As long as I can stay out of the kitchen, I should be fine. Walked the dog - short - but counts as a walk LOL

Macadamia bark? That sounds YUMMY! I've made the cauliflower crust pizza before. It was good! If I remember right, it was even better leftover. I really chowed on the jalapeno poppers tonight - gonna pay for that in the morning haha

Sue - hope you are feeling better - I'm anxious to hear what happened! But not to rush - get lots of rest

Stacey - tell me how to make the mac bark pleeasse

Lisa - I'm so glad to hear you are very busy with your business! That's wonderful!

Talk to you all in the am!

[ItsToni]

Liisssaaa---hellpppp!! I lost my recipe for chicken divan...when you get a moment, could you possibly share again? I would like to have it for dinner this week and my whole family loves it. Thanks!!!!!!

[scrappychik]

Originally Posted by seb

Thanks for checking my journal, Lisa. Typing seems to be a challenge right now, so this will be short. I'm on the mend, but never having surgery before, I didn't realize how long it would take for me to feel well. But, my mom is here to help out, which is a real blessing.

Glad you are on the mend and hopefully this will be the end of your tummy trouble-FOR GOOD!!!!!

Originally Posted by sbaquera78

I made chocolate macadamia bark today. My boys were eating candy and I wanted something too. I got the recipeoff of the Stella Style website. Wow are they good.

I am making Cauliflower pizza tonight. It sounds weirdly(might not be a word) good. You use cauliflower to make the crust and then top it like you would a regular pizza. Craziness!

Well I didn't get around to doing any type of exercise today. Will be good tomorrow. Talk to you all later.

You HAVE to share the recipe for the macadamia bark-PULEEEEEZE!!!

Originally Posted by ItsToni

Liisssaaa---hellpppp!! I lost my recipe for chicken divan...when you get a moment, could you possibly share again? I would like to have it for dinner this week and my whole family loves it. Thanks!!!!!!

Glad you made it through Day 1 Here is the recipe:

CHICKEN DIVAN
3-4 cups diced cooked chicken
16 ounces frozen broccoli florets
4 ounce can mushrooms, drained
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
3 ounces fresh mushrooms, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/2-1 teaspoon xanthan gum, optional *
Salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon curry powder

Cook the broccoli according to package directions for 7-8 minutes; drain. In a large non-stick skillet, sauté the fresh mushrooms, celery and onion in the butter until soft and lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper. Add the broth; bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add the cream and xanthan gum at this point, if using, and simmer on medium heat until thickened. Gradually whisk in the mayonnaise until well blended. Stir in the curry powder.

In a greased 9x13" glass baking dish, mix the chicken, broccoli and canned mushrooms. Season to taste. Mix in the cheese. Pour in the mushroom sauce and mix well. Cover with foil and bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes until bubbly and a little browned on top.

Makes 8-10 servings
Can be frozen

* If you have xanthan gum, you can slightly thicken the sauce with the bonus that you won't need to reduce the sauce as much and will end up with more. After adding the cream, lightly dust xanthan gum over surface of sauce; quickly mix in. Repeat until you've mixed approximately 1/2-1 teaspoon xanthan gum into sauce. Simmer until the sauce has thickened.

Per 1/8 Recipe: 453 Calories; 34g Fat; 31g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

[sbaquera78]

Ooh! Lisa that sounds scrumptious! I will definitly make that chicken divan this week.
The macadamia bark ruled. Even the hubby liked it.

1/4 cup half and half cream
3/4 cup Splenda brand sugar replacement
2 ounces Baker’s brand unsweetened chocolate, chopped (2 squares)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts (may use almonds, pecans or walnuts)



SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Stock pot, steel bowl that fits on top and a dinner plate lined with aluminum foil

1. Fill a stock pot with 2 inches of water and place over medium high heat to simmer.

2. Place the bowl over the barely simmering stock pot (do not let boil), add the half and half and Splenda and mix together with a rubber spatula creating a slurry.

3. Next add the chopped unsweetened chocolate and slowly stir for about 2 minutes until just melted and a mud-like consistency. (*if it thickens too quickly add a little more cream)

4. Remove from heat and spread evenly onto the aluminum foil lined plate, sprinkle with chopped nuts and press them into the chocolate. Pop the plate into the freezer for about 10 minutes to harden and then easily remove the chocolate bark from the aluminum foil. Break into pieces and stack back on the plate to serve!

HEALTHFUL HINTS
Unsweetened soy milk may be used in place of the cream to lighten up the fats and the Splenda may be cut in half for a dark chocolate taste!

By the way there are 8 servings and 3 carbs per serving. You can also change the nuts to whatever you like. I can't believe it was so easy to make. I ended up leaving it in the freezer longer than the 10 mins.....probably 45 minutes. Hope you all like!

[seb]

Good morning ladies. I'm starting to feel like myself again.

Here's what happened: I did a lot of housework on Monday morning because things have really been let go this year with my abdominal troubles and the new meds were really helping me to feel better. But, by afternoon, I had a new ache, and had a feeling it might be my appendix. All of the bending over to pick things up was really getting to me. I've had some bouts with my appendix in the past, but my white blood cell count was never high enough for them to diagnose it as appendicitis.

I had coffee with a friend on Tuesday morning and she could tell immediately something was wrong. When I got home I called DH and he told me to call the doc, so I did. They said they couldn't fit me in that day, and the doc didn't think it was my appendix but maybe a burst cyst on my ovaries, so they scheduled an appointment for the next day for a pelvic exam.

Well, DH had a fit and said he was coming home to get me and take me to the urgent care where our HMO is in a city north of us. So, I drove the boys around so they would be taken care of for the afternoon while DH was coming to get me.

They took tests and said it was my appendix and sent me right over to the hospital for surgery. It happened pretty fast, which is good so I didn't have time to think about it.

DD rounded up the boys after work and brought them up to the hospital, so they were all there when I got to my room.

I'm doing pretty good now. Still not supposed to drive, still have some pain, but I refuse to take any more meds because I've felt so out of it on them, even on ibuprofen.

Unfortunately, my old abdominal pain came back yesterday after lunch and got worse with everything I ate. I'm going strictly LC today, taking my IBS meds, and hoping that I can get that under control. That was a little discouraging, but it's something I'm going to have to live with.

Stacey~that macadamia bark sounds wonderful. Thanks for posting the recipe.

Toni~One day down, another good day today! I want to try that cauliflower pizza crust. I made the zucchini crust for manicotti and it was wonderful. Maybe I'll feel up to cooking later this week as I have all the ingredients.

Lisa~Yum, that looks so good. Maybe I'll have my mom make that for dinner tonight.

[sbaquera78]

I love zuchinni Sue. What is the crust for the manicotti?

BTW, Glad your back!

[ItsToni]

wow Sue!!! I'm glad they took care of it quickly - but sorry to hear that the usual pain is back I was really hoping the pain was the appendix. Glad your mom is there to help you out - all you can do is rest and get well now

Thanks for the recipe Lisa! Going to have that later this week. I think I've mentioned before that I leave out the shrooms and also don't use Xanthum gum - it thickens fine on its own. (fyi for Stacey

I just got back from the store and they had the unsweetened chocolate AND macadamia nuts BOTH on the clearance rack!!! SOOO...I took that as my hint to make the bark LOL I might add a little bit of unsweetened shredded coconut and maybe a hint of coconut extract too I just snacked on a few of the nuts - I don't buy them very often, but have forgotten how much I love that texture. Thanks for posting the recipe.

B - 2 c. coffee w/splenda/half/half
- Flax meal muffin topped w/cream cheese

L - 6 Jalapeno poppers (peppers, cream cheese, colby cheese, bacon)
- about 1/4 c. green beans/bacon

D - Buffalo chicken (unbreaded for me)
- green beans/bacon
- salad
- was going to have jello whip but will have bark instead

Day 2 and going strong - just hoping I can make it through the evening.

Hope everyone is having a nice day!

[sbaquera78]

Hey Toni, do you make the jalapeno poppers yourself? My hubby has been asking me to make some and I have no clue how. Do you have a recipe?

[sbaquera78]

BTW, Let me know how the bark is with the coconut. Sounds yummy!

[ItsToni]

One question about the bark - how does one go about staying OUT of it??? LOL I'm going to have to break it up and wrap it individually LOL It's great with the coconut - though I love coconut in anything

The jalapeno poppers are sooo easy. Fry up some bacon and crumble. Cut the peppers in half, clean them out, boil them for about 5-7 mins. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Put a spoonful of softened cream cheese in each pepper. Top with crumbled bacon and shredded cheese of choice (colby, cheddar, etc.) Bake on baking sheet at 350 for 10-12 minutes? Just until the cheese is melted and bubbly. We like them with ranch dip. YUM YUM

[sbaquera78]

OOH that does sound good. I called the hubby at work and told him I found a recipe. He's getting jalapenos on his way home...hahha.

Tell me about the bark. I had three pieces today! I am blaming it on PMS I don't eat many sweets, but all I have wanted today is chocolate and strawberries. I have no idea. Hope I don't tip the scales with the snacking!

[ItsToni]

Good Morning!!!

How'd the poppers go over? Good I hope!

I did get about 1 1/2 mile walk in with the dog last night while Jacob was at baseball practice. I can really feel it in my legs today. Sure shows when you slack off of exercise for a while. Day 3 - I think I can, I think I can!

B - 2 c . coffee w/splenda/half/half
- flax muffin w/cream cheese (mm...can't wait LOL)

L - The end of the green beans w/bacon
- romaine salad w/cheese, onion, red peppers
- maybe some cottage cheese if I'm still hungry

D - Grilled Ham & Cheese sandwiches (I will have romaine wraps)
- Mixed veggies
- the boys are having fettuccine noodles w/ sauce, I'm not sure what I'm having. Maybe the cottage cheese if I don't have it at lunch.

Snacks - Macadamia nuts LOL

Today is my 2nd grocery shop to get the majority of my groceries. I go twice a week because on Mondays - the store offers triple coupons - so I go for those items and on Tuesday, they offer 10% off so I get the other things then. By doing this, clipping coupons and planning out my dinner menus each week, I have almost cut my grocery bill in HALF! Isn't it amazing? I hate being overcharged for ANYTHING!

It's supposed to be almost 80 degrees here today - hoping to get outside and do some work!

Enjoy!

[ItsToni]

Anyone like Asparagus? I found a recipe in Cooking Light Magazine that I thought I would share Looks really pretty too!

Asparagus Ribbons w/ lemon and feta

1 lb. large asparagus spears, trimmed
1 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
2 TB finely chopped fresh chives
2 TB fresh lemon juice
2 t. EVOO
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t. dijon mustard
1/4 t. sugar (I will use splenda equivalent)
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. (2 oz.) crumbled feta cheese

Hold each asparagus spear by the tip end. Shave the asparagus into ribbons with a vegetable peeler to measure 3 cups. (Don't shave the tip - use those in another dish). Combine asparagus and tomatoes in a medium bowl.

Combine chives and next 6 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over the asparagus mixture, tossing gently to coat. Tope with feta. (8 - 1/2c. servings)

Cal: 47
Fat: 2.8 (1.2g sat, 1.3g mono, .2g poly)
Pro: 2.7 g
Carb: 3.7 g (that is with regular sugar)
Chol: 3 mg
Iron: 1.3 mg.
Sodium: 105 mg.
Calcium: 26 mg

Asparagus will be coming into season soon!

[sbaquera78]

Poppers were awesome! We loved them. Thanks for the recipe. I love asparagus, and just happen to have some, might give this a try tomorrow. I did callanetics yesterday and yoga sculpt this morning. Hope to have time for ab jam at nap time or tonight. we'll see how the day goes.
Today is library day, but we are driving this time. Since I am watching another baby, and I don't have a double stroller, walking is out of the question.
We also just found out that my husband is one of five being looked at for a possible PCS (move) to Australia. Never thought I would live there, but the military keeps you hoppin We should know definitly in the next few weeks.
Will check back in later. Have a happy Tuesday!!

[scrappychik]

I am struggling!!!! My mother sent home leftovers from the workshop on Sunday. She doesnt want it in her house, what makes her think I do???? She says the kids and DH can eat it-UGH! It wasnt an all out carb fest but waaay more than Im used to Now I am craving everything in sight and dont have the right mindset to fight. I am in one of my "I dont care" moods HELP!!!!!

[ItsToni]

STAAYYYYY AWAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!

Whatever she gave you - give to a neighbor or simply throw it out if you have to. Now, I don't like to waste food either - bbuutttt....it's only going to hurt you if you keep it around! Don't get into the nasty cycle that I've gotten myself into lately. It really sucks. I'm on day 3 and doing well - keep me going Lisa!!! There were several things that I almost bought at the store today - one of them being a bag of Doritos (for DH and DS) BUT, I knew that at this point, I am not strong enough to stay out of them - so I left them at the store and saved my $ for cheese hahaha

You can do it!!!

[sbaquera78]

Toni is right Lisa. You should get rid of the tempting foods. My hubby brought home homemade struedel yesterday. I made him take it back to work this morning I am a sucker for homemade treats. Even if you fall off for a minute, get right back on. Don't wait! Will check back in later.

Hey Lisa, Have you tried any of the other callanetics DVDs?

[scrappychik]

Thanks so much for the encouragement/pep talk guys! I ate completely LC today-maybe more food than I should have but no sugary treats I really needed yall to tell me to keep going. Thank you!!!!! I told DH to take the rest of the "junk" to work to share

Stacey~ I havent tried any of the others yet. I may get Evolution if I get bored with 10/10. So far Im still liking it and am improving my form before switching it up.

Toni~ That asparagus recipe looks good-I cant wait to try it-TFS

Sue~ Thinking of you-can't wait till you get back here to visit with us! Rest up and take good care of yourself

[sbaquera78]

Lisa~I really like 10/10 so I will stick with that for awhile. I just got an e-mail from Amazon and it had a special on Dvds. I was just debating ordering another one.

Toni~Guess what?! Hubby asked me to make a few more poppers to go with our brats tonight I think he is addicted!

[ItsToni]

hahah popper addict! Once I start eating them, I have a hard time stopping too! They are just as good heated up the next day.

I am SO snacky right now - I even debated stopping for ice cream on the way back from soccer practice! Glad I didn't! I want something but I'm not sure what LOL Probably just thirsty.

Heading out to walk the dog before it gets too late and want to finish cleaning up the grill. I've been putting off grilling anything because it needed to be cleaned so bad - glad that's done. How do they get so nasty? LOL

Have a good night all!