Keeping up appearances.......

Dolphin1

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Dolphin, I made the great mistake of trying to come up with a new meal plan every week. It's not necessary. Just repeat last week's, and add in new meals as and when you can find new recipes you like. Schools, I think, have a three week rolling lunch plan which is what I've always aimed for and never achieved, but we have settled on the same things on several nights a week -
Friday: Fish and Chips,
Saturday: Pizza,
Sunday Meat or Fish with roasted vegetables depending on what's in the freezer or available that week
Monday: Leftovers.
I then jazz it up with starters or puddings depending on what's around; right now we're having baked apples with squirty cream or custard because we were given some apples and I've got the other things anyway.

BalanceBy50 wrote: »

I hate meal planning Dolphin so feel your pain and I am always on a diet. I did well on the Blood Sugar diet but I love carbs too much to keep it up. To make meal planning easier i now have a theme for each day:
Monday - something with chips (I love homemade ones baked in the oven! Tonight its gammon, egg and beans
Tuesday - Pasta night Tomorrow its Fish, pasta in homemade tomato sauce with lots of roast veg plus garlic bread
Wednesday - Its anything goes night. This week its pie and veg (I am having l-f sausages)
Thursday - its Rice and Noodle day - Its plain old chicken stirfry
Friday - fish friday
Saturday - something special
Sunday - Roast dinner day
I know its harder for you with your dietary requirements but this has made my life so much easier. I have to do tweaks to take into account two small boys who can be fussy at times but I even menu planned for the whole of September and it made shopping so much easier.

It's not that I don't like the idea of having specific food types on specific nights (like pasta night, rice night etc) or the idea of repeating meals. It's how we did it before our dietary requirements changed. It's just that we are now so limited that it feels like the same meal every night. We pretty much live on protein and veg (excluding potatoes). Potatoes in any form, rice, pasta, noodles, pizza etc have all become treat foods. We treat ourselves to one of those maybe twice a week, usually Friday and Saturday.

I have got one new recipe in the meal plan for this week. I'm hoping that it's easy enough to make and tastes nice so that it can be added to our regular meals. It will also depend on how it affects OH's blood sugars.

Dolphin1

Honey Bear & BB50 - I apologise, I've just realised how 'moaney' my last post was when you were both just trying to help.

Actually Honey Bear, you have now got me wondering whether I could do some sort of Baked Apple dessert with artificial sweetener.

Just out of interest, does anyone know what I could serve chilli with other than rice, chips, crusty bread or tortilla chips? I tried to convert OH to cauliflower rice but he really dislikes it.

Elnora32

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Elnora, your Good Intention was to complete one project by the end of the month, and you have finished The Chair, so you don't need to start another one until next month. Let's be completely honest, 12 completed projects a year would be a magnificent total, wouldn't it?

Thank you. I had hoped that I would be motivated to start another project but I haven't managed it yet. You are right 12 projects is enough.

Elnora32

Honey_Bear wrote: »

• To have hit 63 kgs at some point on the scales over the course of the month which will require a steady downward tragectory. Slowly, slowly heading the right way. I suspect Lille will end that. :T That's good news.
  
• 15 minutes Flying per day. Finally swept and washed the kitchen floor and made two beds up that have been on my To Do list for over a fortnight. Everything gets to the top of the list eventually
• Stretches after each dog walk. Now stretching all the time, whenever I feel my legs seizing up which seems to be a permanent state of affairs. Another tick
  
• Clear one paperwork Frog each week ([STRIKE]minutes[/STRIKE], [STRIKE]tax return[/STRIKE], stocktake freezer and food cupboards) and Compliance stuff. This week hasn't been that successful, but I've heard from my accountants that the tax return has been completed.

• The tax return is now out of the way for another year. All heading in the right direction.

Elnora32

Seasidegal58 wrote: »

SERIOUS SEPTEMBER – DAYS 17-18

· 1,500 cals three days in work week, 500 cals on two and lighten up a bit at weekend! - not too bad - had some chocolates and a glass of bubbly at a Jo Malone event on Friday - very yummy though!

. Walking at least 30 mins per day, plus the leg exercises that Elnora has given me - All ok on Friday - could have done better yesterday!

· . Drink six glasses of water per day – All ok.

· Go to bed at a sensible time during the work week – N/A the last two days as I haven't had to get up for work!

Eating down from the freezer – Cooked the traybake! Half last night and half tonight!.

Life would be very dull without some treats and they are all the better when you don't have them all the time. You're doing really well with all your targets and the tray bake meant you had a night off from cooking :T

Elnora32

Dolphin1 wrote: »

The thing is that I don't actually get the train. I am at home all day so to make sure I get out of the house and get some exercise, I walk to the station with OH in the morning and then walk back by myself and then walk to meet him in the evening.

In theory, this should give me 4 x 10 minute walks at least each day. In practice, the morning one often gets missed because OH thinks 'it's too hot/cold/dark/wet etc to walk.' or more often than not because OH gets up late. On those days, I have to give him a lift in the car so that he makes his train.

If I don't walk with OH in the morning then I should really go out for a walk during the morning but then I get distracted and it doesn't happen.

When I started walking regularly, I treated it like another chore and decided I would go at a certain time and then made myself go even if it was only for 5 minutes. Eventually it became part of my routine - would doing something like this work for you?

Update for Saturday & Sunday...

1) To have at least 15 NCDs - Fail both days but according to HappyNow & Elnora I should put myself on 8 NCDs because the Twirl on Friday wasn't really my fault. I suppose it was probably less calories than a sandwich would have been anyway.

2) To meal plan at the end of the week for the following week - This is done for the week but I find it really difficult every week. It's a real effort to come up with ideas for low sugar, low carb, gluten free meals that take very little time and effort to prepare and cook. I wish I loved cooking as much as I do eating then this would be much easier. I used an idea from Greying Pilgrim who used to have one night where she had a particular meal but changed the actual meal each week. I decided I would have a 'pie' night and during the month made steak pie, chicken cobbler, shepherd's pie and a cottage pie. So all different but I had an idea what I would be making - made it easier to meal plan. I don't know if something like this would work for you.

3) Be in bed by 10.00pm and light out by 10.30pm Sunday to Thursday - Saturday night, it didn't matter. Sunday night, in bed at 9.30pm, light out at 11.00pm. Almost

4) At least 30 minutes walking during the day - 60 minutes on Saturday, none on Sunday.

Saturday's walk - the minutes carried forward to Sunday.

BalanceBy50

Dolphin1 wrote: »

Honey Bear & BB50 - I apologise, I've just realised how 'moaney' my last post was when you were both just trying to help.

Actually Honey Bear, you have now got me wondering whether I could do some sort of Baked Apple dessert with artificial sweetener.

Just out of interest, does anyone know what I could serve chilli with other than rice, chips, crusty bread or tortilla chips? I tried to convert OH to cauliflower rice but he really dislikes it.

Not moany at all. When I cut out carbs I realized just how samey my meals were. We have wraps with chilli. I know you can get beetroot wraps etc are they made with carbs? I would suggest making very thin egg omelettes but you want something you can scoop up with chilli don't you? Xx

Elnora32

BalanceBy50 wrote: »

Emerges from the Stationary cupboard after a very long snooze :rotfl:

Well I haven't updated for a few days so here goes

1. Do not borrow from small saving pots - No borrowing from savings pots! And have decided to not repay the beauty pot after Honey's helpful comment as i will always be paying catch up! I think this is a good idea - clean slate and I'm sure it will really help.

2. Check for surveys on a daily basis. Doing well but no surveys so far today and all receipts snapped! :T

3. Lose 3.5lbs per month Tick

4. Step target of 60,000 Ended the week on 44,728 that is shocking for a week! I think this is a good effort and next week aim for 60,000 but make sure you do more than 45,000

5. Have a 12 hour eating window Need to stop going to bed via the kitchen:rotfl:

6. In bed and lights out by 11pm and up by 7.15 on weekdays MIt was the weekend so no pressure!

7. Deal with all post and letters from school on the day it arrives. All post up to date but need to do school forms by Wednesday so pressure is on! :rotfl: Tonight or tomorrow then

8. Do one thing a day towards getting the house to where I want it. still need to write this bloomin list :rotfl:
xx

Put writing the list at the top of the list

Elnora32

Dolphin1 wrote: »

Just out of interest, does anyone know what I could serve chilli with other than rice, chips, crusty bread or tortilla chips? I tried to convert OH to cauliflower rice but he really dislikes it.

What about cous cous or bulgur wheat? I'm not sure whether these would meet your dietary requirements or not though or whether they would taste OK with chilli.

Elnora32

[FONT=&quot]Flying – 15 minutes per day - yes although only just.
Pampering – I always remove make up / moisturise my face but this doesn’t extend to the rest of me where I’m a bit slap dash so this month I will take better care of the rest of me. I seem to be getting into a routine with this one
Finances – update spreadsheet when required and not leave it until the end of the month. Updated today.
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