Fantasy Food Friday....And Pizza Hut

Good Evening Friends!

Friday is finally here and so is Fantasy Food Friday where I talk about a food that I fantasize about but shouldn't really be eating.

When it came to picking a Pizza to talk about that I fantasize about...I decided to pick one that I really, really like and one that will also be known by a large number of people. There are some local pizza's that I enjoy, but Pizza Hut has been a favorite of mine for the past five or six years. Maybe it's been longer, but I really keyed into it about five years ago.

Why?

I love the crust. I don't know if they fry it...it's definitely greasy, but it has this crispy feel to it. And it just tastes so deliciously bad that I just love it! We don't usually end up getting the deep dish, though, deep dish pizza's have always been my favorite. My husband likes the thin crust or hand tossed pizzas.

This version is a very cheesy loaded thin crust. Although don't ask me to put any mushrooms or onions on my pizzas. Or green peppers, but I do like them raw. I also like black olives.

I'm more of a cheese bread person, but couldn't find any cheese bread pictures.
I would rate their bread sticks as "ok."

Ok, so here's the deep dish.
Just so you know, I did not eat any Pizza Hut pizza for this post.
Just think about how many calories are in just one slice of this pizza? Or in a bread stick.

Well, that's my fantasy food for pizza.
Do you like Pizza Hut?
Or is there some other local pizza that you are or "were" fond of?
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What I did eat tonight was actually very delicious and very healthy.
I made up some high protein, oatmeal waffles.

In place of butter, I drizzled on some olive oil and topped it with cinnamon.
The olive oil wasn't too bad.

Then, I had a third piece with natural peanut butter.

I have a fourth one saved for tomorrow.

I'm going to toast it till it's crispy on the outside and top it with peanut butter.

Love it that way.

Meanwhile, my husband made an omelet with the left-over egg mixture from making the kids french toast tonight.

Yes, this is going to be a big omelet.

Wanna know something funny?

This is the first time that I've ever seen my husband make an omelet.

He never makes them, he says, because it's a pain.

But I think I might ask him to make me this for Mother's Day.

Of course minus the summer sausage and cheddar cheese.

I'll have to think up something really yummy to put in my Mother's Day omelet.

Doesn't this look good?

He shared it with the kids.

What do you think I should put in my omelet?

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Well, I did really well on the fifth day of my Operation Grapefruit Oatmeal Diet.

I ended up eating about two grapefruit today.

It tasted so good.

I also got in an arm work-out tonight at the gym.

I'm looking forward to making some pizza for the family tomorrow night.

Healthy pizza!

Maybe I'll even have a piece or maybe I'll make up my own version.

Well, thanks for visiting everyone!

I'm so glad it's finally Friday!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Day 4 Of Operation Grapefruit Oatmeal Challenge

Good Evening folks!

It's been another interesting day. In case you haven't been following, this is the fourth day of my Operation Grapefruit Oatmeal Challenge where I will eat grapefruit first and then oatmeal instead of eating a sugary or white flour food.

Today my taste buds came alive. The grapefruit that I bought last night tasted succulent and sweet, a sign that the sugar coating is finally leaving my tongue. My salad also tasted better.

I had a few strawberries and these also tasted like heaven where they tended toward a slightly tart a few days ago. I can't wait for strawberry picking season where the fresh strawberries are bursting with a sweet taste. I think at that time I may just change my challenge from the grapefruit challenge to the strawberry oatmeal challenge.

And then when it's blueberry season...

Gosh...fruits and vegetables simply abound with flavor when I'm not eating sugar, white flour and processed foods.

I did have one mess-up today, however. Despite how much better I'm feeling I still have to wrestle through some daily challenges. I did have some Quaker cinnamon life cereal when the kids had some. The sugar in it nearly jumped out at me. But I did stop before it got out of control.

Another hard thing for me is not putting any sugar and creamer in my coffee. So, I even googled this afternoon looking for some kind of something that I could do to spice it to my liking. I haven't found anything yet. So, if anyone has any ideas...

One of the reasons it's such a bad idea for me to allow myself to put sugar and cream in my coffee is that then it will become a part of my daily habit. When you eat sugar...you will crave sugar. So, if I allow it for myself it even twice a day, I'm setting myself up for the unnecessary suffering of craving sugar.

Also, I end up needing to put a lot of sugar and cream in my coffee to get it to the taste I need. So, for now I'm trying to work through those cravings.

Right around 3:30, I had some more huge cravings, but as soon as I had my mid-afternoon snack, things were better.

I continued with some push-ups today. I did nine sets of 22,22,30,30,22,22,18,18, 58 which is a total of 242. Because I took a little time off, it may take a few weeks to get back up to doing 400 push-ups a time.

I also ran three mile tonight and felt fine.

Oh, I turned 15 weeks along today. I'm thinking about posting a 16 weeks along picture next week.

Well, Friday is almost here everyone. I've been pondering what to write about for Fantasy Food Friday and I think I've got it.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you all have a great Friday!!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

Operation Grapefruit Oatmeal Challenge Day 3

Hello everyone!

Welcome to day 3 of Operation Grapefruit Oatmeal Challenge. This is the challenge I made up myself where I eat first a grapefruit half and then some oatmeal if I get the urge to eat off my diet plan.

Whewww...today was a tough day. Right around 4:00 p.m. I was getting huge cravings to have a bowl of cereal. Then I realized I hadn't had my mid-afternoon snack. So, after I had that...I went ahead and had a grapefruit half and felt much happier.

But later still...after supper no less, I was still craving all kinds of foods. I sat down with the Schwan's magazine. For those who don't know...Schwans is a delivery service where this guy (I've never seen any females) knocks on your door and you can buy all different kinds of delicious frozen food, most notably ice cream. So...to make matters worse...I was looking at all these wonderful looking foods...ice cream, cake, cookies..oh well. I didn't eat anything bad though. I just looked at bad things.

Then, I took an early evening nap and didn't wake up until 9:00 p.m. That pretty much blew my work-out plans. I suppose I could have done my push-ups... but I didn't.

I did go to the store tonight and bought a bunch more grapefruit.

Oh, and I wanted to let you know that this morning's grapefruit tasted sweeter than yesterday's grapefruit. There was a little sour taste here and there. But this evening's grapefruit tasted sweeter yet. I can't wait...tomorrow the grapefruit may just be back to it's wonderful sweet taste because all that sugar coating on my tongue will finally be gone.

Can you believe it took three full days for my taste buds to finally come alive? I ate some raisins tonight and even they tasted sweeter than they did three days ago.

One reason I like this challenge so much is that I have not put a limit on how much grapefruit and oatmeal I can eat. So...I don't feel like I'm deprived or that I'm going to go hungry. Because that aspect of it is taken care of... it just becomes a point of me deciding...ok...exactly how hungry am I? Do I really need more to eat than just this grapefruit? And if so...and I do eat oatmeal, I can feel good about it because I know that I am eating way fewer calories than the alternative which is large amounts of food, usually sugary or white flour, or processed foods.

Friends...when I was eating bowl after bowl of cereal, I couldn't moderate it. It's like... I didn't want to stop and I'm not sure it was giving me a "full" feeling. Also, I was filling up on the processed foods which wasn't giving my body the true nurishment it needed.

Well, I hope you're all doing well this week. Only a few more days until the weekend.

Have a good night!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Operation Grapefruit Oatmeal Challenge...Day 2

Good evening everyone!

Welcome to day 2 of my "Operation Grapefruit Oatmeal Challenge".

For those who don't know this is a challenge that I made up myself where I eat grapefruit and/or a bowl of oatmeal if I get a craving or urge to eat a sugary food.

And, you know what?

I did, in fact, pull out a grapefruit and slice it in half to eat today when the urge hit me. And I was able to stop at just the 40 calorie grapefruit half.

40 calories folks!!

How is that compared to dipping into a bag of chips or eating multiple bowls of cereal or chocolate pieces?

I do have to admit something, however. This grapefruit that I love so much is tasting a little sour. But there is an explanation for that.

Yes...grapefruit tends to be a little sour...but usually only for two reasons.

1.) if you buy it off -season, which I believe they are out of season, they will not taste as sweet. But I don't think that is the reason it tastes sour.

....0r it could be that....

2.) Your tongue is coated with the gunk that accumulated there from the consumption of all the sugary, processed foods that were eaten prior to eating grapefruit.

I believe the reason it tastes sour is because my tongue has not shed the icky sugar coating.

Yesterday was the first day off of sugar and white flour, and I was giving the sour look faces with each bite of my grapefruit because my tongue was still coated.

Today...is a little better, but it still tastes a little sour. My salads that are topped with Newman's Own oil and vinegar dressing also do not taste as good as they normally do when my tongue is not coated with cr*p.

So, hopefully in the next few days, all of those wonderful natural food flavors will be making themselves known to me.

Other than that, I made it to the gym and did my leg work-out. I also did four sets of five pull-ups. I was surprised that I could do that many because I haven't done pull-ups in four or so weeks. But, I have been keeping up on my biceps exercises which I think is a big help to doing pull-ups.

I think it would be so great to be doing multiple sets of pull-ups at the gym while nine months pregnant. Wouldn't that be a sight? Plus... what would be cool, is that I would be getting stronger and stronger because I would be slowly pulling up more weight as I gained "baby weight". Ha, Ha! I don't even have to strap on any iron to make it harder. Same with the push-ups.

And yes, I may have my husband snap a picture of that. Have you ever seen a pregnant women doing pull-ups at nine months along? I suppose I'd better make sure it's safe first.

Well, that's about it for now. I stuck to my diet today, and I feel so much better to not be over-eating on bad food. Hope you're all doing well too!

Have a great Wednesday!!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Operation Grapefruit, Oatmeal Challenge...Day 1

Good evening friends!

How are you all? It's been a long and busy weekend for me where I ate off track.

But today I ate perfectly on track. Today was the first day of "Operation Grapefruit Oatmeal challenge". This is the challenge that I made up for myself.

It's pretty simple really.

My plan is to stick to a sugar free, white flour free diet. Since that can be somewhat challenging starting out...I've decided to help it along by allowing myself and unlimited amount of grapefruit and oatmeal if I get the urge to cheat and have something sugary.

I love grapefruit so this makes it perfect. Plus grapefruit is good for you .And, also, by the time I finish cutting and slicing it, my urges may just begin to diminish.

My plan is to first have some grapefruit if I feel the need to eat off plan. Then...if that still doesn't quench the urge...then I will have 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of oatmeal to help fill me up. Oatmeal is so good for you too, but it's not like having a bowl of say...Special K cereal. With that kind of cereal, I could eat bowl after bowl. But I don't really see myself doing that with oatmeal.

I'm pretty excited because I ate on plan today. I don't have any special events to go to this week, so that means I will have a nice long week of sticking to the plan and not being distracted with a tempting eating opportunity. Eventually I will be able to eat correctly in those situations, but when I first start out...it's so nice to be uninterrupted for a few days.

Also, I did start up on some push-ups tonight. I pretty much took off about two to three weeks from doing push-ups. So, tonight I "re-started" with doing 55, 45, 35, 30 and 55. Even now as I sit here, I can feel that my abs are sore. They must be sore from the push-ups.

I decided that I wanted to restart my push-ups and to continue doing them throughout my pregnancy. When my belly gets too big to do them the regular way I had this idea of doing them on a step so that there is an incline and a place for my belly to go. I'll have to show you what I mean when I get to that point.

I also was thinking about re-starting my pull-up challenge.

I also ran about three miles tonight and it felt fine. So, I think I'd like to continue running until I no longer feel comfortable doing it. Then, I will use the elliptical machine when I can't run anymore. I did this in my other pregnancies. The motions are really similar to running. And waht I discovered is that I was able to start up back running with minimal trouble because of doing the elliptical machine. I also just thought of this, but I could also run in the water.

Well, it's pretty late. I also wanted to let you know that I think my first trimester fatigue is fading. I just don't feel as exhausted as I used to be the way I felt four or five weeks ago. I just noticed that today though because I felt like I had more energy.

Yeah, second trimester is going to have some energetic kick!! Just what I need to meet the nice spring weather with.

Well, I hope everyone is doing well. I've been busy at home and haven't had a chance to catch up on everyone, but I'm working on it.

Have a nice Tuesday!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Fantasy Food Friday...Deep Fried Cheese Curds!

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by.

It's my fourth edition of fantasy food Friday and for the first time, I am not writing about something sweet. This is the day where I talk about a food that I fantasize about but shouldn't necessarily be eating.

This week's fantasy food is an upper Midwest tradition. I have read that cheese curds were actually created in Wisconsin...and then later deep fried.

I know this is regional because some of you will probably tell me that you have never even heard of a cheese curd. My husband, who is from Omaha, Nebraska did not know what they were when we first started dating. We have friends in Omaha that we will bring cheese curds to because they can not be found there.

Cheese curds should not be confused with mozzarella sticks. The best way to eat a cheese curd is when it is freshly made and only a day or two old. It has a spongy texture. And if it is fresh, it will squeak on your teeth when you eat it.

Our local grocery stores sell cheese curds that are re-stocked with fresh curds daily.

Now...deep fried cheese curds is like icing on the cake.

But us Wisconsinites are picky. Not everyone makes there deep fried cheese curds the same. So, we become experts and sample the deep fried cheese curds of different establishments in an effort to find that place that makes the best deep fried cheese curds. It has been a quest that I've had to abstain from for the past several months.

But tonight I decided to try out the deep fried cheese curds of the bowling alley we went to. Here they arrived served with marinara sauce. Some places will serve it with ranch dressing as the dipping sauce.
The key to a good deep fried cheese curd is that it is gooey and melty on the inside. If it's not, then it hasn't been in the fryer long enough. I had heard good things about these cheese curds. And, in my opinion, I would say that they were good, but not spectacular...the reason being that the cheese did not stay gooey long enough. So, I guess I wished it was more melty. But sometimes that combination can be hard to achieve, because as soon as it comes out of the fryer...the cheese will begin to cool which will cause it to harden.

Now, my brother told me recently of a place down the road that serves great deep fried cheese curds. But, we will have to see.

So, that's my food fantasy for this Friday.

So, do you have a favorite fried food that can only be found at a certain place?
A place where the way they cook their fries make them better than the rest?

Is there some local speciality food that you are especially fond of?

I hope you are all doing well and not eating fried foods like deep fried cheese curds. Ha, Ha!!
I may not post Saturday due to a long day planned, but I hope you all have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

A New Outfit At 14 Weeks Along

Happy Thursday Friends!!

It's an exciting day today because I am 14 weeks along and I have a new outfit that I just bought to show off my baby bump. This is not actually a maternity outfit, but it's one of the reasons I did not post last night.

SunshineMeg knows me too well. I didn't post yesterday due to computer issues. I decided at the last minute to leave town for a little outing. I tried, in vain mind you, to get something posted before I left and my computer kept thinking we were living in the ice ages because it kept freezing up on me.

I was doing really well on my diet too before my outing. As I was leaving town, I stopped to see Daddy Rainmaker at work so he could check the oil. He surprised with me a big, soft sugar cookie because on Wednesday at his work it is "cookie" day. Despite it being fattening...I was still pleasantly surprised. Ohh...that cookie tasted sooo good. My diet went downhill from there.

I tell you people, it is hard to stick like glue to your diet when you go out of town. But I had to go...because my sister had a little event going on for a vintage store that she's involved with.

This outfit is something I bought while there. It was made in the 80's but the style was borrowed from the 60's. It is a Tuxedo suit. Notice the satin stripe. The lapel also has satin on it. There is a matching jacket that goes with it. As you can see, it won't fit for long, but it is so pretty. And, when it comes to vintage...if you really like it... get it, because they are usually a one-of-kind. And since I have every intention of being this small....post baby...this suit is mine baby!!

When I came back to blog land today, my computer managed to boot up and work first thing, so not wasting a minute I decided I'd better quick post.

It was nice to see that I'm not the only one afflicted with immoderation. Also, I liked Sunshine's description of feeling bloated and yucky..."blucky". I've felt that many a time. Too many times. Ha, Ha!

Well...I'm also sorry I haven't been able to talk to you all about my challenge that I made up (I referred to it in my last post). I think I may put that off till Sunday. We have some more outings planned in the next few days. And, although, I will try to stick to my diet as much as possible there may be some "off-diet" moments.

I also do have something special planned for Fantasy Food Friday. Hopefully if my computer cooperates tomorrow night I can share this food fantasy that is actually a regional tradition. SunshineMeg's husband who is from Wisconsin can probably guess what this is...so, shh...don't say anything SunshineMeg!

Have a great day everyone! It's sunny and 60-something here. Perfect spring weather! Hope it's nice where you're at!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

An Affliction Of Immoderation

Hi everyone!

I'm posting early because my computer has been acting up and I don't know if it will work tonight.

It's occurred to me....It's been brought to my attention that I am afflicted with immoderation. I've tried the whole being balanced thing for the past four or five days and it doesn't work.

It's the same thing that got me over weight in the first place. I don't want to stop at just one bowl of ice cream (I had two today)...or one bowl of cereal (three?)...

I tend to be immoderate in my eating...when I don't pay careful attention to it.

So... even while I was enjoying the food I ate this weekend...I was later, then, not enjoying the effects of what I ate. And I think it's pretty clear to everyone which scenario I prefer...

I prefer to enjoy the effects of healthy eating over the effects of enjoying unhealthy eating. Follow that?

But don't feel bad for me that I can't seem to eat in moderation. I still manage to succeed in eating healthy and being healthy. In fact, some might think I go a little overboard in those areas.

But I guess I would prefer to call it being focused. When you spot light or focus on one area in your life...you will tend to succeed in that area because you are harnessing your available energy and focusing it on that area.

So, I suppose I could focus on eating moderately? Ha! That would probably require needing to read that book that Dawn talks about, "A women of moderation".

Well, I have a little plan for tomorrow. I've created my own challenge, which I will talk about tomorrow.

I've noticed lately how there are so many challenges people do like Amy is doing the "sugar shock challenge." I've heard about the 30 day challenge to...I'm not sure what...But I think you all have heard about these different challenges.

Hey, I'm doing the push-ups challenge...Ahem...exuse me I have to correct that...

I succeeded in doing the 100 consecutive push-ups challenge...while pregnant I might add.

(sorry, had to get that in)...

But I have a fun little challenge that I made up all on my own to help jump start Sunshine Mama's re-entry into a sugarless, white flour-less diet.

I also think I may just compete in a 5K next weekend. I'm going to shake a leg tonight and see how a three mile run feels. With my last pregnancy, I was able to run up until 18 weeks along. So, if that holds true with this pregnancy, I still have four more weeks that I could run.

I hope you're all doing well!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

I'm Doing Well....I Had A Push-Up Contest With My Brother

Hi everyone!

I thought I would take this moment to write a little post before my computer freezes up on me again. It froze up on me Saturday and has been acting oddly for the past few days. We probably need to get it looked at.

Anyway.... I have been checking out your blogs which has been really nice to do. I see everyone has had a great weekend. SunshineMeg went to a Brewers game and I was trying to comment when my computer acted up. Dawn has been doing a great job running. Kyle wrote an awesome post about changing your mindset to that of a skinny person. And how it's really hard to see yourself as a "smaller" person because you've seen yourself as bigger for so long.

I think I may be having some "identity" issues with my weight right now. That coupled with the fact that I'm pregnant really has me confused.

I did take some of your advice this weekend and "loosened" up a little on the whole eating real strictly. I went out and enjoyed some wonderful food. I had some birthday cake, chips and ice cream at a family birthday party. I even gained another pound with it all.

I'm not stressing about the gain, but I may just spend a few days this week eating a little "cleaner" and get away from all the sugar and white flour that I've eaten.

It's interesting that even my husband told me that I'm being too hard on myself with being so careful about how much I weigh during this pregnancy and what I eat.

I've decided that, "yes", I would like to enjoy some of my favorite foods, but I don't want to bring those foods home where I will have easy access to them. Instead I'd like to eat them a few times here and there when I go out to eat. I did buy some vanilla ice cream to eat on occasion at home. It's only 120 calories per half cup. I'll have to see how controlled I can be with the ice
cream at home. But I picked vanilla, so that I would be more controlled.

A Push-up Competition

I also wanted to talk about something fun that happened yesterday. Remember when I talked about my younger brother being able to do a lot of push-ups? Well, when were were at the birthday party, he challenged me to a push-up contest.

How could I say no?

I wasn't sure how many I would do because I haven't done any push-ups in a week or so. Plus my belly was feeling full of ice cream and cake. But I shucked off my little three inch summer heels, and got down on the floor wearing jeans and a cute red shirt.

His wife, (the one who is pregnant) counted my push-ups and my husband counted his push-ups.

So, we began. I wasn't watching him but heard he was moving quickly. I began and felt fine.

He stopped at 45 and my sister-in-law counted mine at 63, but I counted 65.

I was actually a little surprised that I pulled out that many after taking some time off. It made me realize that I'm pretty fit for a pregnant momma.

For some reason, I had this idea in my head that I would have to stop doing push-ups soon because of being pregnant. But, folks, I'm barely showing. It just dawned on me that I could probably continue doing push-ups through this next trimester. I felt encouraged.

I also began to realize that I'm going to be a skinny pregnant person. Remember when I mentioned Kyle's post about changing your mindset to reflect who you are right now?

Right now, I'm a skinny pregnant person. I have strong, slender muscular arms. I have slim, muscular legs...and I'm pregnant.

I can continue being this way and feeling great for at least the next tri-mester. That's May, June and July. I can still look slim and great while being pregnant. Just what I've always wanted to be.

I also feel determined to eat right and continue to excercise so that I can maintain all the gains that I have made.

Well, thanks for taking the time to read me. *that sounded funny*

I hope you're all having some nice weather like the way we are having it here.

Talk later (hopefully...if the computer continues to work)

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

Fantasy Food Friday...And My Love For Lemon Bars

Happy Friday everyone!

Welcome to the third edition of Fantasy Food Friday where I talk about food that I have fantasized about, but shouldn't necessarily eat. In this edition I chose to talk about a treat that our daughter wanted for her birthday tonight instead of cake.

This fit perfectly into my Fantasy Food Friday because this is a treat that I have always liked. I remember as a kid going to pot luck dinners hoping that some one had made lemon bars. And back than, I'm pretty sure the lemon bars were not made from a box but were home made. That was where my love for lemon bars was conceived, because I don't ever recall my mother making them.

Now this is the interesting part of my lemon bar history. I did not become an experienced cook until I become a stay-at-home mom seven years ago. Before that I was always going to school or working. And for those who don't know, there are not many bakeries that make lemon bars. Lemon bars are specifically a "pot luck" pastry. Meaning...mom's make them and bring them to pot luck dinners. So, if I wanted lemon bars as an adult, I either had to wait for a church pot luck to go to or make them myself.

So...what I would do was this. Instead of buying doughnuts for the office treat at the newspaper I worked at...I would buy the lemon bar box from the store, and make them from the box. I did this all the time...for five years that I worked at the newspaper. If Sunshine Mama was going to bring a treat, everyone knew it would be lemon bars.

When I finally did learn how to cook, I did make them from scratch at home.

So, our daughter wanted lemon bars for her birthday.

And, I'm not even sure where she developed the taste for them.

Could it have been from when I made them so long ago?

Because I definitely have not made them in several years.

She cooked them up herself (from the box.. Don't laugh).

We realized as they were cooking, though, that we had forgot to get the powdered sugar.

I know...how could a lemon bar lover ever forget powdered sugar?

But we had pink sprinkles,

so we used those instead.

So, that's my fantasy food.

What is your fantasy food?

Do you have a favorite pot luck treat that you look forward to?
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So, that was our daughter's "cake"

For her ice cream...

She chose, again, one of my old favorites...

Chocolate chip mint ice cream
Wow...she really must take after me in more ways than I realize.

And I really wish I could say this was the only scoop of ice cream I ate.

She requested her all-time favorite dish.

Chicken fried rice (with brown rice).

And actually that small scoop was all I ate of that.

She was in seventh heaven as was everyone else.

I was thinking for her 16th birthday next year,

we should have a Chinese food party and make up a bunch of egg rolls and egg drop soup.

Next year, she'll be 16 on the 16th.

And then to complement the whole meal,

Our seven year old contributed crinkly french fries that he had bought (with his own money) from the Schwan's man a few days ago.

Excellent fries I might add.

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Well, I wanted to thank you all for stopping by to visit and to thank you for your comments on yesterday's post.
I really do feel like I'm in a strange place with this whole eating thing and being pregnant.

Sunshine suggested that I try not to lose any weight and just eat sensibly. And I have thought of just taking the gain I've had and trying to eat healthy from here on out.

But this six pound gain has me breathing harder and not feeling good.

I was able to stick to my diet until about 3:30 today.

It seems like when I get up from my nap, I have a tendency to forsake my diet.

I feel like I didn't completely forsake it today after my nap. I did eat some more cereal.

It actually went down the tubes with dinner and the lemon bars.

And, quite honestly, as I was sticking to my diet throughout the morning,

I felt better and I felt like I was breathing easier.
So, I'm not giving up.

I think that maybe what I can do is to have my 3:00 snack pre-measured out so that all I have to do is heat it up. Maybe what I need, also, to do is to make that snack a bigger meal so that I am filled up and not wanting more afterward.

I really desire to come to a place where I am eating healthy, so that I, in turn, am fixing healthy snacks and meals for our family.
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Well, tomorrow is Saturday. Another opportunity to try again.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Cute Toes...And A Better Day

Hi everyone!

How are you doing today?

I didn't take any food pictures today because I didn't "feel" like it (that's pregnancy talk...I think), so I dug up some old feet pictures of our youngest. I thought we should feast our eyes on these cute toes. After all, they are almost cute enough to eat, don't you think?

Well...I made some progress on sticking to my diet until about 3:30 p.m. I made it to shortly after nap time.

You will all be proud of me. I cooked up a four pounds of chicken this morning. I boiled it and got all that gunk to come out of it. I cooked up a boatload of brown rice. I baked some potatoes. I made two salads. I literally stuck to my diet like glue. Well...unless you count drinking coffee with creamer and 2 teaspoons of sugar in the morning... but I did pretty darn good.

Then...I did eat my 3:00 snack of brown rice and chicken breast. Then, I was going to go to the gym, but felt awful. I was in a fowl mood. I didn't want to load all the kids up and go to the gym. So...in an attempt to be a palatable mother...I made myself a coffee...and since we were out of creamer I added some sugar and a little whole milk and some fat free whipped cream. But I realized that part of my problem was that I was simply depriving myself of not enough calories for the day. So, I had two small bowls of Special K cereal...with sugar in it. After that I felt satisfied...much happier. I gazed upon my children with love instead of annoyance.

We almost literally skipped to the gym. LOL! I had a great work-out...lots of energy because I fueled myself properly. I had a healthy protein shake upon returning home.

I did have a few snacks outside of what I would consider my diet. But...overall...my wild eating abandon, I feel, is becoming more controlled. I hope that tomorrow I do even better.

I have gained about six pounds from all this eating. And the annoying thing of it all is that I can tell that it has affected my breathing. I feel like my breathing is more labored. If you think this sounds weird...listen to this story.

I don't think my dad will mind me sharing this story. He keeps an eye on his weight too. And recently he had gained several pounds. Only several mind you. And he began to notice that he was feeling short of breath...that it was harder to get around. With only several pounds. So...he fasted for a day and ate lighter for a few days and now feels a lot better after he "re-lost" that weight. I think I would like to "re-lose" about four or five pounds, which I think I can do by just eating cleaner and taking out the junk food.

But this whole situation also got me thinking...that everyone is not going to eat perfect all the time. They may encounter situations where they eat more than usual for a couple days because it's say a holiday or company is in town...or you go out of town...but when you keep tabs on your weight...and try to nip it in the bud as quickly as possible...then you are more likely to keep it from getting out of control.

Now that I've been through this dieting process...I am equipped with the knowledge of how to control my weight in a healthy way. I weigh myself everyday. I never did that before in my other pregnancies. I can watch the scale now and be aware of what's going on with my body and how the way I'm eating is affecting the scale.

I think that if I went on a binge in my other pregnancies...I would feel helpless to stop the gain. But I feel like I can do something about it now. Like if I can't reverse it, like I can slow it down.

Well, thank you for listening to me talk. I haven't had a chance to visit your blogs in the last day, but I will try soon.

I appreciate all your input.

Have a great Friday!!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

Conquering The World...One Mistake At A Time

Hi everyone!

How are you doing today?

After yesterday's post I was ready to conquer the world. I think I started the day on the right foot. But right around lunch time...things began to unravel a little.

I did end up taking a nice much needed nap this afternoon. My one consolation about not staying true to my diet was that I ended up eating a large quantity of cereal and milk...like healthy cereal. Then there were a few other things I ate that I shouldn't have...but it looks like it's back to the drawing board again tomorrow.

I did work out tonight with our 14-year old daughter. So, I have that going for me. Ha...I know this isn't funny but I hate coming here and citing a failed eating attempt. But I do think today was progress in the right direction because I was successful for the first half of the day. LOL! (Hey, I have to find the good where I can right?)

I have a plan for tomorrow where I would like to cook up some food ahead of time so that it's prepared and ready for me to eat. That way I can just grab my food and eat it.

On a happy note, the hospital called me today and the ultrasound has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 18. That's when we'll be able to get an ultrasound look at the baby and see if it's growing the way he or she should be growing. And, also, hopefully we'll find out if it's a boy or a girl.

Even though I got a nap, I'm still feeling pretty tired right now. It was a beautiful day outside. It went into the 80s. Definitely shorts weather. And don't worry I haven't eaten myself out of looking good in a pair of shorts. Ha. Ha! I know you were all worried about that.

Thanks again for all of your kind comments.

We're getting close to Friday. Oh, you know what happens on Friday? Besides Fantasy Food Friday? It's our daughter's birthday. She turns 15. Maybe I should take a picture of her birthday treat. She didn't want cake for her birthday so we are making up something else. You'll never guess what it is. And actually her birthday treat would fit into my fantasy food friday because I used to make these all the time.

Ok...I talked myself into it. I'll use her treat for Fantasy Food Friday.

Well...I think I'm calling it a day!

Good night all!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Heartbeats And Eating Struggles...

Hi Everyone!

How are you doing tonight? Thank you for being understanding about my latest over-eating issues.

How do you like my title?

I went to my maternity visit today and got to hear the baby's heart beating. I see a midwife and she said the baby's heart sounded strong and normal. Always when I hear the baby's heart beating for that first time, it makes me smile. I smile because then I know for sure he/she is alive. The midwife said it sounded like the baby was moving around a lot.

I told the midwife about my latest three to four day over-eating debacle. It has actually caused me to gain some weight. I told her that I am not happy about it and that I need to slow it down. She, on the other hand, said that she was glad that I had gained some weight.

I explained to her that, yes, I know it's normal to gain weight when you're pregnant, but it should be "baby weight" not "binge weight". Ha, ha. a little alliteration there. I should gain weight with healthy foods not sugar and processed white flour foods.

I told her I wanted to go back on a strict diet for a few days to get the sugar and toxic stuff out of my system and then slowly start adding healthy calories again. She doesn't want me cutting calories, but if it gets me back on a healthy track again, I should do it.

I tried eating healthy today folks and failed miserably. Didn't I tell you this food is addictive? So...in a spurt of anger, I went through the house and threw out some unhealthy foods. But then I still went out and bought a scone at my favorite coffee shop.

*head shaking*

Is that your head shaking or mine? Probably both.

Well, you all know my favorite mantra?

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

I really believe that. I really believe that if I try enough times, I'll figure out a way to win.

I also believe that I'm capable of doing things that I'm not even aware I'm capable of doing.

I believe that if only I would try...I will surprise myself with success in uncharted territories.

I believe that just because I've never done something before doesn't mean I can't do it.

I also believe that I'm probably doing better than I think I'm doing, and I try to not listen to the negative voices in my head.

I believe that I can be a "skinny" pregnant person even though I've never done it before.

I also refuse to believe that I can't look spectacular...

even while pregnant!

And you know what? Tomorrow is a new day!

Not just for me, but for all of us!!

Thank God for that!

I hope you all have a blessed day tomorrow!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

I Blew Off My Diet/Blog For A Few Days...

Good Evening Folks!

How is everyone?

I am doing GREAT! Sorry for not posting for a few days. I am all right. Nothing happened to me. I did take a break from my blog for a few days...and also from my diet.

Like in a big way from my diet...like I ate that bag of Easter candy that I had stashed away. I had some peeps.
I had some ribs with a side of steak fries that was smothered in cheese. There was a cookie involved. A Culvers turtle sundae. Now I'm not in the mood for a blizzard.

I got so stuffed that my stomach actually hurt.

And then, the strangest thing happened. Remember when I said I was not having any morning sickness with this pregnancy? After a day and a half of changing my diet to processed foods, sugar and white flour...I started getting nausea. This morning I had nausea all morning long. So I went and checked on line to see if I could find any correlation between morning sickness and what was going on with my diet...and they all blame nausea on just being pregnant. But I didn't get nausea/morning sickness until I reintroduced toxic food into my diet.

Normally with my other pregnancies, I would have nausea into the 14th and 15th week of pregnancy. This is only the 12th week, so I would still be having nausea in my other pregnancies.

Can you say....I am shocked?

So, let me get this right...my taking out sugar, white flour and processed foods was what kept me from getting nauseous in this pregnancy?

I mean I felt "slightly" nauseous for a whole three days of this pregnancy.

Well, I can't stand how I feel folks. So, I going back on my diet tomorrow. There will be a few changes that I will be implementing, however. As you can see from the top picture. I am eating my breakfast with an eight ounce glass of milk instead of the egg whites. I will be switching in about four glasses of milk a day. I'm going back to taking out all sugar, white flour and processed foods again starting tomorrow...except that I will add milk. I also may allow myself some treat foods on the weekends, but I want to stay true to eating as clean as possible.

If my nausea doesn't go away in a few days... after reverting back to my old diet...then I will know that it could possibly be the milk that is also causing nausea. This could be a possibility. I know a friend who is lactose intolerant to milk, but not so when he drinks unpasteurized milk. So, there is also perhaps something in milk that may react with some people's bodies.

The second picture is some left-over ribs with rice and a roll.

Well, I hope I haven't disappointed too many of you with my little lapse in diet this weekend. ..ok... big lapse. But, I did learn something by it though...

Sugar, processed foods and white flour really is toxic to our bodies.


Hope you're all doing well!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

Fantasy Food Friday And Cherry Fruit Pies

Hi folks...the day you've been waiting for is finally here.

FRIDAY...and even better than that it is Sunshine Mama's second edition of Fantasy Food Friday where I talk about one of the foods that I fantasize about, but can't necessarily eat because I'm trying to eat healthy.

This week after much deliberation...I decided to share with you one of my all time fantasy foods.

Hostess Fruit Pies...Cherry to be exact.

I'm sure they even have these in Canada. And, if they don't, Dawn, let my know and I'll mail one to you. Though, knowing you, you'd probably prefer steak. Now... LiL Miss Blogger and Lindsey might be with me on feeling the love for these fruit pies.

First of all, I just want to say it has been years...literally years since I have actually eaten one of these calorie loaded pies. I think the last time I had one was before I was married like eight to ten years ago. There is so, so many calories in one...like between 470-500 calories. And, off brand ones may be even higher calorie.

But this is my story behind the fruit pies.

I first experienced one of these when I was around 12 or 13. I actually had to sneak them. You see I had a paper route in the morning. I would bike over to the local grocery store sometime during my route and buy one for like 59 cents. I think now they may cost $1.89. I loved them so much. I can't recall how many mornings I would indulge in these things...but they were many.

Looking back I may have even gained a few pounds from eating these fruit pies.

So, what's so great about these?

Well, first there's the outside pastry shell...Ah...it is loaded with trans fat, but it tastes so good. It's shell is slightly firm, but soft. Sometimes I would eat around the outside first and then enjoy the cherry filling on the inside. To this day, I love pie filling.

But, now I've never tried this...

But some people will actually warm their fruit pies up in the toaster oven.

Wow...what a good idea.

Doesn't this look good?

So, I'll leave you all with this artsy little photo of a fruit pie.

That's my Fantasy Food for this week.

What is yours?

Do you like fruit pies?

Have you ever tried them?

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Have a nice weekend everyone!!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

My Peeps Gave Me Peeps...Ok That Was A Little Lame

Happy Thursday everyone! Friday is almost here and I'm very excited about that.

I thought I'd share a little story of how I acquired these three boxes of peeps. Remember when I told you that I had put together a little stash of Easter candy for myself for..."just in case" I wanted to eat it some time in the future?

Well, I was at the gym a few nights ago talking to some of the members about this stash of candy I have for myself for "later". And I told this gal that, "yah, I really, really like chocolate covered marshmallows."

Pause...and then...

"Ya know... the only thing I didn't get was peeps for Easter. I should have picked up some peeps. I love peeps!"

And this gal goes," You like peeps? We have eight boxes at home. We don't eat them. They were given to us. My boyfriend keeps sticking them in the microwave and watching them blow up."

Me..."really?"

Her.."Yah...I'll give them to you. It will be my little reward to you for doing so well on you diet."

Me...instant excitement..."Really?!? That would be soooo awesome!!!"

So, there you are folks...now I have three boxes of peeps...that my children are also very excited about. And I noticed that there are five peeps per box...and I have five kids...Hmm... I suppose I could share.

Also, these peeps are still soft...which of course, is the ultimate sign of a good peep.

The only downside if you can really consider it a downside is that they are yellow...I really, really like the pink and purple ones...but in reality I don't think the color actually affects the taste. So, I'm very excited about these peeps.

Other than that...I had my regular breakfast that you all by now know by heart...

Grapefruit...

six egg whites with Mrs. Dash zesty herb garlic marinade slathered on...

And...1/2 cup of steel cut oats with stevia and cinnamon and two sliced Brazilian nuts.

Oh...and this was interesting.

I boiled up a bunch of chicken breasts today and this white stuff is all the gunk that is in the meat. Did you know that they add sodium to the chicken?

Gold-n-Plump adds salt and some seasoning to its plain chicken strips.

Also, when you boil up the chicken...this was four pounds...

It cooks way faster.

I also had this today...1/2 cup of brown rice with chopped Brazilian nuts and four ounces of chicken.

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I wanted to thank you for your kind comments on yesterday's recent pictures.

I was actually a little surprised to see myself in them looking so... so...muscular too.

I really have to admit...that I have come a long, long way from when I first started this blog.

Reading all of your comments and encouraging words has made a huge difference in me pushing my level of dedication to the next level.

As I am approaching the end of my first trimester...I feel very happy at what I have accomplished in the realm of my weight.

I will go in for my next check-up on Tuesday.

While there I would like to look at my charts to see where I was with my weight in my other pregnancies.

Of course...this pregnancy...there will be no comparison because I have gained literally nothing the first trimester.

But just for fun, I would like to compare how I did in the other pregnancies in the first trimester and then share those comparisons with you.

Also, as treat I would like to indulge in a blizzard like I talked about.

Maybe by then, I'll also be doing a Tim Tam Slam for Dawn.

GO DAWN, GO!!!

Well, tomorrow is Fantasy Food Friday,

and I have a very special food picked out to share with you.

You won't expect this I think.
Have a great one folks!

You're doing better than you think!!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

A Few Pregnant Pictures And Body Building Poses...

Hi everyone!

It's Wednesday, April 7, 2010, the 102 month anniversary of our wedding. Also the day before I turn 12 weeks along with baby number #6.

I told you that I would do a push-up challenge today to attempt 102 push-ups. I did attempt it, but bombed out at 69 push-ups. Ick! I did 155 push-ups in four sets before that. Apparently I just need to stick with doing 310 push-up beforehand instead.

But, I'm not too depressed about it. I've been in a good mood all day and I wasn't going to let being short 33 push-ups keep me down.

I went somewhere this afternoon and actually put on make-up and took a shower and all that jazz, so I decided to have my daughter snap a few pictures of me today for my 12 weeks along update.

I picked this green shirt because it makes me think of spring and I like how it's tapered down close to my skin. I decided to do a few poses that I learned at that posing class a few weeks ago.

This is actually a little bit of a "figure" pose...

I'm sucking it in. Ha, Ha.

And here too.

Ok, now I'll let out the pregnant belly.
See it is there.

Wheeww, it's hard work sucking in that belly.

Here's a few more poses.

See, I actually do have long hair.

This isn't really a pose.

I just made it up.

In a figure competition, I'm not suppose to be looking at you.

This is the pose I would be doing with five inch heels.

Pretty cool eh?

This pose is body building and fit body.

It's called a side chest pose that is done to accentuate your biceps and chest.

See, now just imagine me doing this in that teeny tiny dark blue velvet, sparkly posing suit.

What?! You want to see me in it?

Ha, Ha...have to talk to my husband about that.

Ahh... yes, we all know this one.

It's me trying to fly away...LOL!!

Just kidding...

Actually it's a ballet move....

an arabesque.

I saw my daughter do it during ballet class once.

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Ok...so that was fun.

No food pictures today, although I did take some.

Just don't feel like posting them all.

I did make that strawberry banana shake again but this time with vanilla protein powder.

It tasted even better than the chocolate one.

Well, it's about 9:30 right now, so I'm track to get to bed at a decent hour.

I missed my nap today because of errands to run...

So, toodles everyone!

...toodles..where did I come up with that? LOL!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Hello everyone!
How's everyone doing tonight? Is is just me or did today seem to take forever? It was rainy and overcast today, but we do have some sunny days predicted by Thursday.

I really, really liked my breakfast this morning. I took the extra time to cook up some steel cut oats and mixed in stevia and cinnamon while cooking it. Afterward I cut up two Brazilian nuts and sprinkled them on top. It was so delicious that I think I will make them again tomorrow morning.

Of course we have to take a picture of the perfect looking grapefruit that I ate this morning.
If there are seeds, they are hiding.

I had this for my mid-morning snack. I spread some more Brazilian nut love on some sweet potatoes. Of course, I also drizzled some Mrs. Dash zesty garlic herb marinade on my chicken and eggs.

The next door neighbor dropped off a bunch of Palmer eggs for the kids...38 eggs altogether.

15 were butter cream, 13 were coconut and 10 were peanut butter.
Don't ask me why I counted all this up. LOL!

So, I opened up a few.

Don't they look cute?

And divided them up for the kids.

The left is coconut and the right is peanut butter.

I did actually have some small pieces of this later.

And, although, I consider Palmer to be "cheap" chocolate,

I thought it tasted wonderful.

Probably because I don't eat any chocolate now. LOL!

I had two of these refreshing salads today.

I topped it with some more Brazilian nuts instead of avocados for something different and I really enjoyed the taste.

Ok...so THIS time I kept in the four ice cubes, with eight ounces of water, one banana, 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder and three frozen strawberries to see how that would work...

After I poured most of it in my glass, I realized that two of the strawberries hadn't ground up.

So, this is a picture of after it was mostly ground up.

As you can see it has a thicker consistency to it.

When I added this to the finished drink...

It was wonderful!!

Will definitely have to work on getting those strawberries ground up enough to get this shake the way I want it.

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I did get in a GREAT nap this afternoon, so I'm very happy about that.

I am still trying to get more sleep.

Tomorrow is our 102 month wedding anniversary and I will be attempting to do 102 push-ups on camera. I think that this time I will only do half as many push-ups as I normally do (before the 102 consecutive push-up attempt) so that I can perhaps leave myself more gas at the end to grind out those last few push-ups.

So, that means I'll end up doing about 155 push-ups first and then going for 102.
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Well, that's about it for today.

Hump day is tomorrow and then it's all down hill from there.

I'll turn 12 weeks along on Thursday.

I really do need to get my act together and get a picture up of me at 12 weeks along.

Have a nice night!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama