I ran into someone online this week who lives where I was born - in Vacaville, California. We chatted a bit over email and I told her that I really want to get back to my birth place because I left when I was 2 and I don't have any memories of it. I want to go there and explore, get in touch with my roots, if you will.
When we have the means, I'm definitely going to look into going on vacation out there. Right now it's fun looking at California vacation rentals to see what's out there and to get a feel for the area. I want to go there so much! I have traveled to some many places, but the west coast has always eluded me. I will get there one day. And when I do, watch out, California!!
Disclosed
Here's today's food:
B: Pineapple Loaf - 1 egg, 4 oz soft tofu, 1/2 C oat bran, 1/3 C powdered milk, 6 oz pineapple chunks, cinnamon and nutmeg
L: Mexican Salad - 2 C salad (lettuce, red peppers), 4 oz ground chicken, 1 C fat-free refried beans, 1 T Newman's Own salad dressing
D: 4 oz chicken, 1 C brown rice, 1 C Classico spaghetti sauce, 1 C peppers & onions, 1 1/2 t oil
S: 1 C yogurt, 6 oz blueberries
Another good day, food-wise. I ate lunch a little later than usual and dinner a little earlier, so I'm more full than I'm used to being, but I know that will pass soon.
I have a recipe for tofu potato soup, but I think I want to wait until the weekend to try it. It takes too much time during the week to start getting creative and fancy.
Yeah, dealing with income taxes is a pain, but a necessary part of being a grown up. I'm just about done my preliminary online tax forms, but will go over them with a fine-toothed comb in the coming weeks. Even if we end up owing, I think it's important to face it head on and figure out a plan in case we have any tax debt.
The thing I really need to do is look up some tax services and Tax Help info to make sure we don't fall into any holes next year. I'm pretty sure we're getting a refund this year, but I'm scared we're going to end up owing next year. I want to make sure I'm prepared for that or, even better, prevent it.
A few years ago we ended up owing thousands of dollars. That was a huge financial burden and we really had to explore a lot of options to get that debt paid off. It was painful and a lot of our other bills fell behind because of it. I wish I knew then what I know today - that there are much better options available to me than letting my bills go unpaid. Live and learn. Do yourself a favor and don't make the same mistakes we did.
Here's my food for today.
B: Peach & Blueberry Shake - 4 oz frozen peaches, 2 oz frozen blueberries, 8 oz milk, 8 oz silken tofu, 1/3 C oat bran, nutmeg
L: Abstinent Pizza: - 1 egg, 1 C brown rice, Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning, 4 oz soft tofu, 1 C Classico spaghetti sauce, 1 C peppers & onions, 1 t oil
D: 4 oz chicken, 8 oz baked potato, 2 C salad, 2 t oil
S: 6 oz apple, 1 C yogurt, cinnamon
It was a good, clean day and I felt like I had a good variety. I'm getting ready to have my snack now - looking forward to it! Have to think about my food for tomorrow now...
Have you heard of Supplementology? It's a new religion that combines religion and science so people don't have to choose between the two. The religion is based upon nine tenets - what they call "The Nine Norms" that could be a bit controversial. Well, I guess that goes without saying since this is for a religion that combines itself with science.
You can read them and all about this religion on Supplementology.org. I don't agree with every single thing in "The Nine Norms", but I do like some of the things they believe in. For instance, there's a heavy theme that God does not punish or reward. I do believe that God is not punishing, but I also believe He is rewarding when you keep yourself close to Him.
It's always good to learn about different beliefs, dissect them and reaffirm my own beliefs. It's good to know I have my own beliefs today - and I encourage everyone to do the same.
For some reason, a lot of dieters I know skip breakfast. I'm not sure why - and I was among this group for many years. I guess for me, I always felt so guilty about how much food I ate the day before that I would start each new day out resolving to not do what I did before, therefore I'd starve myself in the beginning. That's when I was being "a good girl" and then later, when the monster came out, I was "a bad girl" for eating so much.
I don't know if that's why other dieters skip breakfast, I'm sure the reasons are as varied as the people who aren't eating that meal. And I guess the reason isn't too important, except it might serve you well to understand why you're doing something if you want to change the habit. The really important part, though, is changing the habit. Breakfast is an important meal and shouldn't be skipped - especially if you're dieting, believe it or not.
Although I can't/don't follow all of the tips in this article, How to Feel Like Eating Breakfast, I can certainly appreciate the wealth of wisdom found there. It's a great read and if you're struggling with that first meal of the day, this could help you out of the unhealthy pattern of skipping!
Since it's the post-holiday season, people are going to be looking for ways to repair any financial damages they did in the previous months. January always seems to be the time to say, "How can I save more money with my existing income and bills?" and the creativity starts to set in.
Transferring your credit card balances is something to seriously consider. You just need to make sure you do your research with whatever company you go with when you make the transfer. Read the fine print. Know when your new, great rate will no longer be applicable, look for hidden fees and costs, etc. In other words, be smart and keep your eyes open at all times so you don't get burned.
I think I posted about the Big Book Study I'm attending now, right? It's going well so far. In two weeks we did the first three steps and now we are tasked with the beginning of the 4th step to be completed by this Saturday. I made a commitment to write every day and so far, I haven't written anything. Oops. I seem to forget about this stuff until I go to bed and then I'm too exhausted to do anything about it. Convenient, no?
The first part of the 4th step in the format we're working with is to list everyone I have a resentment towards, why I have a resentment towards them and then list what it part of self was hurt or threatened. This should be an interesting list! I've done a pretty thorough 4th step once before, but that was about 4 years ago, so I do believe it's time for another one.
Spiritual house cleaning - here I come!
I recently came across a mortgage site that seems almost too good to be true. No closing costs, no hidden fees and offering popular options like the 1% Payment Option ARM or Fixed Interest Only loans. That site is Lenox Home Loans and I'm delving a bit further now to see what they're all about. Exciting - to see a good competitor enter "the ring".
I decided in the shower this morning (I'm always inspired in the shower), that I'm going to keep a record of my food intake on this blog. I blogged about getting more variety last week and I've made some progress, but I feel like writing my food down here every day will keep me more accountable. Here's what I ate the last few days:
Friday
B: 1 C plain yogurt, 6 oz Granny Smith apple, 1/4 C steel cut oats, 1/2 C roasted soybeans, cinnamon (all mixed together)
L: I can't remember
D: 4 oz flounder, 8 oz baked potato, 2 C salad, 2 t oil, balsamic vinegar
S: 1/2 C cottage cheese, 6 oz blueberries
Saturday
B: Pineapple Mini Loaf - 1 egg, 4 oz firm tofu, 6 oz. pineapple, 1/2 C oat bran, 1/3 C powdered milk, cinnamon and nutmeg
L: Abstinent Pizza - 1 egg, 1 C brown rice, Italian seasoning (crust), 4 oz soft tofu (crumbled), 1 C Classico spaghetti sauce, 1 C peppers and onions, 1 t oil
D: 4 oz chicken, 8 oz sweet potato fries, 2 C salad, 2 t oil
S: 1 C plain yogurt, 6 oz blueberries
Sunday
B: 1 C plain yogurt, 6 oz apple, 1/4 C steel cut oats, 4 oz silken tofu, 1 egg
L: 4 oz shrimp, 1 C Brussels sprouts, 1 C cherry tomatoes and cucumbers with balsamic vinegar, 8 oz red potato fries, 2 t oil
D: Chili - 1 C Spicy Hot V-8, 1 C peppers & onions, 1 C white kidney beans, 4 oz tempeh, 1 t oil
S: 1/2 C cottage cheese, 6 oz blueberries
Today
B: Peach Shake - 6 oz frozen peaches, 8 oz silken tofu, 1/3 C oat bran, 8 oz milk, nutmeg
L: 4 oz ground chicken, 1 C brown rice, 2 C broccoli, salsa, 1 t oil
D: 4 oz ground chicken, 8 oz sweet potato fries, 2 C salad, 2 t oil, balsamic vinegar
S: 6 oz grapefruit, 1/2 C cottage cheese
I noticed I have blueberries just about every night, so I'm going to switch that up tonight. You'll probably notice that I have about 3-5 different meals that just rotate. I'm okay with that - it's the eating of almost identical meals every single day that troubles me.
