Investment Cooking

Investment cooking is a term I use for cooking in advance. Today I took a frozen package of tilapia and stuck the fish in a baking dish. Then I put some pats of Smart Choice butter blend and some cajun seasoning on it. The salt in the cajun seasoning is a no-no, but i figured that just a sprinkle wouldn't hurt. I don't have high blood pressure issues so I think it's ok. Maybe I should look for a cajun seasoning that has low or no salt. Anyway, I set the oven for 325 and let it bake for about 45 minutes, until the fish looked done. It takes a little longer when it is frozen to start. This made 6 filets, which by weight, is about 3 servings. After baking, I let them cool a little, then put them by serving in Ziploc containers and put in freezer. 
Now I am doing the same with a large package of frozen chicken breast tenders. This is just chicken breast meat cut into smaller pieces. I washed the same baking pan that I used for the fish, and put the frozen chicken in it. Then I dumped a jar of Soy Vay teriyaki sauce on there and stuck it in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour. When the chicken is cooked, I will bag it into 3 tenders per bag, and freeze. I weighed it raw to make sure I had the appropriate serving size. For my Slimgenics Diet, 6 oz of chicken is the right amount. The teriyaki sauce is NOT on plan, but what's a girl to do??? 
Next I am going to make a large pot of brown rice in my rice steamer, and bag that in 1/4 cup portions and freeze. 
I love to take a frozen bag of cooked fish or chicken, and a frozen bag of brown rice, and some fruit and maybe a cut up cucumber for lunch. It is so fast and easy when I am so rushed in the morning. Sometimes I will throw an entire bag of frozen veggies in my lunch box with an empty storage container. I cook the veggie at work, and put half in the container for the next day. Luckily, i have a mini-fridge at work. 
Another benefit to investment cooking is that I can do other things while baking. I cleaned my kitchen, and did a couple loads of laundry all while setting myself up to SUCCEED on my diet.
Hugs,
Maria
PS. My goal is to lose 3 pounds this week. I think I can do it with all my foods cooked in advance. :o)

Losing More Than Weight, Part 2

A week ago today we had an open house. We have to sell our home because neither of us can afford it by ourselves. Our realtor is so amazing!! He advertised in the paper, put up signs, etc. It was a very well-trafficked open house. Unfortunately, some time in the course of those well-attended 2 hours, my rings were stolen. I lost my wedding ring from 1986 and my 20th anniversary ring. They also stole some gold religious medallions. How stupid of me to leave them in my jewelry box. UGH!!!!!!!!
I had to file a report with the police and it was horrible. If I was happily married right now, I would be seriously grieving that jewelry. Even though it was a traumatic and horrible experience, I realize that those rings were just a source of money for me now. Or something to pass on to my grandchildren. But who wants to pass on rings from a broken marriage? So maybe this is a fitting end to my wedding jewelry.
So much going on right now!!! STRESS!!! How do I keep track of the diet? I have had a bad week. But here is what I know:
1. I have my children and a grandbaby on the way!!
2. I have my pets.
3. I have a wonderful job and students that I love.
4. I am nearing the big mid-life 50 in age and I want to be healthy.
5. In order to enjoy numbers 1-4 for as long as I can, I MUST lose weight. There are too many risk factors that come with obesity. I absolutely MUST put my health first, no matter what chaos is swirling around me. God help me, I MUST lose weight.
Hugs to all!!
Maria

Learning to Lose more than just weight

I have been gone for a while. Sometimes life just slaps you hard in the face and you have to pick yourself up and move on. I thought it was only in the movies when the unsuspecting wife receives the fateful phone call from a stranger: "Would you want to know if your husband was having an affair?" But I was wrong. It happened to me, and since that day, I have been living a nightmare, just trying to wake up. 25 years of marriage, gone.
So I apologize for not blogging. I have a hard time blogging about weight loss when I am not losing weight. Some people lose weight when they are going through a divorce. I have read memoirs about women who CAN'T eat. I have always been a stress eater, so since late July, I have been stress eating. I have gained 17 of my 34 pounds back. I wish I was the type who can't eat, but instead, I lose control.
Today I am back on track. I have tried to get back on track with my diet for weeks, and I keep messing up. But now, for certain, I am taking back my health. I think I just had to get to a certain point before I could think about dieting again. I didn't think this would ever be a divorce blog, but that is part of my life now, so i may mention it in this blog.
Anyway, I am happy to see you here again, and I am happy to be losing again. Since I got back on my diet this past week, I have lost 1.25 pounds. Not a lot, but much better than gaining. :-)