August 2010 Healthy Lifestyle

Thanks for the great opener, Appletini. I was going to post something if someone hadn't already.

My motivators are varied according to who I am with. A friend at work we encourage each other with lets go for a walk and if we buy something like candy we split it. At home we both try to eat healthy and have reasonable portions. I encourage my mom and sister to eat healthy and work out. Here or on Sparkpeople I try to sympathize and also offer tips and tricks that worked for me. I find trying to help motivate others helps me stay motivated.

We had a fun day. We went to Denver. Marty played golf with some friends and my sister and I went ring shopping (for her). She got a new wedding ring to have her original diamond mounted in. I told her I'd give her a tanzanite I've had for a few years to mount in her old wedding set. She like solitaires so she didn't try on every ring in the store like I would. I did try on that heart band with sapphires again and I do still love it. They did not have it in rubies. Rats. We went to supper with my sister's family then got home a little while ago I am really tired so I am off to get ready for bed.

Take care.
Marcy

Nice thoughts girls.. unfortunately I am alone in the exersizing arena.. Hubby cant walk far because he has plantar fascitis (oh I destroyed the spelling of that!). Until he loses a lot more weight by diet, he is unable to go walking with me.

I decided I can't wait any longer to start walking again and I'm going to tomorrow morning. I'm feeling itchy to get out and move. I'm up a little in weight today but I think its because I havent been drinking near enough water the past couple of days. I have stayed on plan as far as eating goes but just not enough water. Boo.

Tomorrow is my "Saturday" as I have three day weekends every week. I am really looking forward to some pool time relaxing tomorrow afternoon. Hope the weather behaves, too!!

I slept until early afternoon today, since I got off at 0545 this morning.. then hubby and I went to the Chargers Training Camp.. lots of fun and because hubby is friends with a couple of the Chargers, it was fun to be on the field with them.. I guess there were about 3500 people there today in the regular stands and around the field, CRAZY! It was nice to spend the day with Steve just relaxing together & doing something we normally wouldn't be.. nice day all in all

In non health related news.. hubby agreed to a future upgrade & Brian Gavin Grace solitaire & matching band & my long desired eternity band (which will still come first).. I can't wait to plan..

SDL, yay for getting the itch to walk even though your husband can't go with you right now. The Charger's training camp sounds like a great deal of fun. I am sure you can hardly wait for your future upgrades. They sound lovely.

Have a great day!

Marcy

Helping others? Well, even though I am still working on my own habits, I try covert missions in my house. Cooking dinner-I am used to cooking by eye, but now I measure out the oils/sauce till it seems like the bare minimum for coverage without raising suspicion from DF. Sometimes this works, especially if I've only made enough for what is on our plates.

We also have two sets of plates-I try to serve things on the smaller set, so that the portion looks bigger. I pre-package left overs into individual servings and try to get DF to take them for lunch.

When I walk the long route to the further subway/less transfer I tell DF. 1) Because I'm proud of myself for having done it and I know he'll give me positive feedback and 2) because I always see a slight uptick in his aims for working out when he knows I am. We haven't gotten back into our rhythm of going to the park together to run/walk but we do invite the other here and there. We had a gorgeous Sat. which allowed for about a 3 mile walk. I did 3 miles on Friday as well-purposely left wallet at home, didn't realize I didn't have enough money on my metro card to get back! I'm conspiring against myself clearly.

Mayachel, I like the idea of using smaller plates. I think it is a great trick to make you think you got a lot of food. Good for you going for a nice long walk this weekend.

I went to my Total Body class today...it was great...lots more cardio than usual which I really needed. I've also gained a pound since last week...too many yummy treats over the weekend I guess.

Appletini, I am sure that pound will be gone in a flash!

Written by marcy:SDL, yay for getting the itch to walk even though your husband can't go with you right now. The Charger's training camp sounds like a great deal of fun. I am sure you can hardly wait for your future upgrades. They sound lovely.

Have a great day!

Marcy

Its a muggy here.. I decided this morning to wait until it gets closer to evening to walk.. dang you overcast skies. Actually.. I'm not complaining. I have a fan running in the living room and have only used the a/c in the house twice since the summer started.. I have NO complaints for the weather here.

My future upgrade.. ahh.. I can't wait. I am first trying to decide whether or not I want to go with sapphires or diamonds or just diamonds for my eternity.. I've always wanted a diamond eternity so realistically I'm leaning towards timeless elegance.

Chargers training camp was VERY fun.. here's a picture of me with Jacques Cesaire and one of me, Hubby & his friend Jeromy.

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Good evening everyone! I have to say that I have been lousy at motivating others lately. I got really aggravated with my ww group after our group fizzled. We kept it going for a year and I lost 65 lbs, and a few others had lost 30-40 lbs. Almost everyone in the group has gained everything they lost plus some and that has really demotivated me. How can you gain 40 lbs in 2 months? Anyway, I got tired of others hiding their fast food breakfasts, deep fried lunches and sugared coffees from me every time I came near. I know they're not happy with themselves either, but honestly I just want to tell them that I am accountable to myself and they have to learn to do the same. That sounds rude, but after a whole year of cheering everyone on - I'm just aggravated. I have maintained my current weight for 9 months and have developed pretty solid healthy eating and exercise habits I think...I hope... I did download The Spark for my kindle, so maybe I'll get my motivation back!

lisa - we have had to start crating Lily again during the day while we're at work. I feel really bad, but she was being a major stinker! She destroyed 2 rugs, and we discovered that she had chewed the rungs on every single kitchen chair. We're also having to do a little remedial house training. She goes in her crate while we're home sometimes, so I don't think she minds it too much.

apple - that's great that you're helping motivate your parents. I wish I lived close enough to take walks with my mom every day like I used to when I lived at home. Even when I was as far as 1/2 hr away, I would drive over after work and we'd walk. I miss that.

marcy - sounds like you had a fun day! When does your vacation start? If I don't get swamped this week, I plan to take off on Thursday to get a few things done before we fly to Seattle on Friday morning. I ordered a crossbody bag from Macy's for sightseeing that I think will work. I'm really kicking myself for not looking at the Coach outlet the last time I was there!

mayachel - I've been gradually cutting down on the oils and barely use any these days, and hubby hasn't said a word. I've also been pulling out the small plates, but he's on to me for that one!

sdl - I really wanted to buy an expensive pair of jeans when I reached my goal, but I needed so many things that I put the jeans on hold. I had to buy everything, right down to undies and shoes! Maybe this fall I'll try some things on. Those are really great pictures you posted. And a BGD upgrade is really something to look forward to!!

We just got back from walking. The humidity is at 94% and it is absolutely stifling outside. I'm hoping we get a little break from the heat next week in Seattle and Vancouver. We got home late so I made the old quick standby for dinner - spaghetti and salad, and I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I needed to do laundry tonight but I fell asleep on the couch instead. I have got to get to bed earlier! Have a great day tomorrow everyone!!

deegee, I'm so sad to hear that abour your WW group. They have to truly want to change for themselves and for the right reasons. Hopefully they'll come around sooner than later.

lliang, No PT sessions for awhile, I have fill up my heart card in the cafeteria again, but I think the lady gave me 3 punches yesterday so hopefully it will be full again in a few weeks so I get some sessions in before labor day weekend.

Hey HLTers!!!

Deegee, it's good to know my dog isn't the only troublemaker out there. She's been pulling stuff off the counter tops including her entire bag of treats and then James's box of CEREAL!!! She thankfully didn't get into the cereal (it was Kashi) but I think it's best to crate her again to keep her out of trouble. James is a big softie so I think he won't be able to crate her, but I'm the last one to leave the house anyway. Sorry to hear about your WW group.

Apple, awesome the TBT class is going well. Hope you get another PT session, sounds like your heart points are piling up

Marcy, what a fun day in Denver! It's always fun to try on jewelry. Sounds like your sis is getting some great advice from you. Can we go shopping together too? I think jewelry shopping with you just sound super fun

SDL, great pictures!!! My cousin-in-law (cousins wife) went to UCSD so she said that they used to see the Chargers during training camp. She said it was weird because they had a non-existent football team but this PRISTINE field that the Chargers used to use for training. But after a while she stopped paying attention to them. She's not a big football fan.

Maychel, great job on the walks. Also really good idea to conspire against yourself. Sounds like you've got great support from your DH.

Today's a 7 miler. I'm going to try running again, see how my back likes it. Hopefully it'll be OK.

~Lisa

Hi everyone!
If it’s clear tonight where you live try to get a little away from overhead lights and look for northern lights. We could be in a for a real treat tonight.
SDL, I love your photos. How exciting! You are looking good too. That is a tough decision to go for all diamonds in your upgrade or have some sapphires. I love your sapphire ring.
Deegee, I totally understand you want to tell people in your group they are responsible for themselves, well because they are. I am sure your bag from Macy’s will work great. I am certainly going to be a frequent visitor to the Coach outlet store when we venture to Colorado. We did have a fun time this weekend.
Appletini, I am sure you’ll get your heart card filled up quickly.
Lisa, I’d love to go jewelry shopping with you. Heck, if I could make a living at it; that would be my ideal job. When my niece was in college she’d have me find things for her sorority sisters when they were looking for something new and on a college budget. It was fun. Good luck with your back and running.
Laters,
Marcy

Hey everyone!

OMG it was humid hotness today! We did about 1/2 the mileage we were supposed to, only 3.5 instead of 7 miles. Aiyaiyai! It was hard!!!! I planned on making roast chicken, minestrone soup and maybe some pasta, but I forgot to put the chicken in before the run, so James and I just ate pizza. Tasty pizza. Mmmm.... I'll have to make the chicken tomorrow. My back was all better, didn't have any problems during my run. James hit a quick swim.

Marcy, my dream job would be the host of a travel show. Basically become a permanent tourist. But the down side would be I wouldn't have a kitchen to make food in. I guess i'd have to make friends and steal their kitchens

Deegee, whenever I go to a Coach outlet store, it's MADNESS!!! They do have some good deals and their stuff is so nice!!! Have you found any fun things to do with your now "permanently" straight hair?

That's all for me

~Lisa

It's August already, really!?!
Hi ya'll! Things are finally settling down for me, yay! We CLOSED on our new house on Friday, and moved the same day! My arms are still sore. My old landlord was showing our apt. Sat. morning, and we had someone e-mail us about the apt that's already seen it. I haven't heard from him in a couple days, but hopefully he's rented our apt.

Or house is so awesome! It's feels great to be moved and somewhat settled in our new home. We still have a lot of work to do/things to buy, but so far so good!

I ran on Thursday, and I didn't get a chance to run until today. Oof. I ran 4 miles today and it felt good. My eats have been so-so, but I had a good dinner of tilapia and some steamed broccoli.

Lisa- I'm so glad I don't have to run in humidity anymore! I feel your pain; WV was brutal when it came to humidity. When I do my LR's I actually get a salty face because my sweat just dries, and there is no moisture in the air to keep you just a sweaty mess. Did you hurt your back? I think I missed that.

Marcy- It seems like you are in Denver a lot. Where are you favorite places to go? And where is the Coach outlet? Did you get to see the northern lights? I live 3 miles from the city; no way I can see em. Boo.

deegee- Congrats to you that you've found the motivation to keep the weight off. How frustrating about your fellow WW though. Boo.

sdl- Awesome photos! Exciting news about your upgrade! I love full diamond eternity bands. Yum!

apple- Good opener! I don't know if I motivate anyone. I dunno, I've had several people at work ask me about a couch to 5k program, so maybe my running motivates others to become more active.

Well, time to relax! Good night!

I am beyond unhappy... My wireless internet isn't working so I am having to use my, uh, android phone..... Argh. I did manage to get my 2 mile walk in after all.. I was so unhappy about my computer I walked instead. *shrug* I just hate having to be up all nite without it. It makes for a boring nite

Beachrunner, yay for your house!

Hopefully my internet will be back up tomorrow. Nite!!

I did a two-a-day yesterday...yoga at lunch and then a 30 min walk/jog but my intervals were more walking than jogging (4 min walk/2 min jog) since its so hot. Today I'm planning to do Jillian's top to bottom routine during lunch and maybe another walk tonight.

beach runner,
Congrats on the new house! Don't feel guilty about not exercising, I'm sure that moving and unpacking was a workout in itself.

Hey Everyone! I'm BAAACCCK! Hahaha. Sorry I was MIA for so long, but I just needed time to breathe and catch up. Our wedding was June 26th, and was absolutely amazing. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect event. I was so happy too that I hit my weight goal for the wedding on the day of the wedding!

Our wedding was at an old mansion on Milwaukee's East Side, and then the reception was at Historic Turner Hall Ballroom. I'll attach some pics of Kyle and I, and also our wedding party. I'll also try and throw one in of my insane rehearsal dinner dress that I had made for me and I giggle every time I see it. I loved it!

A week after our wedding I went on a 5 day motorcycle ride through Northern Wisconsin with my parents and 25 of their friends. They were all on Harley's and I was on a sportbike so I stood out a bit but we had a great time.

The day after I returned from the ride Kyle and I flew out to Vail, CO for our close friends wedding...then we extended the trip another week for our honeymoon so we lounged around, hiked, biked, etc.

After all of that over indulging and lazing around, I put on 4 pounds, 2 came off immediately and the other two have been sticking around but I think by the end of this week I'll be back at 160, then I can tackle my next 10lb goal set.

I've missed everyone dearly and I'm so excited to be back and to catch up with everyone!

Cj

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Kyle and I at my college hang out

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rehearsal

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Just wanted to throw in 2 or 3 more pics.

I loved this one at the fountain, it came out better than the pro pic because I was looking away...also a few pics of the venue.

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North Ave Water Tower

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Turner Hall Ballroom - Milwaukee

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Turner Hall Ballroom - Milwaukee

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In front of our local theatre

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I decided not to work on the yard this afternoon but instead I did a 3 mile walk in 80° heat. lol I wouldnt have been able to get one in otherwise today. Now I am on my way up to the pool for some sun & relaxation before work.

Breakfast this morning consisted of a cup of coffee & a 3 egg omelet with cheese & green onion with 4 pieces of bacon. Lunch will be lite and I'm not quite sure yet what it will be.... Hm.

Hope everyone is having an amazing day!!!

SDL-I am so jealous of your pool relaxation time right now. They are hard to come by in NYC.

Pinki-You look so glam! Look at that itty bitty waist on you. What beautiful photos.

I wanted to come by and wave at you guys. I am not quite ready to join back in here. I am going through a major rough spot... and especially this week, I am not very healthy. Mostly just surviving. but I miss you guys.

Pinki! Love the wedding pictures. You look STUNNING! Absolutely glamorous!!! Glad you had such a great time off. Your HM sounds fantastic!!!

Dragon, hugs friend!!! Hope you'll be back soon. We miss you. Dust to you so your days get better

SDL, Yowza! 80* that's a hot walk! I'm also jealous of your pool and relaxation time. YOu need to sit in a raft with a fruity drink in your hand for Maychel and me

Maychel, I'm like you, land-locked during the summer. Last summer my sister's building had a pool that I got to use. But she moved out. Sniff, no pool for Lisa...

Beach on your house!!! Yay!!! and moving and unpacking definitely counts as cross training! I didn't do anything to hurt my back, it just started hurting my last long run. So I took a few days off. It's much better now.

That's all for me tonight. Going to vacuum the rooms so I can shampoo them tomorrow. The dog's been peeing on them the past few days.

~Lisa

Hey ladies!
I got 9m in this am; it felt good. We leave for Telluride, CO on Sunday so I'll run tomorrow (4m) and Saturday (LR-as many as I can, not to exceed 16). It's a busy next couple of days. I am going to get my car serviced tomorrow after work before our long road trip. We have friends coming in from Toronto that are also going to Telluride, so I'll pick them up and we'll eat at my hubby's restaurant Saturday evening. So, I guess I'll pack Friday.

I had tuna on a piece of bread for lunch, and tofu stir-fry for dinner. Yum.

Lisa- Our old apt. had carpet, and now we have all hardwood. I desperately want some area rugs. I love hardwoods, but one's home must have something soft. Our cat is going crazy; rubbing herself on our bath and kitchen rugs. Poor thing. Area rugs are $$ though. I am glad to hear your back is feeling better! That's a relief.

dragon- Hugs to you my dear. I hope you figure out what you need to figure out and can be happy with your decisions.

SDL- 80 degrees is rough. I had pretty mild temps this am; prob mid 70's. The sun is brutal though, and it definitely got hot. The pool sounds wonderful! Do you work in the evenings?

pinki- Thank you for sharing some photos! You looked gorgeous! I love the vintage look. We took a similar photo by a movie/theater sign, but ours was at night and didn't turn out that well. Let's see if I can dig it out... There we go. Yours look much better!

apple- Awesome job with two workouts! I tried to do yoga tonight, but our internet is slowing at our new home and it doesn't load video very well, and just kept buffering the yoga video. Ugh!

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The pool was nice and I got a little pink. I think when I get home tomorrow while my sons are still sleeping (like they always are) that I'll take my dog & do my walk before bed. Then I can sleep until later in the afternoon.

I work graves right now, opposite all my family. Boo! I am looking forward to working normal people hours for at least one shift!

I did zucchini baked with olive oil, a little kosher salt and dash in as foil pocket & baked it for about 35min at 375°. Also did pork chops on the stove with butter & garlic cooked slow for 45min. Yum!

Last night I had every intention of coming home, making boneless pork chops, new potatoes and blanched broccoli but life had other plans for me. I kicked my dogs bone (a huge cow leg bone) and sliced the top of my toe and broke it. So after my time at Urgent Care I had a burrito supreme at Taco Bell. hahaha...I also missed out on Body pump this morning but my doctor said I can do it next week if I keep it to upper body and no cardio for a while which will totally suck.

Mayachel - thank you so much! I've been working for the last year for that waist! Hahaha...it used to all be the same size. I am a very curvy body style though, small waist, big hips.

Dragonfly - I hope whatever's causing you trouble goes away stat! HUGS!

Lliang_chi - Thank you! We wanted a very glam/vintage feel to our wedding, glad it was pulled off! Yes, we loved Vail, can't wait to go back! Hope all is well by you!

BeachRunner - I thought of you when we were in CO for our HM...not in a weird way, just in a "Hey! BeachRunner lives here" way. LOL. Thanks so much for sharing your photos! I love them! The black and white one looks awesome! Enjoy your mini vacay with your friends, safe travels!

SanDiegoLady - Jealous of your pork chops...that's what I wanted! Pout...

Well I ended up not exercising yesterday, I had a lot of meetings so I decided to work through lunch to get caught up on everything else. I did however go to my SLAM class today and it was a really good class, I even had to wash my hair I was so sweaty. Since we had a small group he put us on the treadmill for awhile and we jogged for 5 minutes, and then did some things walking with the incline really steep. Some of the other exercises inthe workout room even including running squats...very ackward to say the least.

Hi kids! This morning was rough but I walked when I got home and got my 2 miles in. I was afraid if I didn't walk this morning I wasn't going to get it in. I didn't get a lot of sleep before shift... only 4.5 hrs. I need to stay in step with my walking though our I'm going to get lazy again. I'm enjoying seeing the scale go down. OH! I am down 1 pound for the week. I was concerned I wasn't going to see a loss. *phew* !!

I will be looking forward to next week & getting off phase 1!!! I tried a new "snack" from Atkins today... Its called a MIM... Made from flaxseed meal. Its like "bread" you make in a coffee cup in the microwave. I'll have to post the recipe tomorrow when I'm not on my phone... Argh. I was very suprised I liked it. lol

Dinner was just garden salad & pub burger (no bun). I have had 66 oz. so far for waste & I have one bottle left tonight.

Pinki, my chops were yummy. I'm sorry you didn't get yours.

Yay Apple for exercising!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Yesterday I made chicken breasts, new potatoes and blanched broccoli. Started my Thank You Card writing adventure...not fun but needs to be done. This morning since I couldn't do cardio I did circuit weight training. I think by next week I should be able to at least do bike or elliptical with my mangled toe, but we'll see.

We leave this afternoon to go out of town for the weekend for a car show. It's called Dubs in the Valley, all volkswagons and BMW's. My hubby is a VW freak, he has 3 so it should be fun. Actually, I'm just looking forward to sitting by our car and reading while he does whatever it is he does with his buddies. LOL.

I hope everyone has a safe weekend!

Appletini - your SLAM class sounds interesting, never heard of it before. I'll have to google the details.

Maxxwell - glad to see you join!

SanDiegoLady - Congrats on the scale moving down for you! It's the best feeling ever isn't it? I hope you catch up on sleep this weekend - as I'm sure you know it's just as important for weightloss/healthy living as working out is.

Cj

Written by pinki:Happy Friday Everyone!

Yesterday I made chicken breasts, new potatoes and blanched broccoli. Started my Thank You Card writing adventure...not fun but needs to be done. This morning since I couldn't do cardio I did circuit weight training. I think by next week I should be able to at least do bike or elliptical with my mangled toe, but we'll see.

We leave this afternoon to go out of town for the weekend for a car show. It's called Dubs in the Valley, all volkswagons and BMW's. My hubby is a VW freak, he has 3 so it should be fun. Actually, I'm just looking forward to sitting by our car and reading while he does whatever it is he does with his buddies. LOL.

SanDiegoLady - Congrats on the scale moving down for you! It's the best feeling ever isn't it? I hope you catch up on sleep this weekend - as I'm sure you know it's just as important for weightloss/healthy living as working out is.

Cj

Pinki, your dinner sounds wonderful. I cant remember the last time I made potatoes! Have fun at your car show. We do an annual show here for our police historical association called Cops N Rodders. It was an enormous hit!!

I was able to get almost 9 heavily slept hours today.. much much needed.. but not before I walked my 2 miles this morning with Daisy. I have 11 miles logged so far this week.

I found MIM.. Oh my stars.. has anyone else tried these? I decided to go to my local Henry's Market & get the flaxseed meal.. wow. Nice. And.. filling and just what I needed.

My eating schedule will be off today & I'm not certain yet what to have for dinner.. since I had a late start to my day, and just had bfast half an hour ago, I'm not going to be hungry at 6 for dinner. I'll just have to take it with me. I hate eating at work.. it just never feels right.

So, this is my plan for today:
B~ 2 hard boiled eggs w/table dash (its ground finer)
& a MIM, cut in half & toasted & spread w/chive cream cheese. FANTASTIC, I might add.
S~ Atkins dark chocolate shake
L~ is going to be a bust.. I'll end up doing something like tuna & tomatoes
S~ Jello
D~ I have no idea Booo... !!

Oh... in case anyone is interested.. the MIM recipe.. there are actually 2 variations.. and.. I use a 2c. pyrex glass bowl in which to cook them in the microwave. Its the perfect size because then when they come out, you can cut it in half & put it in the toaster oven (optional of course!).


Savory Garlic & Dill MIM
1/4c flaxmeal (I use standard, not golden)
1/2t. baking powder
2 grinds of sea salt/kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4t dry dill (I use 1/4)
1/8 to 1/4t garlic powder (I use 1/8)
1T Cotija cheese (or any other dry, powdery, easy melting white cheese; like parm)
1 egg
1/2T butter, softened or melted

Put all dry ingredients into a cup (or bowl). Stir with fork or spoon to mix ingredients. Add butter and egg and mix together thoroughly with fork or spoon. Spray pyrex bowl with non stick before pouring in mix.. it makes getting the MIM out so much easier!

Microwave 2min 10sec. (This has been what's worked for me but the minimum is 90sec)

Top with cream cheese... (I use cream cheese with chive.) yum!

Alternate ingredient: in lieu of butter and dry garlic try garlic infused oil. Put 1/4 cup of olive oil in a shallow dish and put in 1-2 chopped cloves of garlic. Let sit in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to fully infuse. Use one tablespoon of the garlic infused oil (plus garlic bits) per MIM.

Pumpkin Pie MIM
(this is actually my modified version of "Pumpkin muffin in almost a min" )
1T pumpkin
1 egg
1t pumpkin pie spice
1t baking powder
dash of salt
1t butter
1/3c flaxmeal
*1-2 packets of Splenda, depending on how sweet you want it

Mix the pumpkin and the egg together first before adding anything else. I use a fork to whisk together. Add rest of ingredients and put in a pyrex bowl. Microwave 90sec.

You can wait and add the Splenda after you've cooked it. Slice & slather with butter, and sprinkle the Splenda on top. Sometimes I add a little cinnamon on the top of the butter, too.

Cinnamon MIM
1/4c flax meal
1/2t baking powder
1 packet splenda packet
1t cinnamon
1 large egg
1t softened butter

Mixed the same as above..

Hi everyone! I’m back. We have been camping since Monday. We came back to town 3 days in a row then ran to another nearby city yesterday just to look around a few stores. It was a great week but we didn’t do much star gazing because it rained a lot. My eating was some good and some bad. I tried to be reasonable.

Our camping site can’t be beat. It is 35 minutes from home, out in the county, in a state park, we have access to a reserved site with no lights, locked gate and were there most of the week by ourselves. The best part is that it is all free. The site is a camp for scouts but they let our astronomy club use it too and we’ll help the scouts with their astronomy merit badges. About 20 scouts (with troop leaders and parents) were there last night and we had partly cloudy skies but still managed to show them quite a few things.

I got 3 books read while we were camping. We played games quite a bit, went for walks and just relaxed.

We got home this morning, unpacked, did laundry and I am now catching up on my emails.

Lisa, sorry to hear it is so hot and humid there. We have been in the 90’s but don’t have much humidity. Hosting a travel show would be a blast. They have a show on the Travel channel that sometimes shows them digging up gemstones. Yay for newly cleaned carpets.

Beach Runner, congratulations on your new home. Yes, we are in Denver a lot. We like to just go for a drive and shop too. We go to Cherry Creek Mall a lot and Flat Iron Mall occasionally. We like to eat at Pappadeaux, Bucc di Beppo, Macaroni Grill and of course try other new places. The best burger place we’ve found is the Cricket in Cherry Creek and we love breakfast at the Brown Palace. The Coach Outlet store is at the Outlets at Loveland exit (Hwy 34 off I-25). It’s probably about 40 miles from you. Have fun in Telluride.

San Diego Lady, it’s great to at least still have internet access on our phones. I used mine while we were camping. I hope your internet is up and running by now. Relaxing in pool sounds divine. Boo to working nights; Marty worked mids for awhile and it is rough. Congratulations for losing a pound this week.

Appletini, yay for getting in 2 workouts a day.

Pinki, congratulations on your wedding. You are such a lovely bride and your wedding looks lovely. Your trips sound fun. Vail is so pretty. Chicken sounds so good. It makes me sick when I eat it but I am craving it pretty bad. I might have a few bites soon but probably shouldn’t. Eat some for me. Have fun at the car show.

Mayachel, having a pool does sound fun.

Dragonfly, hugs to you. I hope your rough spot is soon a memory. We miss you.

Hi Maxxwell.

Take care my HLT friends!
Marcy