Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Remodel. SIGH.

The remodel is well underway.  We have no kitchen--as in no sink, no stove, no oven, no cabinets.  Lots of convenience food, take out, and eating out.  Plus it's kind of stressful to be stuck in half your house spending what feels like a huge amount of money, and still trying to deal with real life.

Which is all to say, that thus far, I've gained back about 5 lbs.

My counselor suggested that my goal for this time period should just be to maintain.  Which I think is a more realistic goal than continuing weight loss.  But I'm not doing a very good job of that.  Mostly, it's my fault.  I am not really counting points.  And I'm just eating what is around without stopping to think of better options.  I am hoping I can reverse this trend as soon as possible, but honestly, I'm feeling pretty discouraged.  Because once the kitchen is done, I'll have a short amount of time before my semester begins, and my daughter goes off to Kindergarten and my son is in preschool and I am B.U.S.Y. with all of that.  Basically, there will always be stress and an excuse.  And I know that when I get stressed, I fall off the wagon.  What I don't know is how to stop myself from doing that.  Hypnosis?  Wire my jaw shut?

But I have a lot to go think about and figure out regarding the remodel, so I can't spend a ton of time here trying to figure out my crazy brain.

I think a good resolution to take, though, is that when the kitchen is finished, I will not put anything unhealthy in it.  If I'm going to fall off the wagon, it's going to be outside my home.  If I could just do that, I think it would make a big difference.

I was at a family member's vacation house last weekend and did some cooking.  Here are a few things I enjoyed:

Spiced Orange Salad   I know it sounds weird, but it is really good.  My version did not have curry powder because I couldn't find any in the house.


Mayo-free potato salad  I may have posted a link to this before.  It is good.  Instead of mayo, this salad has a tangy vinaigrette dressing.  Dress the potatoes while they are still hot so that the dressing gets absorbed, and also make sure you drain the potatoes well.


Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken  The recipe calls for boneless thighs, but we used drumsticks without the skin, and they were good.  You could use breasts, too.

Also, a friend of mine was there and she made the best salads.  I think the secrets were:  she included fresh herbs with the greens, and she dressed the salad herself with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, just tasting until she was happy with the results.  Plus lots of really good, fresh produce.