How's Life?

Well, my palsy is finally almost 100% improved! I am probably the only one that would notice I'm not completely back to normal, and I'll take it!

The past couple weeks have been crappy as far as food goes. Steroids, in combination w/a period from hell has resulted in a gain of about 5 pounds or so. And let me tell you, I feel bloated as HELL after 2 rounds of steroids! My face is so puffy it's not even funny!

So when I started this blog, I didn't stop to think about the fact that if you simply google my first name, Teale, with as rare as it is, my blog is one of the first things that pop up... and that means that family & friends can have access to this with pretty minimal searching. It's not that I have things to hide from friends & family, but it does make me apply a bit of a filter to know that people who know me IRL could read about things that potentially I don't want RL people to know about. It also means that things I write in here could be gossiped to other family members and/or my parents. This doesn't apply to those that I KNOW read my blog (Melissa, Amy), but to those who are laying low under the radar. So, to the few readers that are still around & have commented that they wonder what I'm up to lately and want some more personal posts... this is why they've been few & far between.

CVS Deals 10/20

I had been out of the CVS loop for a couple weeks when I was really ill, and last week I went and built up my ECBs to $7. I started last week w/only $1.50, so it was helpful to get some deals that got me some ECBs. So, this week I started w/$7 ECBs, and I ended up getting all this for only $4.38 OOP and earned (almost) another $7 in ECBs.

The lighting is a little odd, but you get the idea.... here's how I did it:

Brachs Autumn Mix $1.29 & earn $1.29 ECBs
Colgate Max Fresh (large tube) $2.99 & earn $2.00 ECB (also use a $1.00 coupon to make this item free)
Colgate Max Fresh (small tube) on clearance for $.75 & use $1.00 coupon for $.25 overage
2 Glade twin pack scented oil refills on sale for $3.99 each & use BOGO coupon, getting both for $3.99
Colgate toothbrush for $2.99 & earn $2.00 ECB & use $1.00 coupon
Powerade $1.69 & earn $1.69 ECB
2 Excedrin 24 ct (back/body & migraine) for $1.99 each & use 2 $2.00 coupons

I saved about $30.00 today by using coupons, ECBs, and shopping sales... good week!

Good morning!

I'm going to try to start being more diligent with my blog, but that also means being more diligent with reading & commenting others too! I will do my best!













The Bell's Palsy is still there... no telling when it will fade away. I'm hoping by the end of the month! Eddie and I have a wedding to go to in early November, and I would love to not be palsied for that! Here is a picture of what I look like... this is me smiling. You can see how one side just doesn't work!

It's ok, you can laugh... I look kinda like a pirate. LOL

This weekend (before the palsy set in), Eddie and I went to the pumpkin patch & had some fun at the Halloween store. I don't have the pumpkin patch pics on this computer, but here's one of us having some fun w/the Halloween items at the costume store!

In other news, I did some CVS-ing for the first time in a couple weeks. I had used up almost all of my ECBs when I was sick & needed meds, but was broke as a joke... so I was pretty much starting from scratch, with only $1 ECB. I needed toilet paper, then there was also a good Swiffer deal where starter packs were on sale for about $7 & I had a $5 coupon, then I also had a coupon for buy 1 starter pack, get diff starter pack free. On top of that, they had an ECB deal with it, where if you spend $10 in Swiffer-ness, you get $5 ECB back. Then of course there are always toothpaste deals. On sale for $3, I had 2 coupons I could use (manf & CVS), saving me $2, and I earned $2 ECBs. All in all, I got those 4 items for $6-something & tax, making it $8 something, and I earned $7 ECBs. Not too bad, and it got my stash built up a little! I also joined some kind of CVS feedback group that will randomly send you surveys, in exchange for ECBs if you qualify. I qualified for one that's coming up this weekend & I'll earn $10 ECBs for it. I'll take it!

I weighed this morning, and as expected was up just a bit. But, it is what it is, and I'm not worried at all about it. I am on my 2nd round of steroids in 2 weeks, and I'm due to get my period this weekend. Usually I'm bloated during my period, rather than before though, so this probably has nothing to do with Flo.

Starting Weight: 321.8
Current Weight: 308.4
Total Lost: 13.4

So, a little over a pound gain... no biggie!

Watched The Biggest Loser last night & actually participated in the live blog chat over on Krissie's blog since FB was out of town. Usually I read FB's summaries (even though I watch the show, her narration of it is great!) and catch up on everyone's comments then... I don't know why I don't participate, I sit there watching the show w/my laptop on my lap anyway, doing other stuff. Colleen is by far my favorite this season. I thought she was a knockout when she came to the show, but she just keeps getting hotter! She will definately be one hell of a bombshell come the finale... and her cute Daddy will have to beat the boys off with sticks! Brown (the Poop Troop) isn't irritating me this week as much as they have in the past... maybe b/c Brady kicked some serious tail on the day-long hike... he ran over 20 miles! That is just freaking amazing. If he keeps his mouth shut he's pretty good looking too. Just keep your mouth shut, Brady... and tell your wife to do the same! Oh goodness, and someone else I wanted to put a sock in it last night was Heba. Maybe it's b/c we are somewhat similar in personality (like to take control, enjoy the center of attention, LOL)... but if I had to hear her wine about how her husband went home ONE MORE TIME, I was going to scream. Colleen's dad went home, and she didnt turn into Miss Whiny Pants, bringing it up at every turn. She just turned that sadness into energy to kick some serious booty... and Heba needs to do the same! Anyway, enough BL banter...

Hope everyone is doing well with whatever is going on in their lives right now... update me, let me know whats new with you since I haven't been a good blogging buddy/reader/commenter lately!

If it's not one thing...

...it's another.

I finally fully recovered from my last ailment... Tonsillitis From Hell. Only to wake up this weekend to one side of my face being completely expressionless & weak. Lucky for me, a friend of mine recently had Bell's Palsy after a bad infection, so I knew what was going on... otherwise, the first thing you think of when you have facial weakness is a STROKE! No stroke here...

So, friends & family encouraged me to call the doctor, just to be sure, and so I went. Annnnd it's Bell's Palsy. For those that don't know, it's a condition that happens randomly sometimes due to one of the nerves in your face/head getting inflamed. It happens pretty much overnight, lasts as long as it sees fit (sometimes days, sometimes months), then most of the time, just goes away on it's own as quickly as it arrived. The doctor gave me some anti-viral meds and some more steroids (as if I hadn't been on enough as it was). So I'm pretty sure the steroids this time around will cause a gain, which is to be expected with a double round of them in the same month.

The condition isn't painful, just exceptionally annoying. I can't smile, wrinkle my nose, move my eyebrown, or even blink my eye willingly. The eye thing is the most problematic. Because I can't blink, my eye gets dry... and when your eye gets dry, it starts watering like crazy to lubricate itself. So, I have a runny eye. And I have to TAPE it shut when I sleep.

I swear, when it rains, it pours! The past 4 or so months have just been one thing on top of another for me! At the end of June, I injured my right shoulder. Doctors thought it was a rotator cuff issue, and I went through 4 weeks of occupational therapy. That didn't help, so I got sent to physical therapy for 4 weeks. That didn't do much good either, so I got sent to an orthopedic surgeon. He did an MRI and wants me to have an EMG (nerve test) later this month. However, in the past couple weeks, it's been an improvement & it no longer hurts. Meanwhile, the week before my birthday last month, I got an upper respiratory infection and missed 2 days of work. Went back to work for a week, then developed horrible tonsillitis & got tons of sores in my mouth & missed 5 more days of work. I finally recovered from that, and now this. I THINK IT'S SOMEONE ELSE'S TURN, POWERS THAT BE!

So anyway, there's a little update on me... how are you doing?!

Progress

After a round of steroids and a week of bed rest, I am finally feeling better! Most folks blow up when they're on steroids, but the only 2 times I've been on them, I've been severely ill & have dropped more than 10 pounds in that week.

I'm down on the scale again, but thankfully with a more reasonable number. I'm down 2.6 from last week, which is putting me closer to the 200s again! Wahooo!

Starting Weight: 321.8
Current Weight: 307.2
Total Lost: 14.6 pounds

Wednesday's WI

Guess I forgot to post over here, but from last week's WI, I am down 12 pounds. This is skewed by the fact that I have been sick & haven't been able to eat much though, so if in the next couple weeks a little of that weight comes back on (eating, coupled with the fact that I am on a round of steroids), or is slow to drop, I'll know it all evens out.

Starting weight: 321.8
Current weight: 309.8
-12 pounds

Doing well

I had a pretty successful first week back in the saddle. Tomorrow is my WI day, and as of today, I am down quite a bit. That will be skewed a bit though by the fact that I have been really sick the past few days. I went to the doctor & she said I have severe tonsillitis, and along with that, the infection has spread in my mouth and it is FULL of horrible, painful, wouldn't-wish-them-on-my-enemy canker sores. I literally probably have 30 of them between the 2 dozen or so that are on my tongue, a couple inside my lips, several on my cheeks, and several on the roof of my mouth. The pain is HORRIBLE, which makes eating, drinking, or talking damn near impossible. I have missed 2 days of work b/c of my sickness, and I am probably going to miss a 3rd tomorrow. A good portion of my job requires talking to patients, and as it is, I can't even communicate effectively for a few seconds w/o terrible pain, so doing it for the better part of my day is just not happening. I've been really trying to push fluids, but it is definately a struggle. I am STARVING, but am totally unable to eat anything. All I've had today is a vanilla milkshake. And while I realize that's not the healthiest thing I could have eaten, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! Yesterday I was able to eat some soup, but today that's about impossible. The broth burns from the salt (even watered way down), and even over-cooking the noodles to make them softer is impossible for me to chew. I've tried yogurt & pudding, but they both burned my sores... so, now I'm sipping on some warm tea.

This weekend Eddie & I did really well. Weekends are tough for us & we usually eat out probably at least 3 times. My goal for us this weekend was to only eat out once, and with the exception of a banana shake on Sunday (since I was sick & couldn't eat solid stuff by that point), we stuck to it! Here's to another good week (and fingers crossed that the brown team goes away on the BL, they irritated the shit out of me!)

Healthy on a budget

Well folks, today was day one (again) back on the wagon that has thrown me off time & time again... My goal for this week was no fast food & no non-diet pop. Today went pretty well. Breakfast was yogurt w/granola, snack was a fiber one bar, lunch was a smart ones, dinner was 6 chicken "fries" and a big salad, and after dinner dessert was chocolate ice cream (it was the last of it in the house, thankfully!)

I went grocery shopping today. In the past when I've done WW and tried to eat healthy, I cringed every time I had to go to the store b/c I was always spending at least $75 every 2 weeks on groceries. Today though, today was different! I shopped all the store ads, then decided I was going to mainly go to walmart (a rarity lately, actually) and make a quick stop by meijer afterwards. I planned my meals for the next couple weeks based on what I had at home and what I had coupons for. I decided my budget would be $35.

And here's how I did:
3 packages of Birds Eye steamers veggies $1.25 each ($1/3 coupon)
Progresso chicken broth (found this on the clearance shelf) $1.20 ($1.25/1 coupon=free!)
Minute Rice $1.92 ($.40 coupon)
3 Lean Cuisines @ $1.88 each ($1.50/3 coupon)
Special K bars $2.50 ($1 coupon)
3 cans Veg All canned veggies (also found on the clearance shelf) $.50/can ($1/3 coupon)
Simply Harvest light soup 2 cans @ $1.25/can ($1/2 coupon)
Can Hormel chicken $1.43 ($.35 coupon)
Pillsbury pizza crust $2.16 ($1.10 coupon)
Pillsbury crescent rolls $1.26 ($1 coupon)
Arm & Hammer cat litter $5.96 ($1 coupon)
Purina cat chow $4.18 ($4 coupon)
Amish noodles $1.16
Flour tortillas $1.14
FF turkey lunchmeat $3.00
Skim milk $1.82
Bananas $.92
TOTAL: $29.62

Meijer:
Kraft mac & cheese buy 3 get 3 free @ $.74/box
Bread $1.29
Dole salad mix BOGO @ $1.99/bag
Tyson chicken strips $2.50 ($1 coupon)
TOTAL: $7.08

GRAND TOTAL: $36.70 ($1.70 over budget)

I went in with a grocery list, and I ended up having to make some modifications to it b/c they didn't have some things on my list, and I forgot to put some essentials (like milk) on there. I think that $36 for 2 weeks of groceries, INCLUDING cat food & litter, is pretty damn good! I'm proud! Planning pays off!

Time?

So I'm supposing that it's time to get my ass in gear... again. I'm begrudgingly telling myself that it's grossly inappropriate to watch The Biggest Loser while eating double fudge brownie ice cream two weeks in a row.

CVS Deals 9/15/08

So you know you're a cheapskate when you debate with the cashier over a dollar... Here's what happened: I wanted to get the Aleve D ecbs this week... well, that has to be purchased in the pharmacy b/c it's behind the counter. Apparently the pharmacy techs aren't as well-versed in the CVS-ing as the regular cashiers are... First the tech tried to tell me that the Aleve was $10.99, and I had to tell her "no, it's on sale for $3.99". Then she tells me I can't use my BOGO Glade coupon b/c the product is on sale... which I knew wasn't accurate, so she finally rang it thru. Then she rings everything up, and tells me that my total is $10-something... when I knew it should have been $1.85+tax. So finally that gets sorted out. Then I'm on my way out & notice my $3 Aleve ECBs weren't on my receipt... so I looked, and she gave me the 20 ct Aleve D instead of the 10 ct. They ring up for the same price, but the 20 ct doesn't give you the ecb deal... so I had to make a return... it should have been an even exchange, but due to them having to do a return & then ring up the aleve again, I ended up getting jipped by $1. I tried pleading my case, but was getting nowhere, and the pharmacy was busy, so I just sucked it up & paid the extra buck... I still did good for only spending $3.05 this week... here's what I got:

So it's a little blurry b/c it was taken with my phone, but you get the idea! Here are my transactions:

Transaction #1

Aleve D (20 ct in error): $3.99

Excedrin $3.99

2 Glade Sprays @ $.99: $1.98

Powerade: $.88

Total: $10.84

Use $2/$10 CVS coupon from magic coupon machine

$1/1 Aleve coupon

$2/1 Excedrin coupon (cashier didn't notice this was for the wrong Excedrin product... but it scanned!)

BOGO glade coupon

Use $3 ECB from last week

Total OOP: $1.85 + tax = $2.00 (Earn $3.99 ECB & then noticed I didn't earn $3 ECB for Aleve...)

Transaction #2

Had to return the 20 ct Aleve D b/c what I really needed was the 10 ct. They returned $2.02 to me as the adjusted cost with coupons

Transaction #3

I then got the correct Aleve. There was a $1 off coupon taped to the box, which he scanned then never removed, so at least I got an extra coupon outta the deal...

Aleve D 10 ct: $3.99 (earn $3 ECBs)

Total: $3.99

Use $1/1 Aleve coupon

Total OOP: $3.03 & Earn $3 ECB (after the fact I realized I had $2 ECB that I could have used for this transaction, but was so flustered that I forgot!)

Transaction #4

Lipton 100 ct: $3

30 oz Mayo: $3

2 Skippy Peanut Butter & 1 Ragu pasta sauce: 3/$5

Total: $11.00

Use $2/$10 CVS printable

Use $.50/1 Lipton coupon

Use $.50/1 Mayo coupon

Use $1/2 Skippy coupon

Use $3 & $3.99 ECBs from earlier transactions

Total OOP: $0.01 + tax = $0.04 (earn $3 ECBs)

Started the week with $5 ECBs, Ended the week with $5 ECBs. Spent $3.05 OOP this week.

My CVS Savings 8/7-8/13

Not a huge week for me b/c there's not much I'm interested in this week, but I started this week with $5.99 ECBs from last week, and I spent $2.40 OOP & earned $5 ECBs. I only did 1 transaction this week b/c there weren't a lot of deals I was interested in, but I did get a couple things I needed for really cheap! Here's my transaction:

I bought:
2 cans CVS peanuts @$1.99 each ($3.98)
2 Aussie shampoo/conditioner @$2.49 each ($4.98)
1 bag Chex Mix @$1.00 ($1.00)
1 Revlon Nail Polish @$3.99 ($3.99)
1 3-pack CVS paper towels @$1.99 ($1.99)

Total before coupons: $15.94+tax

I used:
$2/$10 CVS printable
$2/2 CVS nuts coupon from magic CVS machine
$2/2 Aussie products from yesterday's paper
$0.60/1 Chex printable
$1/1 CVS paper towels from magic CVS machine
$5.99 ECBs from last week

Total savings: $13.59

OOP this week: $2.40
Earned: $2 ECB from Aussie products & $3 ECB from Revlon nail polish

Free All You Trial

Perhaps this is something that you've been able to get for awhile, but it's news to me...

Walmart puts out a magazine called All You that's chock full of coupons... in searching thru this month's issue for new coupons, I noticed a little blurb about getting 2 free issues by going to http://www.blogger.com/www.allyou.com and requesting the free trial.

Fill in your name/address, then check the "Bill Me" option. Really what this is doing is signing you up with a 12-issue subscription, but the fine print states that you can cancel at any time, simply by writing "CANCEL" on the bill when you receive it and sending it back, while keeping your trial issues. So, get your 2 free issues, send the bill back, and you'll get a couple month's coupons for free!

CVS Deals 8/31-9/6

This was a pretty good week for me... I started the week with $4.49 in ECBs ($3 & $1.49) and I spent $1.75 OOP and ended with $5.99 in ECBs. Here's how I did it:

Transaction #1
3 cans pringles @ $.88=$2.64
1 Dawn @ $.99
1 Colgate @ $2.99 (earn $2 ECB)
2 Cover Girl Lip Color BOGO=2/$9.99
Total before coupons $16.61

Coupons used:
$2/$10 CVS printable
$.30/3 Pringles
$.50/1 Dawn
$1.50/1 Colgate printable
BOGO Cover Girl lip color coupon (-$9.99)
$1.49 ECB
Total Coupon Savings: $15.78
Difference: $.83 + Tax = $1.67 OOP & $2.00 ECB Earned

Transaction #2
Cover Girl Wetslicks $5.99 (Earn $5.99 ECB)
Total before coupons: $5.99

Coupons Used:
$1 Cover Girl coupon
$3 old ECB
$2 ECB earned on last transaction
Total Coupon Savings: $6.00
Difference: Overage of $.01 + Tax = $.08 OOP & $5.99 ECB Earned

Walmart Savings 8/24-8/30

Items purchased:

4 pk Angel Soft toilet paper

1 Just Bunches cereal

2 Glade plug-in refills

2 Oust sprays

2 Glade sprays

2 Rimmel Eyeshadows

1 Ronzoni pasta

1 Crisco EVOO

1/2 gal FF milk

4 Yoplait yogurts

1 Sara Lee bread

1 Cat Litter



I used coupons on just about every item, except I stacked my 2 oust coupons wrong (had 1 BOGO q & one $2/2 q) so I missed out on $2 savings... live and learn...



My total before coupons was $42 and some change.



I paid OOP: $25.91

Target Savings 8/24-8/30

Transaction #1

4 Ziplock 25 ct. ($4.00)

Purina Cat Treats ($1.69)

Advil ($.99)

Satin Care trial size ($.99)

8 Yoplait Light ($4.00)

2 Pounce cat treats ($1.88)



Used:

(2) $1/2 Ziplock coupons (-$2.00)

Free purina treat coupon (-$1.69)

$1.50/2 pounce coupon (-$1.50)

(2) $1/4 Yoplait light printable (-$2.00)

$1/1 Advil printable (-$1.00)

$.55/1 Satin Care coupon (-$.55)



Total OOP: $5.52

Coupon Savings: $7.71

Meijer Deals 8/24-8/30

Transaction #1


$.99/lb Chicken Breasts ($3.16)


3 packages Hillshire brats B1G2 ($3.99)


2 Lean Cuisine ($3.98)


1 Lifesavers Sorbets ($.99)


1 Purina Cat Food ($3.49)





Used:


(2) $1/1 LC printable coupons (-$2.00)


$4/1 Purina cat food printable (-$4.00)





Total OOP: $10.00


In-store & Coupon Savings: $19.58



*Bonus!*

I went on a back-to-school college night and there were stations set up throughout the store with samples & coupons & contests! I ended up getting a coupon for a b1g1 coupon for the Starbucks located inside Meijer, a coupon for free Edge shaving cream, as well as the following samples: Schick Quattro razor, 1 week supply of acne medication, 2 packets of coffee, 1 crystal lite to go sample, 1 energy drink sample, 1 wet ones sample, and a soy joy bar! Score!

Walgreens Deals 8/24-8/30

Transaction #1

2 Glade Plug-ins (2/$4.79)

2 Trident Gum (2 @ $1.49 each)



Used:

Walgreens coupon for $.99 Trident (-$1.00)

(2) $.75/1 Trident coupons (-$1.50)

$4.00/1 Glade coupon (-$4.00)



Total OOP: $1.66

Total Savings: $11.29

My CVS Deals 8/24-8/30

Transaction #1

2 Colgate Max BOGO ($3.29/2)

1 Playtex Sport ($4.99)

1 3pk CVS paper towels ($1.99)



Used:

$2/$10 printable CVS coupon (-$2.00)

(2) $1.50/1 Colgate printable coupons (-$3.00)

$1.00 Playtex Sport printable coupon (-$1.00)

$1.00 CVS paper towels from magic coupon machine (-$1.00)

$2.00 ECB (-$2.00)



Total OOP: $1.45

Earned: $3 ECBs

Total Saved: $12.29



Transaction #2

1 Kotex Light Days ($1.49)



Used:

$1.00/1 Kotex product (-$1.00)



Total OOP: $.61

Earned: $1.49 ECB

Total Saved: $1.00



Total Spent This Week @ CVS: $2.06

Total ECBs Earned This Week: $4.49

Wanna see more CVS deals? Check out CVS Superstars at The "Cent"sible Sawyer!

Change of Pace

I have officially had this blog over a year.

At least I can say that I weigh less now than I did at this time last year... although it isn't by much.

I'm just not feeling the whole weightloss bit right now. It's not that I'm going out and eating like a crazy person, but I just don't feel like bothering with tracking things, and just plain old worrying about it. Some may think "well what could be more important than your health?" And while that's a good point, it's hard to focus so much energy on something that TAKES a lot of energy, when I have a lot of other things to worry about too.

I am like this with everything in my life. Something grabs my attention for awhile... I commit to it for awhile... then I get tired of it. A year ago, I was adding tons of weight loss blogs into my google reader... then I went to a craft blog phase, and now I'm into a money-saving blog phase. So while it may disappoint some (those few that may still read?), I am not making a full-time committment to this blog as a weightloss blog anymore... not that I even have been for awhile...

One thing that will be added to my blog title will be "and Steals...". Right now I am in the mindset that with a little work, I can save oodles of money in my life. And it really is happening... I read a handful of frugal blogs, and those ladies often suggest posting about our finds, and sometimes there are even contests involved for writing about such things... so, Teale's Meals shall become Teale's Meals (...and Steals!)

(Almost) Free Food!

I've begun reading some frugal/money-saving blogs lately, and it really has been helping with my grocery bill. I am new to it all, so I'm certainly not an expert, but I did have my first great deal this weekend, and I wanted to share it with my readers so that you can possibly get the same great deal!

1. Buy "All You" magazine from Walmart. This is chock full of great coupons, and totally worth the $1.97 it costs!

2. Look towards the back of the magazine, and you'll see a page of FIVE coupons for free Kraft, Nabisco, and Oscar Meyer items. With each coupon for a free item, you must purchase 3 items of your choice made by those brands. The coupons for the free items are: Kraft Singles, Wheat Thins, Crystal Lite, Kraft Salad Dressing, and Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs.

3. Purchase 15 packets of Kool Aid, which just so happens to be a Kraft food, if you check out manufacturing info on the back. Five coupons requiring you to buy 3 items=15 packets of Kool Aid. I got lucky & my Meijer had them on sale for 10 cents each, so I spent $1.50 and got ALL that food! Crystal Lite, Kraft Singles, and Kraft Dressing are staples in my house, so taht was especially great... the hot dogs and Wheat Thins I don't usually buy, but hey, it was free!!!

You can also get any variety of these items, as long as it falls into the price limit listed on the coupon... so you can get FF or LF items too!

Have you found any other great bargains like this that can help cut your healthy food grocery bill?!

FYI...

I got a comment on a recent entry from an anonymous reader, bluntly stating that they eat more produce than I do. For some reason I kind of shook my head in wonder at this comment... I thought it funny that a random reader would look at ONE of my entries and just deduce that I am some no-produce-eating person!

Just for the record, THIS is on my kitchen counter right now!

Gotta love an uncle with a vegetable garden! So, anonymous, produce-eating reader, you can be guaranteed that I, too, love fresh fruits & veggies!

WW Friendly Chinese

Chrissie requested some tips for some making WW-friendly chinese food. Well, Chrissie, you are in luck! Check out the WW cookbook titled Take Out Tonight. I bought this book a few years ago, and it's really great. It has chapters devoted to: Deli Specials, Chinese Classics, Greek Diner Delights, Mexican, Sushi, Italian, Thai, and Indian food. My faves are the chinese, mexican, and italian chapters! Yum!

Here's a chinese classic that's not only easy as pie, but low in points!

Beef & Broccoli
4 servings/4 points each

3/4 lb. beef round cut into small strips
2 tbsp cornstarch (flour works too!)
1/2 c. low sodium beef broth
2 tbsp oyster sauce (I skip this)
2 tbsp honey (yeah, I skip this too)
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 lb. broccoli, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
2 tsp canola oil
1 tbsp minced ginger (I don't miss this either)
3 cloves minced garlic

1. Combine beef w/1 tbsp cornstarch & toss well to coat. Set aside. Combine the rest of the cornstarch, broth, oyster sauce, honey, and soy sauce in a small bowl & set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil & add broccolie. Cook until crisp-tender (3-4 min) and drain.
3. Heat nonstick wok or large skillet over med/high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in the oil, then add beef. Stir-fry until just cooked through (3-4 min) then transfer to a plate.
4. Add ginger & garlic to the pan and stir-fry until frgrant (about 20 sec) then add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly until mixture boils & thickens (about 1 min). Add beef & broccoli & cook until heated through (1 min).

And there you have it! Not too difficult! Eat this on its own, or serve over rice for additional points. Try this with chicken, shrimp, additional veggies... basically this is a pretty versatile, basic recipe! I find that broth, soy sauce, flour/cornstarch, and garlic is a good enough sauce for me, but if you like the blend of other flavors, by all means, include those!

What are some of your favorite chinese-inspired healthy meals?!

Dinner for pennies!

As I mentioned, I am trying to eat sensibly for less... Cents-ibly, if you will. HA!

Pair this with a nice big salad or side of veggies, and you're set...

What is it, you may ask? Chicken and rice with broccoli! So simple and so flavorful.

1 packet chicken flavored rice (I used the walmart brand for $0.88)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced (package of 6 breasts for $8, so $2.67 for the chicken)

Broccoli (optional... I had it in the fridge & needed to use it. I used about 1/4 crown, which cost me probably $0.25)

Marinade (optional... I've had this in the cupboard for months & wanted to use it... I used Lawry's garlic herb marinade, and it added amazing flavor... the rice is tasty on it's own though, so you could skip this if you wanted. I believe I bought this for about $1.50)

Divide all this by 6 servings, and it's only $0.99 per serving! Definately tasty, and you can freeze leftovers in individual containers, which is helpful when you live alone and cook for one!

What are some of your favorite meals to make that help you get the most out of your grocery money?? Are there any meals you make especially to have lots of leftovers? Share!

Hi friends

I haven't written in awhile. This is neither a good or bad thing. I've been skating along business as usual. Last Friday my weight was the same as the week before, so maintaining is better than gaining. I've been doing exceptionally well with the limited eating out. Way to go Teale!

It's incredibly hard to eat healthy on a budget, I've found. But, it can be done if you take the time to figure out how to do it! I've started reading some money-saving blogs online. They give tips on ways to save money, as well as sites for coupons, free stuff, etc. Money Saving Mom and BeCentsible are a couple faves, for those interested. I also check out my sunday paper for coupons, as well as smartsource.com among some others. What I've started doing is shopping the grocery ads on Sunday to see what's on sale, then making my meals that week around the sales. Additionally, I'll see if I've got any coupons for those items, or I'll go to the brand's website to see if there are any posted on there. I also subscribe to places like kraftfoods.com and things like that to get coupons sent to my email!

It also helps when you have an uncle with a veggie garden who gives you broccoli, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and corn for free!

This blog started out as a place where I posted my meals and recipes and stuff, and it strayed from there awhile ago. I'd really like to get back into the habit of posting things like that again. I especially feel so accomplished when I successfully transform a really fatty, calorie-filled recipe into something low in fat and calories, but that tastes just as good.

So, suggestion time...

What are some meals that you love but that you avoid because they don't fit into your "plan" whatever it may be?

If any of you like to cook, what are some of your favorites? Share!

Friday WI

Today I was pleasantly surprised on the scale... I was down again!

I suppose I should put a number to things... I mentioned that I had gained about 40 pounds back... so if you knew my starting weigh, you could do the math... but I was too embarrassed to actually put it out there. When I stepped on the scale 2 weeks ago, it said 312.2

Yikes! Today though, after 2 weeks of NOT eating out like a crazy person *but still once in awhile like a normal person!* and cooking some tasty meals at home... I am at 305.2! So, in 2 week's time, just making a small modification to my life, I lost 7 pounds! That is progress I am pleased with!