I wrote a bucket list. Maybe it's because my birthday is nearing. It's still 2 1/2 months away, but I have felt a year older for months. Maybe not. I do really like lists. I make lists for everything: grocery shopping, travel plans, weekly menus, restaurants I'd like to go to in cities I have no pan on going to... So a bucket list is kind of my thing.
Actually I ended up writing two bucket lists, a list of things I want to do and a list of things I really wanted to do and have already done.
So here they are. As I cross off new items, I will blog about them.
Bucket List
1. Germany/Austria
2. England/Ireland
3. New Zealand
4. Raise a puppy
5. Convalesce an old dog from shelter
6. Live north of San Francisco
7. Update my photo albums
8. Start a new hobby, maybe scrap booking
9. Be a size 16
10. Visit all 50 states
11. Learn Spanish
12. Be conversational in three languages
13. Live in a foreign country
14. Go to a famous play
15. Go on a cruise
16. Go white water rafting
17. Go up in a hot air balloon
18. Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Smithsonian
19. Travel to a Pacific Island
20. Visit Hershey Pennsylvania
21. Take college classes I'm interested in just for fun
22. Invest and save enough for a comfortable retirement and afford travel
23. Stay close to The Boy as he gets older
24. Ride in a limo
25. Cirque du Soleil
26. Take cooking classes
27. Attend a murder mystery dinner
28. Own a big fancy bathroom with a jacuzzi tub
29. Dye my hair a funky color
30. Have a best friend
31. Cook all of the recipes in a cookbook
32. Start a food/cooking blog
Bucket List I've Accomplished
1. Travel to Paris
2. Travel to Italy
3. Get a tattoo
4. Sing Karaoke
5. Own a home
6. Have a vegetable garden
7. Get a Master's degree
8. Be a gourmet cook
9. Eat at a famous chef's restaurant
10. See a Vegas show
11. Been to Oregon, Hawaii, California, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Louisiana, Illinois
12. Go to a ballet
13. Go to a concert
14. Take a road trip with Alex
15. Go snorkeling
16. Fly in a helicopter
17. Visited the Lourve, the Orsay, the Uffitzi, Art Institue of Chicago, the Getty
18. Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower
19. Write
20. Get a professional massage
21. Go to a nudist camp
22. Get a pedicure
23. Get a boob job
24. Dye my hair red
25. Travel with The Boy
26. See the Grand Canyon
27. Go to a comedy show
28. Have pierced ears
29. Have a committed relationship
30. Raise my child successfully
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Frustration
Okay. After two weeks of following this new diet meal plan, I have lost 0 pounds. I'm a little confused. Usually, the first couple of weeks, I always lose three to five pounds pretty easily. But no... So what the heck is up??? I have cheated a little, but I always do that too.
Maybe it's age? *sigh* Probably so. Maybe it's time to force myself to do exercise too? *big sigh* Probably so. Maybe I need to stop cheating and actually stick to the diet a bit better? *BIG SIGH* Probably so.
Pbbbbtttt!
Maybe it's age? *sigh* Probably so. Maybe it's time to force myself to do exercise too? *big sigh* Probably so. Maybe I need to stop cheating and actually stick to the diet a bit better? *BIG SIGH* Probably so.
Pbbbbtttt!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Tuna Pan Bagna
Dinner tonight was amazing. It looked beautiful too. I should have taken pictures, but I forgot. Gosh, I'll just have to make it again so I can post photos.
Anyway, I made Tuna Pan Bagna tonight based on an EatingWell.com recipe. I made changes, as I always do. So, I can't promise that my version will match the calorie and nutrition figures cited on EatingWell.com. But the dish was completely amazing. The recipe below is my version.
Tune Pan Bagna
1 loaf of ciabatta bread
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T olive oil
1 T crushed garlic
6 oz can tuna packed in water, well drained
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 scallions, diced
2 T kalamata olives, finely diced
1 1/2 T capers
Split the ciabatta loaf in half horizontally. Scoop out as much of the inside as possible without breaking through the crust. (Save the insides for homemade bread crumbs. I threw mine in a bag in the freezer.) Place the bread in the a hot oven to toast until toasted. Meanwhile, whisk together the next three items. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Scoop the tuna mixture into the cavity in the ciabatta and put the top back on. Slice diagonally into four equal pieces. Yummy :-)
I served mine with oven roasted sweet potato fries and green salad.
Anyway, I made Tuna Pan Bagna tonight based on an EatingWell.com recipe. I made changes, as I always do. So, I can't promise that my version will match the calorie and nutrition figures cited on EatingWell.com. But the dish was completely amazing. The recipe below is my version.
Tune Pan Bagna
1 loaf of ciabatta bread
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T olive oil
1 T crushed garlic
6 oz can tuna packed in water, well drained
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 scallions, diced
2 T kalamata olives, finely diced
1 1/2 T capers
Split the ciabatta loaf in half horizontally. Scoop out as much of the inside as possible without breaking through the crust. (Save the insides for homemade bread crumbs. I threw mine in a bag in the freezer.) Place the bread in the a hot oven to toast until toasted. Meanwhile, whisk together the next three items. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Scoop the tuna mixture into the cavity in the ciabatta and put the top back on. Slice diagonally into four equal pieces. Yummy :-)
I served mine with oven roasted sweet potato fries and green salad.
New diet plan
This past week I started on my new weight loss plan. I know some time back I mentioned my desire to lose weight, then pretty much didn't bring it up again. That's about how it is for me. I want to be a healthier weight, but my willpower stinks. I love food so much it's hard.
So I've started a new plan based on EatingWell.com's 1500 calorie per day menus. I picked and chose the recipes I liked and reworked their menus into ones I would eat. So far, after week 1, I like most of their recipes and suggestions. I cheated terribly though. And at the end of week 1, I'm at the exact same weight I was at the start of week 1. *sigh* Oh well. My fault for cheating. As always, I was full of excuses. It's Staff Appreciation Week, I can't skip out on the lunch the parents' club provided. And then there were the leftovers. And the two batches of cookies I made. Evenings are my toughest time for temptation. I am definitely addicted to desserts at the end of my dinner. Eating Well allows for dessert options, but my cravings are for butter and sugar and chocolate. Not very conducive to a 1500 calorie meal plan.
There were some highlights for the week, though. 1) I ate a TON of fruits and vegetables. When I went grocery shopping last weekend, both of the produce bins in my frig were overfull. I had extra fruits and veggies in the door shelves. But I am pleased, that here at the end of the week, all the produce is practically gone. A few little random leftovers. Still really good. 2) I did reduce my diet soda and chocolate consumption significantly. I have been working on the diet soda thing for a few weeks. However, the chocolate thing is really hard and I set my mind to that this week. Despite making the mocha cookies and the vanilla sugar cookies this week, I ate WAY less desserts and chocolate than I normally do. That's impressive to me. 3) There were several new recipes I tried this week that were really very good. The best of which were the cabbage rolls. I've never made or even eaten cabbage rolls before. Without having a higher fat frame of reference to judge by, EatingWell.com's recipe is excellent.
So now on to Week 2. My goals for this week. 1) Less cheating. Maybe one occasion's worth. After all, it is Mother's Day tomorrow. But that still cuts back on the cheating at work and by making desserts that don't conform to my menu plan. 2) Actually prepare an try some of the Eating Well desserts. I might find that they do satisfy the addiction. 3) Continue with the crazy amounts of fruits and vegetables. If nothing else, I'm sure that part is good for me, and something I find easy enough to do. At least while the weather is beautiful and there are lots of fresh produce choices around. Winter is a whole different story, but that's six months away. Maybe I'll have the fruits and vegetable habit well established by then.
So I've started a new plan based on EatingWell.com's 1500 calorie per day menus. I picked and chose the recipes I liked and reworked their menus into ones I would eat. So far, after week 1, I like most of their recipes and suggestions. I cheated terribly though. And at the end of week 1, I'm at the exact same weight I was at the start of week 1. *sigh* Oh well. My fault for cheating. As always, I was full of excuses. It's Staff Appreciation Week, I can't skip out on the lunch the parents' club provided. And then there were the leftovers. And the two batches of cookies I made. Evenings are my toughest time for temptation. I am definitely addicted to desserts at the end of my dinner. Eating Well allows for dessert options, but my cravings are for butter and sugar and chocolate. Not very conducive to a 1500 calorie meal plan.
There were some highlights for the week, though. 1) I ate a TON of fruits and vegetables. When I went grocery shopping last weekend, both of the produce bins in my frig were overfull. I had extra fruits and veggies in the door shelves. But I am pleased, that here at the end of the week, all the produce is practically gone. A few little random leftovers. Still really good. 2) I did reduce my diet soda and chocolate consumption significantly. I have been working on the diet soda thing for a few weeks. However, the chocolate thing is really hard and I set my mind to that this week. Despite making the mocha cookies and the vanilla sugar cookies this week, I ate WAY less desserts and chocolate than I normally do. That's impressive to me. 3) There were several new recipes I tried this week that were really very good. The best of which were the cabbage rolls. I've never made or even eaten cabbage rolls before. Without having a higher fat frame of reference to judge by, EatingWell.com's recipe is excellent.
So now on to Week 2. My goals for this week. 1) Less cheating. Maybe one occasion's worth. After all, it is Mother's Day tomorrow. But that still cuts back on the cheating at work and by making desserts that don't conform to my menu plan. 2) Actually prepare an try some of the Eating Well desserts. I might find that they do satisfy the addiction. 3) Continue with the crazy amounts of fruits and vegetables. If nothing else, I'm sure that part is good for me, and something I find easy enough to do. At least while the weather is beautiful and there are lots of fresh produce choices around. Winter is a whole different story, but that's six months away. Maybe I'll have the fruits and vegetable habit well established by then.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Life's been quiet
I haven't posted in a while, but not because I've forgotten. I have thought about my blog and my goal to keep it going. I just haven't had anything to talk about. Life has been flowing along nice and smooth. And I'm loving it.
Here's a few updates from the past couple of weeks:
1) I read "The Hunger Games". I had been reluctant. I don't generally like things that are over-hyped. But I joined a book club and this was our first book pick. It was good. Definitely worth the read. I can see why kids are nutty for it right now. I want to read the next two books. The Boy has warned me they will piss me off.
2) My vegetable garden is growing nicely. I'm still obsessed. I hate gardening in general. But my vegetable garden is a different story. It actually produced a product, rather than just being aesthetic.
3) The Boy performed in his final high school play. All the kids did a great job. It was funny and fast-paced.
4) My goal of changing my life for the better is coming along. I don't think I've explained this specifically here. Wanting new hobbies is part of it. I want something interesting to do with my spare time. I work long hours during the week. It's too easy to be lazy all weekend: watch tv, play on my lap top, eat. It's not good for me in the long run. I need a social outlet. I need a hobby. I need motivation to get chores and projects done around my house.
So slowly, I've been making little changes. I joined a Bunco group which meets once a month. Social outlet. I have my garden which I obsess over; checking its progress, pulling weeds. Hobby. This in turn motivates me to get more things done around my house. I even mowed the front lawn yesterday. I generally leave that up to The Boy. Motivation.
Progress.
Here's a few updates from the past couple of weeks:
1) I read "The Hunger Games". I had been reluctant. I don't generally like things that are over-hyped. But I joined a book club and this was our first book pick. It was good. Definitely worth the read. I can see why kids are nutty for it right now. I want to read the next two books. The Boy has warned me they will piss me off.
2) My vegetable garden is growing nicely. I'm still obsessed. I hate gardening in general. But my vegetable garden is a different story. It actually produced a product, rather than just being aesthetic.
3) The Boy performed in his final high school play. All the kids did a great job. It was funny and fast-paced.
4) My goal of changing my life for the better is coming along. I don't think I've explained this specifically here. Wanting new hobbies is part of it. I want something interesting to do with my spare time. I work long hours during the week. It's too easy to be lazy all weekend: watch tv, play on my lap top, eat. It's not good for me in the long run. I need a social outlet. I need a hobby. I need motivation to get chores and projects done around my house.
So slowly, I've been making little changes. I joined a Bunco group which meets once a month. Social outlet. I have my garden which I obsess over; checking its progress, pulling weeds. Hobby. This in turn motivates me to get more things done around my house. I even mowed the front lawn yesterday. I generally leave that up to The Boy. Motivation.
Progress.
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