courtneylykins5 Member

Yoga pants. Belts for when other pants got a little loose. Thrift shopping every few months for 8 to 10 items when the last lot got too baggy and ill fitting. It didn't matter making do with a small wardrobe, it would be replaced soon anyway. I learned quickly to take my husband along. He knew what sizes to try, I still…

Sorry if I'm repeating someone else's point here. This is a looong thread. To the question should we tax junk food, sure if the only reason for the tax is to raise money and irritate people. And maybe if the desired outcome is to place o e more burden on people who already have enough trouble getting enough to eat. It…

I certainly hope not. A steam in bag type veggie usually makes a twice a day appearance at meals here. Then again none of us are sick or dead yet.

The yummly app is my favorite. It gives recommendations for new recipes based on previous recipes you "yum" and your preferences.

Mmmm. Coffee. This thread certainly shows that there are as many ways to drink coffee as there are types of people that drink it. My advice is to experiment with different types, roasts, flavors, even brew methods. My preferred coffee is the Target brand, Archer Farms. I make it by the cup using a pour over cone. Then I…

Individually for myself, I spend a lot less. I'm rarely eating out and I pretty much stick to the same few simple things for ease of logging. Overall the grocery bill has explodd when my two little bird eaters suddenly became bottomless pits. The whole family is eating healthier since it's me who buys all the food, but…

That thing with a cup of good coffee is the stuff of my dreams.

Cook some ground beef and add it to steamed or roasted cauliflower, whatever spices you like (just salt and pepper is fine to me) and a sprinkle of cheese if that's your thing. I'm not doing low carb, but if you happen to be, someone once mentioned thst the dish is like a low carb hamburger helper.

Don't forget to ask the kids. You can miss important opportunities. I hate beets. The kids asked to try them and eat them roasted all the time now. Plus they love being asked for input on how to "health up" a dish.

I used to live on the stuff. A 12 can pack of diet Pepsi every other day or so. Since counting calories I have one glass of regular when I'm out to eat. There's no room for food otherwise. Averages to once a month or so. Last night I was craving it so bad. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a glass of soda as much as I did…

Interesting topic. Since learning to cook and having more time I am gradually adding more from scratch things to my repertoire. We eat a lot of pizza here, so I've perfected my pizza dough. Also used to buy a lot of canned enchilada sauce. Homemade is a cinch and so much tastier. Same for marinara sauce. And cream of…

My former mother in law stores all of her pots and pans in the oven and uses it to cook. My ex and I were living there for a while. Once I started preheating the oven after clearing it out but had forgotten a tiny pan in the back. The smell of the handle melting was atrocious. For me I love knowing my oven is clean and…

I have lost a lot of weight without one. But I think I may get one simply because it seems like a fun gadget to have.

They make disposable liners for crock pots now! It might be worth not having to dig and scrape at a bad result.

I've got some loose crepey skin on my thighs. Big deal. Those who know me know the hard work I did to come by it. Those who don't have something about themselves they are insecure about. People who notice these things we perceive as flaws generally won't give them a second thought. It really is not worth giving up over.

My go to is a free form kind of thing. 2 cups of vegetable broth, 2 cups of water, add a can of beans, rinsed and drained, any type. I love tomatoes so usually in goes a can of diced tomatoes. Then whatever vegetables you want or have laying around till the soup looks as thick as you like it. Add salt, pepper, other…

How about things you thought would be healthy and low calorie? Yogurt and granola with a banana on the side. That was close to 500 calories twice a day. The thing with restaurants is that I expect high calorie but I tend to be surprised by how big a portion I'm being served. I kind of wish I could order a child size…

6 and 8 years old, you say? It could be the perfect time to teach them to clear the table and deal with leftovers while you do something else. Much less temptation to finish their food that way.

Most meats are easily complemented by vegetables. Frozen does reduce waste. But don't bother buying any you don't like just because it's healthy. Stick to what you enjoy. Also, most vegetrian and vegan meals can have meat added to them. I do a lot of meatless recipes. Those who want ground beef, chicken, or sausage…

Learning which fruits and veggies are in season can be a huge money saver also. Those will be the things you can buy a lot of cheaply. Out of season stuff might be more budget friendly to buy frozen.

A cooling pad for my laptop. It will help extend the life of my beloved dinosaur while I continue using it for fitness videos. And everyone knows I like new gym clothes. There's something so motivating about being dressed for the activity at hand.

I put 20 grams of vanilla almond milk creamer in mine. That's somewhere around a tablesson but not exact. It doesn't matter because I don't feel like cleaning my measuring spoon for one cup of coffee. As an aside, a few days ago I asked my son to make me a cup and put in 20 grams of creamer. He misheard and let me tell…

Second Thug Kitchen. It amuses me. It helps me figure out dinner when I'm the fridge is empty of our usual meaty, cheesy, eggy culprits. It's all vegan but not in a way that makes it seem like a cult.

I fit into anywhere from a 6 to a 10 in women's. It really depends on the brand. Shirt size small or medium. I don't care what size I fit, it's just nice being able to buy off the rack anywhere I go. Started out a 24.

Slice it up and sub it for some of the potatoes in scalloped potatoes. Or roast it with apples adding a little cinnamon and brown sugar. Soon I'm going to try it roasted along with some Brussels sprouts and chicken.

I myself never comment on weight loss or gain unless they are very close to me and I know they are trying to gain or lose or gain weight. As a personal anecdote, I have a very slender friend who often eats quite fattening foods. The people who comment on how it must be nice to be so small and eat like that don't realize…

I like mine made with frozen mixed veggies for ease of preparation. Ground beef or lamb depending on everyone's mood. Mixed all in with tomato sauce. My personal favorite is topping with mashed sweet potatoes. Not traditional I suppose, but the fun in dishes like these is figuring out the way you like it best. My sister…

It can be misleading. Often calories are listed as packaged. When some packaged foods are prepared, the calorie count is much higher. Boxed mac & cheese is a good example of this. So while having the calories listed on the front is helpful, it's important to know if that's the whole story

I'll add a few more ideas here. You can't force a child to eat it, but you can serve a tiny bit on their plate. Get them used to seeing it and smelling it. In many, many cases, I have seen curiosity take care of the rest without any mention being made of trying a new food. You could also stress that they can try it without…