mandycat223 Member

Also back, in a tentative kind of way. (See Webster's Dictionary: "Tentative" : "who ya kidding, lady?") I've posted before that the Western calendar needs a major revamp. Cramming all the major pig-out holidays in between Halloween and Easter is an obviously bad plan.

Hmmm, while we're long-time Costco members, our nearest warehouse is now some 60 miles away, so we only make the trek every other month or so. When I buy a rotisserie chicken it's either at Publix (where I assume the health stats are roughly similar to Costco's offering) or Sam's Club (where I assume the health stats are…

Atkins as a WOE works same like always. But be aware that the Atkins company since Dr. Atkins passed away is heavily invested in getting you to buy their processed foods. They're okay in a pinch, only in a pinch.

I buy rotisserie chicken whenever I'm feeling lazy. After Henny Penny has given up all her meat, I turn her into the world's richest chicken broth by putting her into a slow cooker, (bones, skin and all), adding enough water to cover her bottom two thirds, throwing in an onion or two for flavor and simmering overnight.…

For years I was frequently disappointed when my attempts looked nothing like the pictures in the cookbook or the magazine. Then I found out there is a recognized career path called "Food Stylist." They use techniques like finishing off a Thanksgiving turkey with a layer of shellac and thickening cake frosting with Plaster…

"Atkins" morphed from a way of eating to a way of maximizing profits not long after the good doctor passed away. Real food whenever possible; factory food when there's no good alternative.

Hey, are you SURE that guy is a real physician? This sort of crazy talk is nothing like anything I've ever heard from a medical professional. Check his diploma. But follow his good advice regardless of the results of your detective work.

Sorry for the delay; things have been hectic around here. The story in question is the first one in the "Tuesday Night Club" series in which Miss Marple solves a series of mysteries that baffle her friends. (Naturally.) I'm a huge Christie fan and can re-read her novels and stories decades after I found out whodunit. The…

My go-to-smoothie: Two cups unsweetened almond milk; one scoop unflavored whey protein powder (GNC has an unflavored zero carb powder "Isopure"); one cup frozen spinach (which provides thickness and fiber but cannot be tasted in the smoothie); one cup crushed ice; whatever flavoring agent happens to appeal that day (Skinny…

By the 1920-1930 period "banting" had become a sort of catch phrase for any weight loss diet regimen. In one of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple stories, that the murder victim's companion was "banting" was one of the clues that identified the culprit.

Mercy, where do you live? In the middle of the Gobi Desert? I thought Starbucks had blanketed every square mile of the known world. There was an article in the satire magazine "The Onion" years ago with a headline something like "Starbucks Begins Opening New Stores in Starbucks Restrooms." If every Starbucks in the known…

I wish I could find the picture on Pinterest that I thought epitomized the difference between cats and dogs. It was a photograph of a cat and a dog, Photo Shopped to add captions. The dog is looking with a bewildered expression toward the camera saying "The cat did it!!!" The cat, scowling and standing up on his back legs,…

Just a side note, which the interesting "new label" above reminded me of. There's a lobbying effort afoot by food manufacturers not only to do away with this "new" labeling but to make food labels even less informative than they are now. So keep your eyes open. Some of us can remember when nutritional information on food…

I give the mug a quick shot of cooking spray beforehand, just to make sure. When I forget the spray step, the muffin slips out almost as well, just leaving a tiny bit behind in the bottom of the mug. This has been true of other mug recipes as well. Using a paper muffin cup would be both cumbersome and unnecessary. I'm a…

Here's a "muffin" recipe I came across on Pinterest. (Note: Pinterest.com is a female-centric Web site but it's a gold mine for low-carb tips and recipes.) This "muffin" is more bread-like than other coffee cup bread recipes I've tried. I've been making it for breakfast with a drizzle of the only Walden Farms product I…

Here's my go-to Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce: 2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional, but adds so much flavor) 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce 4 tablespoons chicken broth 4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce aka Rooster Sauce (or more if brave) 1 squirt Dasani Water Drops -…

I'm a day late and $12.00 short. The price a second ago was $13.99.

Dear Mr. Lott: Our client, Mandycat223, wishes us to advise you that her photograph is not be used without express written consent. Yours truly, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, Attorneys at Law.

As if things aren't stressful enough for you right now .... As it happens, my husband and I went yesterday to a one hour seminar on stroke prevention and stroke treatment. It was like trying to drink from a fire hose; the information was coming at us faster than we could take it all in. Your posting did, however, make me…

When I was much younger, I used to dream in musical comedy format, with all us dream characters breaking into song and dance numbers as the plot unfolded. I miss those dreams, especially the ones where I was the lovely leading lady soprano.

If you're lucky, your gym will offer personal training, either as part of your membership or with an additional hourly fee. Even if it isn't free, two or three sessions are a sound investment. Proper form is critical and a good trainer can get you off to an injury free start. For some of us, free weights are a back ache…

Hmm, perhaps this explains the "Crooks are Stupid" story I remember from the Atlanta newspaper after a local was arrested for DUI. It was an easy nab. The suspect stopped at the drive-through window where you pay for traffic and parking tickets and ordered a double cheeseburger and a large order of fries. "It will be just…

The math for computing exercise calories is too random, unscientific and individual to be useful in our health journey. "You'll burn XXX calories for NN minutes of Y" is problematic unless you're being personally evaluated by a real expert of some sort. I figure we should move our bodies for good mental and physical health…

Just don't waste your time on the free amazon "keto" cookbook by Jeanine Bryson, whose "keto" recipes called for pastry sheets, pasta, bread crumbs, pita bread and flour.

The most puzzling thing about The Great and Wonderful Oz is how he manages to stay on the staff of Columbia University. I speak, of course, as a layperson but I've always imagined that being a professor of surgery at a major teaching hospital would be kinda time consuming. If The Great and Wonderful Oz is able to keep up…

Oh, and I forgot another piece of hard won advice: Don't bike wearing shoes with laces. I'm alive (albeit slightly scarred) only because my right shoelace, not my left, got tangled in my bike chain, so I wound up on a sand dune instead of the front fender of that F150 pick-em-up truck that was barreling toward us. You can…

Okay, that's it. Today is Day One of my own personal 365. If you could do this starting at 374 pounds and working through injury and some perfectly believable excuses, I have no excuse whatsoever. Soooo glad I read this post. You rock.

The reference to Snackwells reminds me of my experience i the 1980's with "low fat Ice cream." The only one I ever bought was so tasteless and strange that I left most of it sitting on a plate on the kitchen counter. When I returned some two hours later, it wasn't actually melted, just sagging a bit in the middle and still…

Here's a tip for bike buying. I traded in my standard issue bike last year for a "comfort bike." They look something like beach bikes but have gears. (Riding a bike with no gears, is about as much fun as dragging a refrigerator behind you.) The "comfort" part is because the seat is placed farther back so that your arms are…