mandersatx

Save chicken & steak bones, vegetable ends, onion & garlic papers, herb stems, ect in a freezer bag; when full, boil in your largest stock pot for several hours, letting it reduce to concentrate flavors, then strain through cheesecloth. Free stock that tastes awesome. Freeze in 4 cup and 1 cup portions for adding to soups…

Ditto on the black pants. Seriously glad to know I'm not the only one!

Some women get the "dewy" look, but I get the "just got out of the pool" look. I also turn a lovely shade of crimson with even just minimal effort. Thank you, exercise rosacea! I just don't care anymore. Sweat & redness means I'm working out. Don't let the pretty girls in the exercise magazines fool you - NO ONE can put in…

Congratulations! What an awesome NSV! I do the walk/jog/run thing, too. My eventual goal is a 10K - friend me and we can encourage one another! (Warning - I like exclamation points!!! lol)

I like to think of getting rid of my weight (losing implies that I'll find it again - HA!) as a lifestyle change. Healthier eating is wonderful, but making a lifestyle change means reality has to weigh in (<--- see what I did there - HA!) and that means eating fried rice or pizza or ice cream or ribs or _______…

You look stunning! Great work!

Prepackaged & prepared foods seem cheaper, but the ultimate costs in the long run (medical bills, physical toll, mental toll) are way higher. People don't know how to cook anymore. Bread, pasta, rice sides (ala rice-a-roni or uncle ben's sides) used to be made everyday at home with flour, milk, butter, and oil. Making food…

This. /\/\/\/\. Seek a second opinion if you feel you must; have another thyroid panel done if you think the results are off, but consult a physician. I just had my thyroid tested today as I'm probably underactive. The doc assures me the meds are cheap & easy. My mom also has an underactive thyroid and does just fine with…

WTG! What an awesome NSV! Keep it up!

I hated everything but "A Christmas Carol" by ****ens, all of the Bronte sisters' works, and Heart of Darkness. Gah, all of them were just awful. My BA's in English, and I find it frustrating from a (former) teacher's perspective that students are forced to read that crap. People wonder why kids don't like to read. There…

I have everything to make this in my house right now. I'm making this in the next couple of days - thanks for the recipe!

Anyone interested in real food dieting can add me. I've been slowly moving toward this for years, and recently quit aspartame and FF/LF foods achieved via chemical means. I love cooking, and often post recipes. I would love to share and receive recipes, tips, and advice!

Top right corner of the page, Settings is 3rd from the right going left. Click, then click diary settings. Scroll to the bottom and set it to either public or friends. As far as the calories go, I workout everyday and make sure I eat at least 1200 calories a day. Especially if you are just getting started, going below that…

I love leftovers, and my cooking revolves around them. For lunch today, I had borracho beans I made almost 2 months ago. I make a big batch of something and freeze it into individual portions. Saves money, it's way healthier than the ones you buy at the store, and you always know there's healthy & "fast" food at home. Last…

Nicely done! WTG!

My favorite any-time-of-the-day budget meal is eggs poached in marinara over a microwave baked potato. Heat one cup of marinara per person, when it's slightly bubbling, add two eggs per person, pop on a lid, wait about 5-6 minutes. Cut open the tater, put one egg on each half, top with marinara, dig in. Doesn't even need…

I'm calling BS on the doc, too. I'm a 5'4" & 36DD, and I run every day. In order to prevent stretchmarks and keep the girls in place, I wear an underwire sports bra, and then I put a compression sports bra on top of that. You need to spend a little money on a couple of great sports bras - like lsjd2000 says, they're about…

Try a pita pizza. We have a local bakery that makes super thin whole wheat pita bread about 10" across that's 110 calories. I hit it with a shot of Pam, put 1/2 cup of marinara sauce on it, and top with kale or spinach, chickpeas, sauteed onions, chopped grilled chicken, fresh mushrooms - most of the time I use leftovers,…

I use the kinect for dance central, kinect adventures, and the biggest loser workouts. All three are amazing workouts - you'll be plenty sweaty when you're done. I recommend the biggest loser because it has a variety of workouts from traditional calesthenics to yoga to the types of challenges the contestants do.

Forgot about jicama - slightly sweet, super crunchy. Peel & eat it raw, or add to chicken/tuna salad.

I grill bell peppers, yellow squash, onions, and tomatoes on my Foreman grill, chop them up & put them in a little bit of jarred marinara sauce, serving it over spag squash. Sometimes I add grilled chicken to it. Low cal, high fiber. :)

Kale and chickpeas (garbanzos). Saute a bit of onion and garlic over low heat in 1 tsp of olive oil, add 1-2 tbsp curry powder and 1 tsp of red chili flake to bloom them. After a couple of minutes, add chopped kale that you stripped from the stems. Toss over the heat until it turns bright green. Add 1 cup of chicken broth,…

You got this. It's not going to be easy, but the rewards are worth it. Everyday begins anew and is one step closer to winning your war. We're starting together in the same spot and have about the same weight to lose. If you'd like to add me as a friend, we can encourage each other.

I'm just shy of 5'4" and I'm aiming for 155. I'm quite thick boned and muscular, so when I'm 155 I look healthy. I've been super skinny (got down to 124 at one point) but had no shape - I looked like a 12 year old boy. According to BMI, I will be overweight@155, but BMI doesn't differentiate between muscle & bones and fat.…

Aspartame (the sweet tasting chemical in almost all diet sodas) is poisonous. It is toxic, a carcinogen, and ultimately detrimental to your overall health. Natural sugar substitutes such as stevia are a much better choice, which comes from a plant. You can actually grow it in your herb garden. The most famous brand would…