Handy Housewife Hint

My life is all about making my house ready to show, but this hint would work for last minute company too.
When company comes I always like to have a clean bathroom for them, but doing a big scrub down is often not fesable.

Here is my quick and dirty, two-minute bathroom cleanup:

• Wipe down bathtub with your probably still-damp morning towel. Leave the towel in a heap in your tub. You will need it in a minute. Put a fresh towel out for your guests now.
  
• Wipe down sink and faucets with a baby wipe--you wouldn't believe the shine a baby wipe gives chrome!! Much cheaper than disinfectant wipes and you can use them for quick makeup removal too.
• Swish out your toilet with a brush if you have one handy, wipe seat and lid with another baby wipe.
• Here is the trick that separates me from Flylady: put a few drops of Tea Tree or lavender essential oil in your toilet bowl before closing the lid.--it really makes your bathroom smell fresh without it smelling like chemicals or fake air freshener.
• On your way out the door, grab that damp towel out of your tub and wipe the floor with it then toss in the laundry.

Now, relax! Your bathroom is ready for company. All that is left to do is stash all those dirty dishes you have on the counter in your oven until you can wash them.

Weigh in Wednesday

The rhythm of my life has suddenly changed. We put our house on the market on Monday. If I am not cleaning, I am quickly sweeping the kids and dog out for a showing. Mealtimes (and naptimes) have become unpredictable. Our Realtor promises I will get ample notice for showings, then turns around and says there is a potential buyer coming in 45 minutes. This is par for the course, but it makes it hard to chart food and exercise regularly.

I am watching portion sizes and listening to my body's hunger signals, but that is about as far as it goes right now. My workouts consist of cleaning and taking the kids to the park or playdates during showings.

It's working.

Here are my stats:

Last Week's Weight: 159.4
Current Weight: 157.9
Weekly Loss:1.5

Total Loss during Challenge: 4.5
Total Cumulative Loss: 8.5

I am down to the last hole on my belt now.

Pepperoni Pasta Salad

Wait. I know what you are thinking. Jen, you are trying to shrink. How will pepperoni and pasta help that?? Bear with me. This is my slimmed-down version of a Taste of Home recipe. It makes a great make-ahead supper for a hot day. Boil the pasta first thing in the morning before the sun gets too high. Then you can rest easy knowing that you will have a filling and family friendly meal ready to go when you are ready to wilt.

The original recipe had over 500 cals per serving. By my estimate a big bowl of my version has 286 calories.

Slimmed-Down Pepperoni Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked
1 cup cucumber, chopped
1 cup part-skim mozzarella, cubed
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
5 small turkey pepperoni sticks, chopped. (I use Freybe's I think it ends up to be around a cup of pepperoni.)
1/2 cup light zesty Italian dressing.

Directions:

1. Cook pasta until just a teensy bit underdone. Rinse well with cold water and set aside.
2. Combine remaining ingredients and cooled pasta in a large bowl. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
3. Stir and serve.

Makes four big bowlfuls.

Weigh In Wednesday

It's weigh in time! This week was great. I feel a real change in my body. For the first time I wasn't constantly hungry. I am noticing that it takes less food for me to feel full. I have a bit more energy. A friend noticed my clothes fit better.

Here are my stats:

Last Week's Weight: 161.4
Current Weight: 159.4
Weekly Loss: 2.0

Total Loss during Challenge: 3
Total Cumulative Loss: 7




Onward and downwards!

Thank you Hungry Girl!

I am a big fan of Hungry Girl. Her cookbooks and ideas are a big help in my weight loss journey. This one just showed up in my email in-box. I needed to post it so I wouldn't lose it.
Doesn't it look good??? I love crock potting!

Slow-Cookin' Pulled Chicken

PER SERVING (1/2 cup): 149 calories, 1g fat, 462mg sodium, 10g carbs, <0.5g>POINTS? value 3*

This shredded BBQ chicken is FANTASTIC over salads, piled onto light buns, stuffed inside high-fiber tortillas with (rinsed) cole slaw, or eaten all by itself. Yummmmmm!




Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. brown sugar (not packed)
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. garlic powder
Optional: red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions:
Place all ingredients except the chicken in the crock pot. Stir until mixed. Add chicken and coat well with the sauce.

Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours OR on low for 7 - 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.

Remove all the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks -- one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, and mix well with the sauce.

If you're serving a group, keep the crock pot on its lowest setting, so the chicken stays warm. If you like, season to taste with red pepper flakes. Eat up!

MAKES 7 SERVINGS

Weigh In Wednesday

This is week two of The Sisterhood's Shrinking Days of Summer challenge.

Here are my stats:

Starting Weight 162.4
Current Weight 161.4
Loss 1.0
Original Starting Weight: 167.2
Cumulative Weight Lost: 5.8

This is only one pound lost this week (which is all my body ever willingly gives up at this stage) BUT since joining my lovely sisters, this is pound number five to leave my body!! Whee! I can see things starting to change now. The barest hint of a jawbone, my belt feeling a bit looser.
Yay! Progress!

It's Fair time.

Summer Fair is here. The kids have seen the midway go up and have been doing the Bart and Lisa thing to us:


So, today, after Hubby gets home from work, we will go.

I am packing a picnic so I don't have to be forced to choose from the bad options there.

Here is what I'm packing:
Fruity Chicken Salad
Tuna Salad
carrot and celery sticks
home made whole wheat buns (hmmmm....I should get on that!)
skim milk pudding cups
fruit salad
sugar free iced tea and low sugar lemonade

I will pretend I cannot see the mini doughnuts.

I know it isn't Monday.....

....But

I ate brown sugar bacon waffles for supper.

There. I said it.

I charted them. I have calories to spare at day's end.

They were so totally worth it.

Weigh In Wednesday

It's that time again! A new challenge has been given at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. I am on a team with five other lovely shrinkers and the goal is to lose the most weight as a whole. I have been on hiatus from my food journal for the past couple of weeks, so it is time to get kicked back into gear.

Here are my stats:
Starting weight: 162.4 pounds

This is the ending weight from the last challenge, so I am glad to say I have maintained despite some chocolate that I had to review for my other blog and a perfect storm of PMS/Home Buying Stress/MIL fighting that started a three-day binge.

Right off the bat my first goal for this challenge is to not eat in my pantry. If I can't take the time to put my food on a plate, I should not eat it. I will also avoid the mini doughnuts at the fair this weekend, Girl Guide's Honour.

Hello team mates!
Kristen Q.
Jess B.
Cristina S.
Lindsey S.
Megan T.

Do any of you have blogs I can link to?