Ground Beef Spiral Bake

I had a crazy week... lots of thoughts, emotions, and events occurred... Oh! And there was a potluck on Tuesday, I brought homemade mac & cheese - and I ate it with Japanese curry. And I ate a bunch of other sweets & carbs too... oh boy. This week was probably a big fat fail, but I'm just going to focus on one thing I did well for the moment. A food triumph moment I had last weekend when I spent the day cooking for a rare meal together with Will. Yay!

Ground Beef Spiral Bake
Cook a 16oz. package of Spiral Pasta. Now... if you're living The No Fun Food Life, then skip this step. For my mixed family meal, I cooked 3/4 the amount of pasta - 12oz.

Cook 2lb Ground Beef w. 2/3 cup chopped Onion until no longer pink. Add 1 tbsp Minced Garlic, cook 1 more minute then drain. Stir in 2 jars Spaghetti Sauce, 2 tbsp Tomato Paste, 1 tsp each of Oregano & Dried Basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Stir Pasta into meat sauce mixture. Transfer everything into 2 greased baking dishes. Sprinkle liberally with as much Mozzarella Cheese as your heart fancies. Bake one dish at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Freeze one dish for later.

The No Fun Food Life version: Now... if you are cutting out the pasta completely... you can just spoon the meat sauce mixture into the baking dishes, top with cheese, and bake. Then heat up a packet of Miracle Noodles and spoon the hot meat sauce & melted cheese onto the noodles. Mix well and eat immediately. Then you can refrigerate leftovers and just heat as needed with your Miracle Noodles.

For my particular family meal... I followed the classic recipe for 3/4 of everything for Will... and then I reserved 1/4 of the meat sauce + melted mozzarella and made 3 meals for myself out of it. :)

So, here's an example of how I make my family meals work out. In the middle of the week I ran out of the carb-free version and took to work a full-carb version... but it was super delicious and I limited the meal to a 12oz. portion (if you don't have a food scale, buy one!) so I didn't feel too bad.

I love how I can freeze basically a huge meal for later, too. Anything to save me time and effort in the middle of the work week is awesome!

Peggy Bundy, Francois, & Whitney Thore

Will came home today with two new surprise additions for our salt water aquarium. A Six Line Wrasse who I've named Peggy Bundy - in honor of our previous wrasse, Marcy Darcy (rest in peace...) - and a Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp who I've named Francois. I think I've been conditioned by Finding Nemo to believe all cleaner shrimp are French, hehe.

After the unfortunate pop eye and ick epidemic of 2013... when Bean (maroon clown), Marcy Darcy (six line wrasse), and Benny the Blenny (scooter blenny) all perished in one summer, I didn't want to add any new fishies & critters. But now I'm ready and I'm happy they're here!

Francois immediately flitted all around the tank looking for food and my existing clown fish & blue tang - Pebbles and Dory - were checking him out all day. So cute! Peggy Bundy swam into a little whole in the live rock and hid there for a long time. Just keeping a suspicious eye out to keep track of all the commotion. So cute as well!

I love sitting next to my aquarium in the mornings to watch the fish swim around and the hermit crabs & snails slowly foraging about. It's so relaxing and therapeutic. Did you know there are a multitude of health benefits to keeping an aquarium in your home? It can significantly reduce stress levels and has even shown to be one of the most reliable ways of temporarily lowering your blood pressure. I'm lucky to get all the benefits and the fun of feeding them... while hubby does all the cleaning and maintenance. :)

Another thing that I found to be very therapeutic? Binge watching "My Big Fat Fabulous Life" on TLC. Whitney Thore became an internet sensation when her dance video went viral. She was a lifelong dancer who fell victim to PCOS in college...! She gained over 200 pounds within a decade and felt completely devastated and derailed. Her candidness, her courage, and her triumphant spirit brought me to tears so many times. I seriously, quite literally, watched the entire season in 24 hours. I couldn't peel my eyes away.

If I could ever meet her in person, I would like to thank her for giving a face and voice to PCOS. For so long it's been this weird syndrome that nobody talked about. Most women who had it couldn't even get properly diagnosed for it, and nobody knows anything about it... unless you have PCOS. Or know someone with it, like me, and then you're forced to listen to EVERYTHING about it. Haha, sorry folks!

One of the many things I can take away from her show is that she couldn't be so fabulous without the unending support of her family and friends. Just like me! Thank you everyone for all your support!!!! :)

 

#MyBigFatFabLife - Please come back for another season!

Zion National Park

My great friend and college roommate came to visit and it felt like a vacation for the both of us! She's awesome because she's really supportive and mindful of my restrictions of living The No Food Fun Life.

For our first day together... we got some delicious Dim Sum for breakfast. She took the hit and ate most of the more carb-loaded morsels - like the savory sticky rice. I was still able to mostly enjoy yummy Shu Mai, Shrimp Dumpling, Chicken Feet, Tripe, Short Ribs... and a few other delicacies. We watched Jupiter Ascending in a luxury theater. And then for dinner we headed to The Container Park to eat & share a bunch of small things to some great live music... tacos, corn on the cob, raw vegan zucchini "pasta," unfiltered fresh ginger ale, and bought some beef jerky for the next day.

For our second day... we ate at The Divine Eatery just a couple blocks from my house. I ate eggs, sausage links, and we shared some Nutty French Toast, yum! I figured some carbs would be appropriate in preparation for a full day of physical activity. We drove to Zion National Park (actually, she drove while I napped... sorry!) and hiked to The Emerald Pools as our first choice. It was sooooo beautiful and the pools are absolutely breathtaking in their tranquility. I took the first leg (Lower Pool) like a champ, the second leg (Middle Pool) was challenging but manageable with steady breathing, but the third leg (Upper Pool) was killer! The incline was tough - but it was good practice for Scale The Strat... more information on that in a later post. We picnicked once we reached the top - pistachios, beef jerky, and sugar-free dried fruit. She bought and packed it all... see how considerate she is? :)

After we got back down, we took the Riverside Walk trail to get up to the beginning of The Narrows... it was too cold to wade into the water to go any further, but it was my favorite part of the entire day. When the canyon narrowed to a point where the riverbank disappeared, it really feels like you're a part of the river and the canyon. It's hard to describe, you just have to experience it - and I recommend that you do! Lastly, we returned back to the car and drove to the final spot to go to The Weeping Rock. I'm not going to lie... I posted a lot of resistance. I had walked harder and higher than I had in a long, long time. My legs were achy, my lower back & right hip were starting to lock up a bit, and all I wanted to do was drive home and eat dinner. But my friend wouldn't take no for an answer... she even dropped me off at the bathroom right at the head of the trail and then drove off to find parking - which, in retrospect, I think she did on purpose so I couldn't get back in the car and whine until we drive away. LOL. I am so glad she was there to push me when I felt weak and ready to give up. We're all capable of so much more if we can just remove our own mental blocks. And it was worth it! There was so much magic in the air when I stood under the rock over hang... looking up at the little sprouted plants hanging upside down and listening to the gentle droplets of ancient water falling to the majestic backdrop of the canyon... breathtaking!

When we got back that night, we cleaned up and went to Ceasar's Palace and each had a hard-earned beverage to relax... then shared some Carpaccio, meatballs, and fried calamari. We also stopped by the gas station and picked up some chocolate covered ice cream bars... but I felt very justified in consuming it... no regrets!

She left this morning, after we went to Lulu's bread & breakfast cafe and The Juice Standard. I am going to miss her so much! I'm glad we shared such a great vacation together... and I'm so happy I we shared a full day at Zion National Park!!!

Slowly But Surely...

I had some small but noteworthy successes this past week in trying to get back on track for The No Fun Food Life. I attended a friend's birthday celebration last Sunday and made myself this awesome plate. Honey Baked Ham slices, steamed brussel sprouts, spaghetti squash, and just about a 1/4 cup dollop of stuffing. Oh, don't get me wrong, I went and got seconds (but not the stuffing, yay). But even though I ate a lot, I ate a lot of stuff I"m supposed to be eating. YAY. Then I had some birthday cake and a couple little pastries. BOO. I tried not to be too hard on myself since it was a special occasion.

I didn't work out at all this week, but I was having a hard time. It was Clomid week again, but this time I switched to taking it at night. So, I didn't have as many emotional outbursts and difficulties as last month, but I was super tired.

I did manage to keep my breakfasts very healthy with Greek Yogurt, blueberries, and even added some Kombucha on two mornings. I brought my own lunches on half the days and stuck to mostly protein & veggies for the rest. I splurged on Korean BBQ on Monday night, but kept the carbs to a minimum. And I had Japanese on Tuesday night... worst item: California Roll. *sigh* It's been an uphill battle getting back to the level of dedication I had a couple months ago, but I will get there.

I went to the acupuncturist yesterday morning and it felt awesome. I really liked Dr. Roth and she went to the same acupuncture school that I had went to years ago (but she graduated like a decade before I attended)... what are the odds! It was so relaxing and my arms and legs even felt like they were heavier to move... like everything was just soooooo loose and relaxed. Amazing. I have an herbal formula extract that I'm taking to "regulate liver qi" and "remove damp heat" and perhaps some other things. So far, nothing bad except a slight headache today... but I slept better last night than I had for months. The best part? My insurance covers acupuncture!

I'm up late right now because I'm waiting for my good friend & college roommate to get to my house. She's driving up from LA tonight to spend the weekend with me. I am so excited! :)

Confession Of A Dumpling Addict

It's time I come clean... I have been flying under the radar with this guilty pleasure. Dumplings are wrapped in really high-carb skins.

1) I ate dumplings during my vacation - which I documented and is completely normal.
2) On the day we left to drive home to Vegas... I stopped at Dumpling Inn (the BEST dumpling shop in San Diego) and bought dumplings & steamed pork buns for the drive.
3) Half a week back into the real life, I left work one day craving them. I was desperate. So, I went to the grocery store and bought a bag of Ling Lings. I'm not proud of it.
4) They don't cut it. So, this past weekend I went to the Chinese supermarket and bought what I needed to make my own. I made dozens and dozens of them. I've been eating them everyday for FOUR DAYS now!

Pork Dumpling Recipe *NOT No Fun Food Life Approved*
Mix together 3lb. ground pork, white parts of 1 bunch of Green Onions, a handful of Spinach leaves chopped, a lot of Garlic to your desire chopped, 1 cup of Shiitake Mushrooms chopped, 1/4 cup Soy Sauce, and 1/8 cup Toasted Sesame Oil. Chop up like 4 cups of Napa Cabbage, sprinkle with some salt, work with your hands to encourage osmosis, squeeze the water out of the cabbage and add into mixture. Mix everything together well.

Use dumpling skins, add dollops of the meat mixture to the center, wet the edges and solidly squeeze/crimp together to skin to fully contain the meat mixture in the middle. Pop into boiling water in batches, boil about 10 minutes or until they float and puff up.
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I have a problem. I am a dumpling addict!!! I decided I had to come out with my terrible secret so I can be held accountable and stop. I must stop! I have to get back on track this month and stick to my guns. I've started working on the physical fitness aspect, so I can't let the food part slide.

On another note, while I was at the Chinese supermarket, I saw something that struck me as a sign of good luck for the baby journey. I went to buy White Rabbit Candy to add a bit of festivity to my home in preparation for Chinese New Year. And when I got to the shelf of White Rabbit Candy, there was a single box of Ginger Candy wedged right up front. Significance? Ginger Candy is a popular item among pregnant women suffering from nausea. So... I'll take that as a good luck sign for a little "dumpling" this Year of the Sheep! LOL... and yes, I bought it. Don't judge me.

So far, the baby journey has had its ups and downs. Of course there's like that disappointment when it doesn't happen each month, but on the positive side it has brought Will and me closer together. It's fun to share in the little moments when we talk about the future. And twice this month I had dreams that I was pregnant! Maybe more omens of great things to come??? I hope so! tehehehehe

Brunettes Bring It On

I finished my second 5K of 2015... Brunettes Bring It On! I woke up yesterday to a damp, cold, and gloomy morning. The course was riddled with duck/goose poop but we managed to finish and I felt so proud at the finish line! If I hadn't already paid (I get reimbursed by work only if we complete the race) and known that my friends were there... I would've just flopped back into bed! I'm so lucky they've absorbed me into their amazing group of support and motivation. :)

During the race, I told my friend that I had a looooooog day ahead of me. I was going to work for 7 hours, I had a presentation to give, and then a team building event at the opposite end of town that night. I was really daunted by the length of the day, but I told her that I was glad I hadn't ditched the race because it was the one thing that I was doing solely for myself. Yeah!

The 5Ks are pushing me to challenge myself mentally and get more fit physically, I love it! They're also inspiring me to embrace the "outside" more - I stay inside WAY TOO MUCH. So, I'm gonna hit the 5Ks until summer comes along... then we'll reassess the weather conditions, lol. Hey, it's the desert! Give me a break here.

So... the whole exercise part was down pat this Saturday... but the food part got away from me like a runaway train. After the 5K, I was famished! So, my friend and I ordered Jimmy Johns subs at work, yum! The turkey sub with lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, and mayonnaise on French bread was HEAVEN... *drool*... ummm and then I ate a bag of chips. Then we walked like 5 blocks or so to our other work building and gave a presentation... and it was all hot... and I suddenly felt super tired and I needed to get up in front of the room and present... so I drank half a cup of Coke. I never drink soda!! I feel so bad... but it's not even the end. That evening, at the team building at the bowling alley, I ate chicken fingers & fries and drank a Pepsi!!!! Yeah... just carbing and sugaring all freaking day long. :(

So, this taught me a lesson. Next time if I have to work or be out & about after an endurance event, I'm going to pack myself some No Fun Food Life approved meals/snacks so I won't be in this situation again. Lesson learned.