Hey, hey, hey – Happy Monday!
It’s been an interesting one already, folks! I opened the front door to go on my morning Mom walk and was greeted by rain 
I had even busted out my fuzzy, microfiber socks today!
On my way back in the house, I spotted THIS (minimized picture so as not to scare):
It’s a CENTIPEDE. It was literally skimming the living room carpet at 25mph with all of it’s 400 disgusting legs. I gagged. I gagged when I had to kill it and I gagged when I took the picture. I’m gagging now. Gross! Right? It’s staying on the carpet until exterminator Ben gets up and takes care of it. Sick.
Anyways – the morning, thankfully, did get better! I made Fig & Apricot Banana Oatmeal for breakfast 
In the mix:
- 1/2 cup each old fashioned oats, water & skim milk
- dash/splash of cinnamon/almond extract
- 1 banana
- chopped figs & apricots
- drizzle sugar-free syrup
It soothed me a little, not going to lie. Then again, what of life’s little problems can’t be soothed by a big, warm bowl of oatmeal? 
I followed my normal stove-top oatmeal directions, except I sliced half of my banana into the oats as they were cooking and put the other half on top!
Mmmm – love those chewy figs & apricots! They go so well with almond extract.
Last night I was hunting around the kitchen for some items to make a salad with for lunch today, and this was the best I could come up with: a Mixed Salad. Simply a “mixed salad” because there is no other way to describe the randomness in my tupperware container!
In the mix:
- Mixed Greens
- Crushed pineapple
- Kidney beans
- Carrot chips
An interesting combination of flavors & textures for sure!
I’ll also be dining on a creamy, French Vanilla Bean yogurt.
So I found an interesting tip list that I wanted to share with you guys! Easy Weight Loss Tips: 50 Ways to Fight Fat contains tips for cutting calories and getting more nutrients in at each meal. I picked out my 10 favorites and will share half today and half tomorrow!
1. Stir Fry Right: Let your vegetables stir-fry in their own moisture instead of an oil bath. Add a few drops of oil to start, and then use water rather than more oil as you’re stir-frying.
- If you’re using a non-stick pan you just really don’t need a lot of oil to cook your vegetables – but if you feel like you might need a little more moisture, the tip above is great. Try using chicken or vegetable broth for more flavor.
2. Warm Up Your Oil: Heat your skillet before adding oil, and less fat will be absorbed by the food, as cold oil tends to soak into meats and vegetables.
- A good way to see if your oil is hot enough is to drop a little piece of whatever it is you’re cooking into it. If it sizzles, the oil’s ready. If it doesn’t, give it a few more minutes to heat up.
3. Slice Thin to Eat Less: Slicing thinly will make your portions seem bigger and more satisfying. In a recent study at Japan’s National Food Research Institute, participants who compared equal amounts of sliced and whole vegetables rated the sliced piles up to 27 percent larger. When you believe you’re eating a larger portion of food, you may trick yourself into feeling more satisfied with fewer calories.
- I’m a total volume, “bulk” eater – aka I like to eat a big plate of food! By slicing and chopping your meal into smaller pieces, you feel like you’re getting more! You can also serve your meals on smaller plates – it’ll have the same effect!
4. Bulk Up Your Meat: Grate carrots, squash, or zucchini into any meat mixture. They add bulk, moisture, and vitamins but don’t alter that meaty flavor you’re after.
- This is a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies! You can also add chopped mushrooms to any ground meat mixture to stretch the portions out.
5. Swap Red Meat for Red Lentils: To make a low-fat, antioxidant-packed lasagna, use half the usual amount of ground meat and make up the difference with red lentils. They’re still protein packed, but lentils are fat-free and high in fiber, making them more filling, too. And since red lentils have a neutral taste, they’ll simply soak up the flavors in your sauce. You won’t even notice them.
- I think I’m going to try this tip the next time I make chili!
Whadd’ya think? I’m a huge fan of #1 & 3.
Well, gym bag = packed. I’m continuing my afternoon dates with Oprah and the treadmill. I think tonight I might throw some weights into the mix?? If they’re lucky…
Have a great Monday friends!
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Are you a wimp like me, when it comes to the creepy crawlies?
I’m completely down with your garden variety ladybug, lightening bug, caterpillar, etc. But I just can’t handle the crazies such as centipedes, spiders and well, anything else really. NOPE!
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In other news, check out Natalie’s Project Feed Me service project and her quest to feed thousands of hungry people this holiday season!
That oatmeal looks wonderful. Perfect fix for a cold, dreary morning! I’m a HUGE wuss when it comes to bugs, ESPECIALLY spiders. Mice & snakes? No biggie….Happy Monday!
I like the idea for red lentils for red meat, especially for a nice, thick chili!
It seems to me the more legs a bug has, the creepier it is! I’m just squirming at the thought of a centipede!
Those oats look wooonderful! I’ll have to try the almond extract/apricot combo
I can usually get rid of little bugS, but the bigger they are the grosser they are so I let someone else take care of them! EW.
I used to be afraid of them but then I had to live by myself for several years so I had to kill them or live with them. I was more freaked out by living creepy crawlies than dead one so I learned to kill them.
You breakfast looks good. I just discovered how yummy bananas were in my oatmeal the other day. Sooooo good!
AHH!! I despise bugs – kill them all, I say!
OMG centipedes gross me out SO badly! I usually let the cats kill and eat them though. Thanks for the tips
Looking at your pictures from the wedding you attended made me so excited because I went to a wedding reception in that building as well! One of my good friends from high school (we are from N. IL) went to Drake for undergrad & pharmacy school and had her wedding there in May 2004. The views were incredible! It was a very weird night though because many tornadoes were coming through the area and from the balcony you could hear the sirens from all the small towns around downtown Des Moines. Luckily, big cities rarely get hit by tornadoes but the wedding planners were getting pretty nervous! It was one of the most beautiful receptions I’ve ever been to, I’m glad that you had a great time!
Ewww gross!! (the centipede, not the oatmeal
)
I like those tips. I definitely folllow #1-#4. I’m such a bulk eater so I like to bulk everything up with tons of veggies!
Oh that oatmeal looks great! I never thought about adding syrup but I’m sure that would add that perfect extra touch of sweetness! Thanks!
That oatmeal looks perfect for a cold day!
I’m such a baby when it comes to bugs! I hate them, I get sick to my stomach when they are in my house! A few weeks ago my Mom had a moth in her house. She closed the door to the room it was in and kept sending her dog in to try to catch it. She’s worse than me!
TOTAL complete bug freak!!! Now that I have my own place I have to kill them myself…spiders are the WORST! Yuck, yuck, yuck.
I didn’t know that about heating oil! I always throw in the oil and veggies and THEN heat up the skillet. Interesting!
I’m not really afraid of crawling bugs, but wasps – that’s entirely different, they can actually attack you. On to the food:
This may be a bit off-topic, but having recently been informed of my slightly high cholesterol and researching ways to decrease it, I have modified some football season recipes, including: Low-fat spinach and artichoke dip. I have made this rich dish many times, using sour cream, shredded jack cheese, cream cheese, butter – delicious but high in fat. I retooled this dish Saturday, substituting plain no-fat yogurt for the sour cream, low-fat cream cheese, no butter, and I have to give myself a pat on the back for coming up with this substitute for the cheese component: Low-fat, small-curd cottage cheese, blended smooth before adding – it’s a little bit like ricotta.
By all accounts, it was as delicious as the higher-fat version, and disappeared within two quarters of football. The recipe:
-1 Box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I squeeze the water out by pressing it in a collander with my fist)
-1 Can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped – 8 oz size
-8 oz low-fat cream cheese, softened
-8 oz no-fat plain yogurt
-16 oz low-fat small-curd cottage cheese, blended smooth
-Tablespoon of chopped jalapeno (or more if you like more heat)
-Juice of half a lemon
Blend the yogurt, cream cheese and cottage cheese well. Add the lemon juice and stir a couple times. Fold in the spinach, artichoke and jalapeno, blend in gently until well-distributed. Spray a baking dish with some no-fat cooking spray, place the mix in and distribute evenly. Bake at 350, center rack for 45 minutes or until browned on top. Allow to cool ten minutes before serving. I typically serve this with corn chips, but this time, I bought three loaves of Jimmy Johns day-old bread, sliced 1/4″ thin and toasted in the oven until golden brown. Everybody loved it, and you can’t tell the reduction in fat from the flavor. Enjoy!
There’s just something about milipedes and cetipedes that make my scalp crawl. I can handle spiders, roaches–anything else. It’s just all…those…legs! *shudders*
I can’t decide between cardio kick boxing or lifting weights and a 3-mile run tonight. I guess I still have the whole work day to figure it out.
I do believe I’m going to make those Greek turkey burgers over a bed of spinach for dinner tonight.
omg i hate those centipede things! i had never seen one before i moved into the city area of town (called “the fan”) and found a bug that i swear was half mammal it was so freaking big…squishing it was absolutely disgusting… i freaked out! luckily in the new house those “fan creatures” don’t come around anymore… gross!!!
I agree – oatmeal = the ultimate comfort food!
Sorry about your scary encounter this morning!
I would have gagged tons too. HATE BUGS!!
I DEFINITELY hate bugs too! EWWW! I usually scream and jump up and down until my husband kills them for me:) I was so scared of spiders when I was little and could spot them in the dark in my bedroom……nothing’s changed:) I feel your pain!
I do fine with insects, I don’t like them but I can tolerate. However, if it makes a crunching noise when I kill it, I’m done, let the gagging-fest begin!
On a much-less-gross note, YUMMY OATMEAL! I have some figs that will be in tomorrow’s oatmeal, great idea!
i hate bugs in all shapes and sizes, so i totally would have done the exact same thing you did!!!
i love all those tips, and alot of them are so true! Grating veggies into meats and even pasta dishes are such a great way to incorporate more veggies and to bulk up the meal! I love it!
Bugs don’t freak me out to bad..as long it as it not ON me! I do have a terrible fear of snakes though!