Mothers Day Classic

I am so excited about Mothers Day this weekend.  Not because of the breakfast in bed (that I will not be receiving, LOL) or about my gorgeous gift my son has purchased with his own money from the Mothers Day Stall at school (I will share some of the gifts I have received in the past over the weekend).

I will be spending my Mothers Day morning doing a 4km walk, in the Mothers Day Classic.  http://mothersdayclassic.com.au/  The Mothers Day Classic has become a bit of a tradition in my family.  My whole family participates, including my mum, we all walk together.  I have friends who also go with their families, mothers, sisters, grandmothers, children (and the odd father and husband too).  It's a really fun morning, a wonderful way to spend mothers day together, walking in the sunshine (please don't rain on Sunday), alongside the beautiful beach.  Unfortunately I missed the walk last year as I had torn the artery in my neck a couple of days before, so was not able to exercise, or do very much at all actually.  After the walk we all head out for breakfast, my family, my friends and their families.   Anybody who decides not to walk (like me last year) meets us at the restaurant for breakfast after the walk.

The Mothers Day Classic is a great cause, its actually the biggest community fundraiser for breast cancer research in Australia.  Walks/Runs happen at the same time right across the country and always on Mothers Day.  There are walks in every major city in Australia and in over 28 regional towns across the country.  Grandmothers, Mothers, Daughters, Fathers, Grandfathers, Sons, Aunts, Uncles all walking together for a very important cause.  Babies and toddlers being pushed in prams, people being pushed in wheelchairs you name it, they are participating too.  More than $7.8 million has been raised from this walk/run for breast cancer foundation since the even started years ago.

It's also very touching and emotional too.  You get a number to pin to your top and on that is a space for you to write the name of a person or people you are dedicating your walk to or the person you are walking for.  People write loved ones or friends battling breast cancer or those who lost their battle with breast cancer.  It's a very moving walk as you walk around, seeing the names of those that have had this walk dedicated to by their loved one or friend.  It is a wonderful community event and something that I can highly recommend to anybody who has not heard of it before.

If you want to find a walk near you, visit http://mothersdayclassic.com.au/events for a list of where the walks/runs around Australia are.  Also if you would like to find more information, register for to do the walk or run or even to make a donation to this very important cause visit http://mothersdayclassic.com.au/

BIG - Extreme Makeover

Gosh, I have just been watching this new show, that premiered tonight on Channel 9 (in Australia).  Here's an article on the show and you can see Mick the man featured on the show tonight. Big - Extreme Makeover.

I have to say it was rather shocking to watch.  This poor guy on the show was massive, just massive.  For those that didn't watch the show or haven't heard of it, they say its the show for people "too big" for "The Biggest Loser"!!!  Too big for the biggest loser????  "Are they kidding" I thought.  Then I saw that they were not kidding.

I have to take my hat off to Mick, the guy on the show tonight.  In his first 40 days he lost 40kgs (88.18lbs).  Then the next two weeks he put on 18kgs (39.68lbs).  18kgs in two weeks!  Boy Oh Boy that's a lot of weight.

They did some tests and found that he was only getting about two to three hours of sleep a night and this can affect weight loss.  Now I did not know this.  I do get a good amount of sleep each night, around 7 to 8 hours, but I did not realise that not enough sleep can effect weight loss.

As the show progressed Mick stopped losing weight, mainly because he couldn't stop eating.  So they admitted him to a weight loss clinic.  He was there for 4 weeks and it was amazing, the change in his attitude and his state of mind.  So after 200 days, he lost 50kgs.  He has a long way to go, but he is on his way.   He lost enough weight to have stomach stapling.  How bizarre being too big to have weight loss surgery!

I have to say that Mick was inspirational.  Whilst he had ups and downs, who doesn't!  He had times when he reverted to his old ways and those bad habits crept back in, but he got off the couch and kept going!

Well Done Mick and good luck with your continued weight loss!

An Old Family Favourite

I know this is not diet food, but this is a family favourite recipe passed down through the generations of my family.  When my parents got married, my dad came with this recipe.  So this is something that my great grandmother used to make my grandmother, my grandmother used to make my dad and my mum made for me and I am now making for my son.  My son absolutely loves it so I know it is something that he will carry on to the next generation (phew, that was a long story, LOL).  Anyway I thought I would share this dish with you.  It is SO easy, really a great dish for the whole family and I was going to say cheap, but it has veal in it, so not so cheap.

So the dish is called "Rice Number".  That's it, just rice number.  Maybe it had a fancy name once upon a time, but as long as I have known it, it's rice number.

So the ingredients..

Veal (that has been beaten out) (about 4 or 5 large pieces)
Wheatgerm (I used about a cup)
2 x Cans of Campbells Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
2 x Cans of Mushrooms in Butter
1 x 250ml Tub of Natural Yoghurt
1 to 2 Bay leaves
Paprika
Rice

Slice up the veal into small bits.

Place wheatgerm into large zip lock bag (This is obviously a modern day addition to the recipe that I have created as when my dad was young and when I was young, we didn't have zip lock bags, LOL).  Place veal into the wheatgerm filled bag and seal the bag.

Move veal around until it is completely coated with veal (making sure no pieces are stuck together).

Once coated, heat a pan and add some oil.  Cook veal in small batches until lightly golden brown.

Place cooked veal into baking/casserole dish.

Into large bowl or blender add chicken soup, mushrooms and yoghurt.

Blend until well combined and if in a bowl used a hand blender to mix ingredients until well combined.

Pour sauce mixture over veal and mix lightly.

 Add a couple of bay leaves to the top of and press slightly.  Sprinkle top with paprika.

Place in moderate oven for about one hour.

Cook some rice.

 Add rice to a bowl or plate

Scoop a couple of large ladles of Rice Number over the top.

I have never tried to freeze this, so don't know if it freezes, but it is just as good the next day if stored in the fridge and then reheated.

Enjoy....

My Role As Easter Bunny Is Over

Well I would love to wish everybody a Happy Easter.  Did the Easter Bunny come?

I have to say I have been chomping on mini Easter eggs all day!  Not heaps but more than I should, but hey it's Easter!

It has been kind of a sad Easter for me.  This year was my last year playing Easter bunny!  (unless by some miracle I have another baby, but can't see that happening, but never say never right).  When we were away on vacation a couple of weeks ago we had a situation occur that started the ball rolling on my son losing his belief in all of those magical things we believe in as a child.  Easter Bunny, Santa and the Tooth Fairy!

Just before we went away on vacation, my son lost a tooth.  He took it away with him and I completely forgot about it.  A few days later my son was in his room in our vacation home and said "Mum, I think that tooth I lost the other day was an adult tooth".  I told him that it wasn't an adult tooth and he then said "it has to be, I've left it out for the tooth fairy for 3 nights and she didn't come".  OOOOHHHHH NOOOOO!  I forgot about the tooth!!!!! I explained that she may not realise where he is as he isn't at home and maybe he just do a shout out and let he know that you are here.  So that night, he put his tooth out again for the tooth fairy.  Can you believe it!  I woke up the next morning and had completely forgotten about that tooth AGAIN!  So I snuck into my son's room, he was still asleep and I took the tooth and left the money.

About half an hour later my son appeared as we were sitting outside having tea (I love green tea) and reading the paper and asked which one of us took his tooth!  Well we explained that we didn't take it, it would have been the tooth fairy, me knowing full well that I had snuck in there about half an hour earlier.  He said that he knew one of us did it as he had woken up just before and the tooth was still there, then he shut his eyes for a few minutes to doze again and then the tooth was gone so he knew it was one of us!  OH NO, Game Over!

So he knew, I admitted later in the day that I had in fact taken the tooth and yes I was the tooth fairy after his constant badgering.  There was just no point in keeping it going, he knew I had done it and he is old enough now and I am surprised it has taken so long for him to find out the truth.

I was so sad, my little boy was growing up.  He questioned me about Easter Bunny and Santa as well but I am not sure that he completely knew about them.  I think in some little way he wanted to hold on to them and believe that they were real, even though another part of him was telling him that they were probably not real too.

So last night.  I told him to go to bed or Easter Bunny wouldn't come.  He just said, "Yeah Right" and had a laugh "She will".  Then he proceeded to tell me that he had found my Easter Bunny stash in the cupboard, he had found my hiding place, which I have used for years and years for Easter, Christmas, Birthdays.  Its a cupboard nobody goes to, until now!  So he found my Easter eggs, he knew the bunny was not real and I was really sad.  I told him to go to bed or "the bunny" real or not, would not come, LOL.  He scurried off to bed and went to sleep.  I then did my Easter bunny duties and put the chocolate eggs and bunnies under the Easter tree (yes we have an Easter Tree, it's a little tree with just branches and we cover it in hanging cute coloured Easter eggs, bunnies and any other Easter decorations we have).

Last night was my last night as Easter Bunny.  It's all over and it's very sad.  So I have drowned my sorrows in little chocolate eggs, LOL.

Anyway I hope everybody has been having a great Easter long weekend.

Thanks for sharing my journey.....

Easter Is Here

Well the Easter long weekend has begun and I know already that this is going to be a tough one when it comes to sticking to a diet.  In Australia we have a 5 day long weekend, from Friday to Tuesday.  We have a day called ANZAC day, which is on Monday (Easter Monday).

ANZAC day is a day of remembrance in both Australia and New Zealand (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps is what ANZAC stands for).  Remembering all of the Aussies and Kiwis who fought in Gallipoli in Turkey during World War 1 where so many lost their lives.

So ANZAC day falls on Easter Monday.  So Easter Monday is being moved to Tuesday (can't work out how they move a Monday to a Tuesday, but it's done so I just have to deal with my confusion, LOL).  So we have a holiday tomorrow for Good Friday, Saturday and Sunday being Easter, Monday a holiday for ANZAC day and holiday on Tuesday for Easter Monday.  A 5 day long weekend, where shops are closed, no work is done, it is all about spending time with family and friends.... Eating.... Entertaining!

So Easter.... Chocolate, chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, Lindt Bunnies, Lindt Eggs, Lindt Chocolate Carrots, Cadbury, caramel filled eggs, creme eggs the list goes on.  Easter is torture for a chocoholic dieter!

Hot Cross Buns and now to top it off, the bakeries are now making chocolate hot cross buns.

So good luck all other dieters over this holiday period.  It's going to be a tough one that's for sure!

Easter Bunny.  My son always leaves a few eggs out for Easter Bunny!  I know I know, I don't have to eat them, but I don't feel right about throwing them out.  Maybe this year I will hide the eggs that he gives to the Easter Bunny.  Such a difficult holiday this Easter!

Thanks for sharing my journey....

Off The Bandwagon!

Well it has been a while since I posted last and I am ashamed to admit that my dieting has not been going well.

I have been away on vacation and whist at times I was very good, having home made salad rolls for lunch or dinner, there were times that I did indulge in certain naughty items.  Pizza, Muffins and more.  I will post photos later of my naughtiness.

Anyway I just wanted to check in and say Hi to everyone.  I did do one positive thing when away.  There was a special at a local gym for $29 for 6 weeks.  Yes it was just a ploy for them to try and get you to sign up for longer but it was still a great deal.  Other friends signed up too so there will be a few of us going.  Next week that starts so I will keep you filled in on how it goes.

Thanks for sharing my journey

A New Me

Well I haven't been able to weigh in for the last couple of weeks.  My scales ran out of batteries.  I know, all I have to do is get new batteries, but it's something that I keep thinking.. "Oh I'll do that today" and next thing the day is over and I think "I'll do that tomorrow".  This weekend I will find a screwdriver (the battery panel is screwed closed) and will change the batteries.  They have never run out of batteries before, so I don't even know what size batteries it takes.  I know I have lost weight though, my clothes, particularly my shorts/jeans etc are looser which is exciting.

Today was an exciting day though.  I have had really long hair for so long.  It was half to 3/4's of the way down my back and has been like that for years.  Today I felt like a change.  I guess it's a step in the right direction to a new me with my new healthier ways.   I left the hairdresser today with a bob and a short bob.   When I picked my son up from school, I was waiting there and he didn't recognise me, LOL.  Anyway I love my new hairdo.

I have to tell all of you about this thing I went to last weekend.  By thing I mean seminar, talk, not sure what it was, but it was awesome and I got so much out of it and it is helping me on my weight loss journey and in a big way.  When I have more time on the weekend I will sit down and tell all of you all about it.

Thanks for sharing my journey...

My New Favourite Breakfast

Since starting back on Weight Watchers and needing to lose weight I went looking for a healthy new breakfast cereal.  It's low in fat and full of fibre and low in WW points, which is fabulous and it's yummy.

Here is my new cereal

I have been having that with some low fat milk and banana and it is delicious. I'm going to look like that girl in banner in no time, LOL (in my dreams, but hey, I need to be positive)

Thanks for sharing my journey.