I know what you are...you're a kohlrabi !!!

Sometime late yesterday afternoon, after library run, grocery shopping and cutting up my weight in produce, it occurred to me that I could save a lot of time and money by simply giving up the idea of living in a suburban community and moving to a truck farm field. Then when it came to be mealtime, all I would have to do is point to the field growing around us and say "start chewing". No need to run to the store, no need to wash it and cut it up so it fits in the fridge, no dishes to wash...sweet ! Sadly, I don't think that idea will fly with the troops though.

I do veggie prep on Saturdays to save time during the week, AND to be able to fit everything in our fridge. By the time you buy cottage cheese, yogurt and eggs and then carrots , celery and peppers, things get a little crowded. Where do I fit in all this cabbage, leeks, kohlrabi, kale, chard and so forth ?? So I wash and cut the greens( if you store in a burped zip lock they keep well), do the same with the broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, carrots, celery and other fancy stuff. I make some salads as well, like cole slaw or grain salads if they are on the menu. I buy meats in large packs and portion them out myself to freeze ( my Home Butchering crafts), cook beans if needed and portion out other things to single serving sizes. The guys appreciate it, it makes life run smoothly, and while it sounds boring , I cannot stand the "excitement " that happens if I neglect to do these things. It seems "The Club" I hang at on Saturdays is Food Club and I party with produce

So we headed off to the Saturday Safari, nourished by a bowl of blueberry, apple, date, goji berry oats
I have really come to love oatmeal with a ton of fruit in it ! No need for anything else in it- the fruit makes it sweet and interesting enough .

Lunch this day instead of our usual Saturday at the store deli was had at home. Reason being you can get better nutrition this way for less money. We had a turkey pastrami and provalone sandwich on rye with leftover pasta and roast veggies, the end of the carrots and celery from last week and an apple. I found this great Latvian Rye bread with 4 grams of fiber, sold in half loaf quantities. For the three of us, a half loaf is perfect ! The Latvian rye was wonderful- almost like a German pumpernickel in taste and texture.

Dinner was our Saturday favorite- roast veggie pizza on high fiber wraps and "tropical" fruit salad- pineapple, papaya, banana, mango and coconut on a bed of romaine and watercress.I cannot believe how appealing the combo of fresh fruit salad on greens is. Maybe it is just me , but eating it makes me feel like I am really getting the nutrition I need. My son INHALES these fruit and green combos, almost to the point of licking the bowl when he is done. It's so funny !

We have a tradition here ( and have done this every week since we began this weight loss journey over 2 years ago) of having a dessert on Saturday. In the past it has been something like ice cream or a cake that I make, but over the last 3 weeks we have opted to buy an individual pastry at the bakery. It seems decadent, but it is a controlled portion and a great degree of satisfaction. The guys usually get something with a lot of whipped cream, but I stick with a good frosted walnut brownie. Something about a good dense brownie with nuts makes you feel like you have really had a treat. Whipped cream things make me feel like I have just eaten a big mouthful of air. So we grabbed our desserts and watched Monsters vs Aliens on cable. We are so current with our movie viewing ! It was cute, and that brought up the decision to rent New Moon on pay per view next week. I am not a fan of the whole Twilight saga, and I think it is my age. Vampires will always be pasty faced old dudes with bad accents who kill you- not emo teens who you fall in love with. However, my son has become fascinated with it, and i think the movies can serve as a good springboard for discussions on what makes a healthy relationship and what does not . In any case, one member of this household is really looking forward to this movie. Perhaps I could use the incredible speed and strength of vampires thing as a kind of inspiration for our workouts this week ?