I'm experimenting with "collective gasp....." cooking!! and liking it

You know what? For a woman who proclaims to not like cooking, I am outdoing myself lately.

My whole family seems to be going through the banding experience with me - at least food wise. Remember I mentioned that MOTH and Number 1 son decided to hit the optifast trail when I was at that stage? Well, while they didn't last long on it, there's been a definite shift in our eating habits since then. This is all good news - actually it's brilliant news - but have you ever noticed just how hard it is to fill your cupboards with only good stuff? So much of our food is processed and when you reach for the crackers or muesli bars or anything like that, you are getting a good dose of not so healthy fats and high salt etc as well. I have started to slowly weed that kind of stuff out of the cupboards. The kids look in the pantry and complain there is not much in there to eat. They just have to look harder I think. If they go to the fridge they will find a huge array of fruit - nice stuff too, not just apples and oranges, and there are low fat yogurts and diet desserts, lean meats and low(er) fat cheeses. The pantry still has some processed stuff sitting in it, I can't deprive them completely, but I notice when shopping I really have to stop and think what I can buy that sticks to the guidelines I have set for myself... e.g. good healthy wholesome food.

As I write this, Mason is busy cooking up a storm in the kitchen. While shopping yesterday MOTH and I picked up a Norri roll kit for him. He's bored while recuperating and it's something he's wanted to try out for the longest time. It has the seaweed, the rolling mat, rice and various bits and pieces to make up three rolls which you then cut into six pieces each .... lol like that's going to last long in this house with all these boys!! I wish!!

Kiss the grumpy cook. He's made a nice old mess!

He's at the stage now where he's adding the filling and I can hear him chopping slivers of carrots and Lebanese cucumbers and doing a little mild swearing (he can't get them thin enough lol but he's trying). He's making tuna and salmon (not in the same roll) so I am curious as to how he will go. No doubt we will all have to taste test later on in the day. EXTRA NOTE: I have just gone into the kitchen and holy heck... what a mess lol. There's super sticky rice from A to Z and crap everywhere. Jeeeeeez ... he better get cracking on the cleaning!

The finished product. They taste better than they look lol. Not bad for a first attempt.

As for me this week I have cooked cannelloni (made with A grade minced beef inside), I cooked a

spinach meal on Monday (wilted the spinach leaves and then added mushies, diced capsicum, some pine nuts and stock) and served it with spiced chicken (just shook the spice on and cook the skinless breast pieces in the non stick pan with spray oil). Every day this week (and some of last) I have been playing around with food, and I have to say, I'm damn pleased with myself. I'm cooking really healthy meals. Go me!! Wonders will never cease.

On another note I want to mention that I love Portia. She is the coolest chick in the world. I hopped on the scales this morning (broke my own rule lol) because I felt quite light when I woke up. I have lost 14.1 kilos to date - but let's call it an even 14 - and now it's gone I feel frigging fantastic!!

I bound out of bed instead of dragging myself and I have been taking extra care of myself. I wash and dry my hair every day, I paint my toenails (I can do this way easy now, no breathers needed) and my fingernails and I wear makeup almost every day. Just a splash, nothing much but enough to make me feel good about myself. Loving life right now!!

Now I'm aware of what I can and can't have with mushies (I mean REALLY aware!! lol) I am sticking to it like glue. I feel a bit annoyed with my dietitian as I literally got zero help from her and I have one sheet of do's and dont's. So yesterday I went on an Aussie lap band site and a girl in there had posted a whole array of stuff you can eat while at this stage. I printed it out and it now sits inside my folder where I can peruse when I'm in need of something different. Tonight I'm making fish casserole. It sounds a little iffy, but should be ok. I'm doing it in the slow cooker ... I have since figured out you can cook almost anything in this little gem... (I even did the cannelloni in it last night and it turned out a treat. My oven went Kaput about 6 weeks ago so I have had to be creative lol) The casserole is made with cream and canned tomato's and a little curry so I will let you know how it goes.

I have just under two weeks to go till my first fill. Two weeks as of yesterday actually. I'm quite looking forward to it. While my weight hasn't exactly stalled during this mushie stage it has slowed quite a lot, so I'm looking forward to kicking my weight loss in the butt again and getting it moving forward a little faster. I find I'm still easily sticking to just three meals a day with mostly no snacking in between so I'm happy about that. And my portions are all a cup or under. This morning I got my little bowl out for breakfast and made up a cup of oats for porridge. I could only eat about a half a cup... I was full after that small amount and because I was sticking to the 20 minute rule of eating, I threw the rest away. I do have to chew these a bit though, as I haven't been able to find a porridge that's really fine. I guess the roughage is good for me. Last nights meal I only got down a third of a cup too (but later I managed a creme caramel.. or should that be only two thirds after the kids all had a spoon to taste too lol)

I got Mason to take a few pics of me this morning. I was in a silly mood (and feeling so great) that I put on my LBD that I haven't worn .... well, for bloody years. It fits again! Yay!! I then put on my pretty high heels, some makeup and he took some happy snaps.......(and there's a story about these shoes. I tried these little beauty's on about a month before I went in for my banding op. They have a strap that crosses behind the ankle and you slip a small velcro tab through the buckle and do them up. At least I had tried. My right ankle was so fat... this one is normally a little bigger anyway from when I broke my ankle as a kid.... and I could only do the velcro up by the thinnest strip. I just couldn't get it to meet the way it should. The other ankle wasn't much better and though I got it done up, it was damn tight! They felt crap and I teetered on them as if I was drunk. This morning?? They slipped on, they did up completely the way they were supposed to AND I could slip a finger between the strap and my ankle. Whaaahooooooooo) Below are the pics I took. I still look elchubbo but that said, I look one hundred percent compared to this time last month lol And I think my face has lost more weight. Also, I'm now wearing my hair back again, something I haven't done for years and years!!

Strike a pose.....

My hair from the back... kinda cute.

Okay on to my eating for the last few days (boring for the rest of you but intended for anyone who like me wondered what you should and shouldn't eat at this stage of the game). So voila........

MUSHIES

Day 18:

Breakfast: One coffee, One weetbix with tblsn honey, 1/2 cup of milk

Lunch: 250 grms tinned spaghetti, a half hour later a coffee - hilo milk no sugar

Dinner: 1 cup mashed potato and pumpkin cooked in the microwave, 1 tblsn lite sour cream and pinch of lite cheese

3/4 cup of diet dessert chocolate mousse

Coffee around 9ishpm

Day 19:

Breakfast: Coffee and an hour later weetbix with milk and tspn raw sugar

Lunch: (on the run...sigh...I'm hopeless) One 250 ml carton of lite iced drink

Dinner: One cup of instant potato mash with tuna mixed in, 2 Werther lollies and a coffee. Almost one creme caramel. Niiiice!!

Well, thats me gone. I have to go get this casserole on or we won't have dinner. Seeya xx