What's On Your Thursday Menu, RNYers?

Morning everyone!

I would definitely check out a protein shake like premier protein.  Its a great quick way to get a TON of protein with very little calories.  I realize you are burned out on the eggs.  Have you tried switching up how you make them?  And I double down on tuna packs all the time.  Starkist has these pouches with with flavors, very little water so no nasty draining, and they are usually 90 to 100 cals.  i LOVE them, and with coupons and sales I usually get them for free or really cheap.  I think I have over 50 packs in the pantry right now.  Lots of options and flavors.  check them out.

I have really amped up my workouts and I am feeling it hard today, but still pushing through and looking forward to my walk and row today.  It feels so good to be working out again and to have energy.  It motivates me to do better.  But still...the soreness is hard.  lol 

My husband had to work till 2am last night.  he has to do it again tonight.  I felt so bad for him getting so little sleep last night.  He was up early by 630 this morning.  And night time making dinner together and rubbing each other's feet is a major part of our ritual.  it sucks that we missed that yesterday and will again tonight.  I suffer from PTSD and agoraphobia, and he is my safety person, so when I don't have a lot of time with him I tend to get anxious and self soothe with food.  So I am working really hard on NOT falling into that cycle while this work-push he has is going on.  I will get through it!  :)

Time since surgery: 8 weeks

B: premier protein shake

S1: LC wedge

L: pizza omelette (egg beaters, pepperoni, mozz cheese, diced tomato)

S2: LC wedge

D: smoked turkey breast deli meat

TOTALS -  Cals: 468  Protein: 60  Carbs: 10  Fat: 19  Sugar: 5

Ex: 30 minutes rowing in the afternoon, 1.5 mile walk around our lake in the evening

Water goal: 128 ounces (started)   Vitamins: patches

50 tuna packets?!  LOL 

Don't get me wrong, I love eggs.  I scramble, hard boil, poach...and am now looking really hard at your pizza omelette.  That looks so good!

I'm a couponer.  If I can get something for free, or for pennies, and we use it a lot, I'm gonna get a lot of them.  LOL  We also live in the land of hurricanes, and I like to have a few weeks of food that will not go bad for a while available in case we get flooded (like we did last week) or if power is knocked out and is not back for a few weeks.  Its a bit of a fun challenge for me too.  My best shopping trip was over $700 in groceries, and I got back $13 and a $50 gas card.  LOL  My publix has a challenge for the best coupon trip.  That still didn't beat it out.  Oh, and I have Worcestershire and hot sauces for days!  But we use it a lot.

That omelette is one of my favorites.  I chop up the pepperoni, and press a lot of the oil off of it so that they sprinkle easier and it reduces the calories.  I use a string cheese stick for the mozz so it doesn't all ooze out of the omelette.  Its so quick and really yummy.  you can add some diced tomato for the sauce flavor, but sometimes I will just run a line of marinara down the middle of it.  (I use Rao's sensitive formula marinara.  Its the only jarred marinara I have found with no added sugar and really really low carbs.)

Do you use a coupon site/forum to figure out these deals? I've always wanted to try couponing and getting paid to get an item vs. paying for an item!! You'll have to share your secrets!

http://www.addictedtosaving.com/

It was the first coupon page i ever went to for matchups, and I LOVE it.  I very rarely buy coupons.  I go with the concept of "buy 2 papers for every 1 person in your household".  However, we just moved and our new Publix only allows 8 deals per household per week, so I now only buy 8 papers.  The sunday paper is $1.  So I have to save $8 to make it work, which is very easy. 

Publix has BOGOs each week.  They allow you to use coupons on both items, so basically if there is a BOGO item you are able to double the coupon on the item you are paying for, and the other one is free.  Now here is the kicker.  They also allow you to use a competitor store coupon along with the manufacturer coupon.  So say you need Colgate toothpaste.  Basic tube of colgate is about $2.50.  It goes on BOGO so the price is 1.25.  You have a $.50 coupon from the manufacturer and a $1.00 coupon from Target.  That means for every tube of toothpaste that costs $1.25 you have coupons that pay for it plus give you an overage of $.25.  Limited to 8 deals, that means I have an overage of $2 that I can have put on a gift card.  I then use my overages for things that don't usually have coupons from a manufacturer, but they do from the store.  So when publix puts their $2-$5 coupons for dairy, produce, or meat/seafood dept, I use those coupons coupled with gift cards and spend very little on those.

It takes a while to build up a stock at home.  It took me a year to where each week I was not shopping for necessities, I was shopping for deals.  I only spent money on perishables.  Basically milk and eggs.  But now, my grocery budget each month is about $100 total.  And that is for a family of 5 plus stuff I stock up on for my in laws and our church.  Each month I prepare as many shoeboxes with toiletries in them as possible.  I no longer pay for toothpaste, deodorant, razors, most over the counter meds, sundown vitamins, soap, shampoo and conditioner, pasta, tyson chicken products, hot sauce and other spices for cooking, and a few other things.  

I am always impressed by couponers! It is really a full time job or a part time job, at the very least. We are supposed to be getting Publix stores soon in NC.  

I use to coupon to a certain extent but then just got pulled in other directions.

I buy my papers on Sunday and put them aside.  The deals at Publix start every thursday, so I spend about 2 hours in Wednesday with the sneak peek from the website I gave seeing what the deals are, and I make my list.  Thursday or Friday I head to the store and shop, which can take about 2 hours for a regular big trip.  But I have spent up to 4 hours in a store if I have a lot of shopping to do.  This is usually before halloween, thanksgiving, christmas and the 4th of july.  Those are the major grocery holidays.

Shopping.  Oh how I love, love, LOVE shopping!  I really want to go today, but am trying to hold off until the weekend.  I don't need to shop.  I just want to.  I could use some new bras, though.  I'm on my last hook, and even that is getting a little big.  I am very envious of your afternoon, AV.  I eat a ton of eggs, and thank goodness, am feeling no burnout.  They are my go-to, mainstay.  Don't know what I would do without them.

My menu today is sort of a mess, and is super boring!  I really have to go grocery shopping.

B:  boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat

S:  Moon Cheese

L:  Grilled Salmon and some sort of veggie (work lunch)

S:  Light string cheese

D:  Chicken breast, grilled asparagus

S:  Cottage cheese

W/V: In process

E:  Pilates!

Totals:  Calories 623, Carbs 12, Fat 31, Protein 96, Sugar 4

Shopping day!!! Yay! I am going shopping too but with one of my homeless guys who is moving into transitional housing so he needs to set up house for cheap... so we are off to WallyWorld this evening!!! I am really looking forward to this... he is a good guy, just needs to be "mothered" for a bit! These guys are so self reliant, but also so lonely and this one got to me because he reminds me of my son. I am such a pushover... but who cares... it's gonna be fun. 

Eggs... i really like eggs but have found that they don't really sit well, except hb whites, since surgery. I keep trying, though. I think my main problem is that I continue to shovel food into my mouth like pre-surgery. I think I am going to go back to a baby spoon and fork so I can control this. This has been the hardest thing about surgery for me to conquer!

My menu today:

B: Premier Protein chocolate shake and a couple sips of my hot tea (forgot to bring it to work)

L: 2 oz beef roast with gravy, 1.5 oz of baby dill pickles (my husband said I was not allowed to bring any more pickles into the house until I eat what is in the fridge... I forget I have them and buy more.)

D: McDonald's Bacon Ranch Grilled Chicken Salad, will prob only eat 1/2.

S: Throughout the day and evening: 3/4 oz sweet and spicy beef jerky, 1 Borden's mozz string cheese, Light and Fit strawberry banana yogurt, 1 cup FairLife reduced fat chocolate milk). I am trying to eat more snacks because I am finding that I eat too fast at meal time and I think it is because my blood sugar is low. I am gonna try it and see.

Totals: Calories - 788, Protein - 101 (take that, hair), Carbs - 43, Sugars - 30, Fats - 24

Vits/Water - started.  Exercise today, will be walking the Super Wal Mart! (I used to hate shopping but am finding it more tolerable)

Everyone have a great day!! 

I still have problems slowing down... especially food that isn' eaten with a fork.  I wolfed down my breakfast sandwich this morning and thought I was going to die for 15 min.  I always have to remind myself to SLOW DOWN!!  It will still be there, no one is going to eat my food :)