What's on your Menu Today (Thursday) RNYers?

Morning all!  Sooooooooooo cold here today!!! Texas is not one for cold like some of you have but it was, no lie, 36 degrees this morning! Akkk! I had to leave the house super early to take my 15 year old to school for a theater trip.  The sun was not up and it felt like the surface of the moon...the dark side...cold. After I got him off to his adventure I went back to the house, woke the Guy, and got back into bed, fully dressed. Why? Because...

QOTD: I have a heated blanket!  It is the best thing in the whole wide world. Better than wet puppy noses and giggling babies!  I love it so much.  I am cold all the time and it is worse at night.  The heated blanket is my BFF. Prior to WLS I had sleep apnea and wore a CPAP.  I slept on my side with tons of pillows to hug.  Looking back I see that I was sort of bracing the various parts of my body that were really too heavy for my back to comfortably support.  Since losing weight I sleep any old way.  No more CPAP and no more pillows everywhere.  Recently post having my skin/boob surgery I have been sleeping on my back because the new 'Girls' are not up to the challenge of laying on my side.  They are still sore and the pressure is no bueno. I usually am a nakkee sleeper but since this recent surgery I was wearing compression and now just a compression bra.  Wheee!

Excited about our Friday PHOTO theme but now I have to figure out photos I actually like of myself.  Man it is hard sometimes to simply like my appearance. Work in progress right?

Menu: B: Moondrop grapes (yum) and Light & Fit Greek Toasted Coconut; L: Lean brisket and BBQ sauce; D: Going to try to make lasagna! I haven't tried in years and years. My Guy loves it but all the kids hate it.  Since the only kiddo left at home is on a trip until Sat going to give it a try. Will be Googling WLS friendly versions. Suggestions? S: Mozzarella knot and/or mandarin orange

Accountability: Holding at 123, went from 123.2 to 123.8 which is good.  I'm really not wanting to lose anymore.  I feel like a Dia de Los Muertos decoration already.

Just want to say I love you guys.  As was said today earlier, I am so thankful for this support in my world. It makes all the difference.

~E

Moondrop grapes...what are those?

The best grapes EVA

http://www.grapery.biz/index.php/grapes/moon-drops

I will be checking Sprouts for these!!!

my go to lasagna (i make two now- one with zuchinni noodles one with regular) I add small curd cottage cheese and ricotta and make my own sauce to control the sugar. I like putting all the spices plus cumin in my sauce.

yumm- we are having leftover lasagna for dinner tonight!

kids who hate *lasagna*??  Wow!

The struggle is SO real! The kids also don't like "meat with bones" or "soup" or "anything fish related" or "veggies not from a can...eww"

It is crazy making in my house to figure out anything to cook. This is perhaps the one good thing about them all getting older and moving out one after the other. With only one left at home full time, there are fewer "ewws" to work around.

~E

You are speaking my language!  My boyfriend's 3 kids are so. insanely. picky.  I just can't bring myself to serve things they hate, so I make all of these special modifications.  Like, when I make spaghetti with meatballs, one kid has to have butter and parmesan, one has just plain tomato sauce (NO CHUNKS) and one has the full on meat sauce.  WTF.  

And the kid who loves the meat sauce on noodles, well naturally he hates lasagna.  I mean, who hates lasagna.  CHEESE IS DELICIOUS.

Vegetables...sigh.  They eat corn.  Which I don't even think is a vegetable.  And if I get iceberg lettuce, they will eat that with a ton of dressing on top LOL.

One amazing thing I have to compliment my Guy on...when he and I got married I had these four rotten little kiddos already.  Poor man was stunned by the sheer magnitude of LIFE swirling around me and my home.  He adapted to many many things but one rule he made was this:

"Your mother is NOT a short order cook. One meal will be made, if you don't like it that is fine.  You may have a peanut butter sandwich.  But no jelly...jelly is for fun!"

Lol To this day the family joke is "jelly is for fun" anytime anyone is complaining about food. 

So...while I constantly fret trying to create the mythical meal that everyone likes...I only get one shot at it.  No edits for specials. It actually has helped them be more willing to try different things. Even though it kind of makes me nuts it saves me time and money because trying to make six versions is neither easy nor cheap.

Also...peanut butter is always an option. 

~E

LOL!  Actually their dad (my boyfriend) is constantly on me to not be a short order cook.  He thinks if they are hungry enough, they will eat what I put in front of them.  But I just adore them and so I do special things for them that don't take a ton of time.  A typical lunch for us is ham and cheese and mayo (no crust) for the 6 year old, ham and turkey and cheese and extra mayo for the 10 year old, and ham and cheese no no no mayo for the 14 year old.  So I'm not making multiple meals, as much as "tailoring" the meals.  

Now if I served macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets for every meal, there would be no complaints at all!