I’ve modified the sidebar a bit, and we have a “regular” blogroll now. I’d like to link to members pages, websites, whatever you’ve got on the web. Members only, please!

If your link isn’t there, leave it here in comments and I’ll get it added to the blogroll.

Grazie!

Do you find yourself eating the same old meals over and over because you can’t figure out what else to make — quickly? Or ordering takeout more often than you (or your wallet) would like? Shopping for the right foods can get you out of this rut. Check out our list of pantry staples, then try the 13 quick meal ideas that follow. The most you’ll have to do is boil water!

Smart Shopping List

• Whole-grain breads and whole-wheat pita; whole grains (including whole-wheat couscous), whole-wheat tortillas; prepared pizza crust (e.g., Boboli).
• Canned beans and chickpeas.
• Canned tomatoes; jarred tomato sauce.
• Vegetables (fresh, canned, jarred): red and green lettuce, tomatoes, celery, bell peppers, watercress, red onion, garlic, shredded coleslaw mix, jarred beets, roasted red peppers, pickled jalapeños and canned water chestnuts.
• Fruit (fresh or frozen/canned in its own juice), including lemons and limes.
• Pre-cooked chicken, turkey breast, roast beef and pork tenderloin.
• Canned salmon and tuna.
• Reduced-fat or fat-free cheese, including Parmesan, Swiss and blue cheese, and fat-free sour cream.
• Dried fruit.
• Nuts, including almonds and walnuts.
• Fresh herbs, including cilantro.
• Dried herbs/spices: oregano, thyme, curry, chili powder, cumin.
• Fat-free mayonnaise.
• Mango chutney.
• Prepared salsa.
• Gourmet mustard.
• Barbecue sauce.
• Hoisin sauce.
• Tahini (sesame-seed paste).
• Light coconut milk.
• Baked corn chips (e.g., Baked Tostitos).

13 Quick Dishes
Now that you have your pantry stocked, here are just a few of the delicious dishes you can toss together — no recipe required!

Chicken Salad: Combine pre-cooked chicken breast, diced roasted red peppers, fat-free mayonnaise and gourmet mustard; spoon mixture into a whole-wheat pita.

Hummus: Purée together chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice; serve with baked corn chips or whole-wheat pita wedges.

Tomato Pie: Top prepared pizza crust with garden-style pasta sauce, reduced-fat Parmesan cheese and oregano.

Royal Rueben: Make coleslaw (combine shredded cabbage/carrot mix and fat-free mayo); place slaw on whole-grain bread; top with lean roast beef and reduced-fat Swiss cheese.

Spicy Salmon: Combine canned salmon, diced pickled jalapeños, gourmet mustard and fat-free mayo.

Asian Chicken: Coat cubed, pre-cooked chicken breast with hoisin sauce; toss with water chestnuts and chopped celery.

Chicken Fajitas: Top whole-wheat tortillas with slices of pre-cooked chicken breast, green bell peppers and red onion; serve with fat-free sour cream and salsa.

Moroccan Couscous: Add boiling water to whole-wheat couscous; let stand 5 minutes. Add chopped mixed dried fruit, ground cumin and sliced almonds.

Turkey Wrap: Spread gourmet mustard on a whole-wheat tortilla; top with smoked turkey breast, reduced-fat cheese, shredded lettuce and sliced tomato; roll up.

Mexican Beans: Combine three-bean varieties (black, white, pink), canned tomatoes, diced yellow bell pepper, chopped fresh cilantro and chili powder.

Chicken-Chutney Sandwich: Spread chutney on whole-grain bread; top with slices of pre-cooked chicken breast and red lettuce.

Thai Fruit: Combine fresh and/or canned fruit (such as pineapple, mango, melon, grapes, papaya), sliced almonds and light coconut milk.

Barbecued Pulled Pork: Combine shredded, cooked pork and barbecue sauce; serve on whole-grain bread.

credit: Weight Watchers Online

Editor’s Note: My apologies to Jack and the Beanstalk, Alice In Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella and The Wizard of Oz , for stealing plot lines!

Finally the scale is moving…..I thought maybe the gravitional pull of the earth had increased or something really funky in the universe was wacky…..(it certainly couldn’t be ME)

What a thrill to see progress!

Yes, I’ve been here before but seems like it is an elusive dream. Who knew the climb up the bean stalk would be so challenging or that the giant that lives here would be so daunting? In the cartoons he looks “kind of cute” for a huge fat man.

I live in Two-terville ……The land of giants where people are 200 plus pounds. We command a great deal of space and I am a full time resident. I’ve lived here most of my adult life. At one time I might have even considered running for mayor! Life is comfortable here…..All the chairs are oversized, there’s a refrigerator and TV close by, a recliner and the remote control are all within reach, and if nothing is on TV there’s always the internet. In Two-terville no one asks you if you’d like to supersize that?….They do it automatically. No one stares at you, gawks, or snickers behind your back. It’s a safe environment. Life is slow moving like most of our residents.

We tell ourselves that “everybody loves a jolly fat person”. So we tell jokes on ourselves, hoping people will laugh with us instead of at us. We mask our pain behind “a great sense of humor” but it’s always there. I read somewhere that “humor is pain turned inward!” (but I digress….)

I really want to live in One-derland, the land of people that are 100 plus pounds. I hear it’s a great place to live, that people there are much more active and actually “have a life” rather than watching others vicariously. I also heard that the clothes are cuter!

I keep looking for Alice or the White Rabbit to follow, but they seem to be running down other rabbit holes right now. I haven’t found the shrinking elixir yet so there is no way that I’ll ever fit through the hole. So like my roly poly friend Winnie the Pooh I feel stuck between two worlds ……One half in Rabbit’s front door and the other half in the outside world.

The honey that got me here was sweet, the liberty to move around in the outside world is even sweeter. I have decided that “wishing” is not going to get me where I want to be. I’ve been following the bread-crumb trail far too long that leads to the Gingerbread House. I’m looking for a fairy Godmother who will wave her “magic wand” and turn me into a beautiful princess instead of the ugly pumpkin shell I inhabit now.

One-derland lies off in the distance. So like most travelers, I’ll gather up the brochures, start saving my resources, pack my bags and apply for a passport. The map says this is the right road even though there aren’t any yellow bricks to follow. I’m sure there will be some detours on the trail, some unexpected breakdowns, and miles and miles of the same scenery but I think I’m finally ready to start the journey.

to everyone who commented on my last post.   I appreciate it.  I am not giving up on weight loss, it’s to important to me and health to do that.  I am just not working as hard on it as I should.  I have some other stuff going on, nothing bad, just stuff, and it’s stressing me a bit and causing some not good choices.   But I have had a box of mallowmars in my fridge for 2 days untouched.  go me.

I will be around, just not as often.  Hopefully, when things calm down, I can start paying more attention.     Thanks again for the support.  It feels good to know you all seem to care for me, someone who is basically a stranger.