Joba Rules

I'm sitting here watching Joba Chamberlain's first ML at bat versus the Astros and I decided to blog a bit. Weight's still hovering around 144.8. Less than 5 pounds to go! I'm getting excited about the Delaware vacation, I really had a blast last time. I'm going to make pulled pork in the slow cooker when I'm down there; I make my own BBQ sauce (LC, of course), which really is delish. I'll post the recipe on here sometime soon . . .

Jake and I went to Joba's major league starting debut; we had tickets through our partial season plan and then got the ok from my doc to go. We traded in our regular seat tickets for wheelchair accessible seating and were right behind home plate, under the overhang. It was really nice, though Joba didn't pitch too well. We also toured Monument Park (first time for both of us), and were allowed to cut in line because I was in the chair. The Yankees always do a great job of making you feel welcome in the stadium, but this time they really went above and beyond. Jake has some pictures that I'll post as soon as he puts them up.

Wanted to also share 2 more recipes with you. I've made the first one many times and once you get past the ick factor of pork rinds, you'll find they're quite fabulous.

The other recipe I'm dying to try and may make on Sunday for me and my dad (Father's Day!!), along with Butter Lime Tilapia, spinach, and a carb for him (rice pilaf maybe?).

Wonderful chicken fingers-strips

boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
3-4 bags of pork rinds
1/3 cup Parm cheese (optional)
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
about 1/2 cup mayonnaise

-Preheat the oven to 425f
-Crush the pork rinds in a food processor. You'll need to work in batches to get them nice and ground up. Mix the pork rind crumbs with the seasoning and spread out on a plate.
-Put the mayonnaise on a second plate
-Wash and pat dry the chicken. Lightly coat it with the mayonnaise and then roll in the pork rinds until well coated.
-Bake on a oiled (Pam) coated cookie sheet for about 25 minutes, or until they are fully cooked.

Practically carb free!!



3-MINUTE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE #2
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons cocoa
Tiny pinch salt, optional
1 egg
1 tablespoon Da Vinci sugar free syrup, vanilla flavor
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1 tablespoon heavy cream

In a small microwaveable bowl microwave the butter for about 15-20 seconds on HIGH until completely melted. Whisk in the cocoa and salt until smooth. Whisk in the egg until well blended then whisk in the remaining ingredients until you have a smooth batter. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute. Cool completely or serve slightly warm.

Makes 1 serving
Can be frozen

With granular Splenda:
Per Serving: 267 Calories; 23g Fat; 9g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 7g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per Serving: 253 Calories; 23g Fat; 9g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

UPDATE: I remember reading on a forum a while back that someone had a problem when they tried this method for making the cake. Well, the same thing happened to me today but I found a solution. What happened was that the batter didn't come together properly. It looked like milk with chocolate bits floating in it no matter how much I whisked it. The solution is to microwave it on HIGH power for about 10 seconds. You don't want to cook the mixture, just heat it up slightly. Now it should whisk together and look like brownie batter. I think what happened was that the cold ingredients caused the butter and cocoa to harden up and separate. Briefly heating everything helped blend them together. I think that the trick to preventing this is to make sure to thoroughly melt the butter and mix everything right away while the butter is still hot.

Time . . .

Well, a long time has passed since my last blog. I've finished my 2nd year of grad school and am now taking the first of three summer classes toward my MSW. I'm hoping that next year my internship at the Bruce Street School for the Deaf will work out; it will give me a chance to work with children and families, as well as help me get my foot in the door should I decide to go into school social work.

Jake and I celebrated our one year anniversary last month; he surprised me by taking me out for a fancy meal, giving me a strand of lovely pearls, and buying tickets for a Yankees/Mets game on the actual day of our anniversary. It was very generous and quite overwhelming. I got him a TomTom GPS system and a boxed set of "Blue Planet." Seems a little pale in comparison, doesn't it?

I had what I hope is the last of my reconstructive surgeries on my burn scar last month as well. I'm healing well and the scar looks better than it ever has. I've still got some stitches in, so I have to continue to take it easy. Let me tell you, laying around and staying off your feet gets old mighty quick. I should get the last of my stitches out on Monday, and then I can work on rebuilding my stamina and strength, etc.

I hit another new low on the scale today: 145.4. That means I'm officially 4.6 pounds from my 40 pound goal set last July 1st. Crazy. I wonder if I'll make my goal in time for my one year anniversary of Atkins? I got my dear friend Alva started on Atkins as well and she's already lost 10 pounds and is feeling good. That makes me happy.

Well, that's about it for now. I just found a new blog chock-full of LC recipes, so I'm itching to try them out and repost on here if they're good. Now if only I were allowed to drive to the store . . .

Ali

Oh yeah

And last night on the ferry there was a guy with a Yankees' bishop's hat on that said "Yankees" on front, and on the back: "Benedict 16." It was really funny. Apparently there was some way to get them because as we were leaving the game, there was another group of guys wearing the same hat. The best was when one of them turned around to mock Red Sox fans, yelling "The Pope hates the Red Sox." LOL

A Cold NY Night

It was a very cold night, but there was nowhere better to be than in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium watching the Yankees and Red Sox battle it out for the first time in NY this season. It was such a thrilling game, with the Sox taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st, and then the Yankees responding with back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the 1st, making it 1-3, New York. The score bounced back and forth with the two teams fighting mightily for the lead. Final score was 9-15 Yanks. The game lasted over four hours. And it was cold. That being said, note this: I love baseball!!!

Joba'ss still out on bereavement leave, which means we didn't see him pitch again today (*sadness*). The rumor mill says that Harlan's doing a little better, so that's good news. The pen seems weird (and a lot weaker) in his absence.

Can I just say now that Boston fans are horrid people? Wow, what idiots. We had a row of 8 "plastics" sit in front of us (Mean Girls reference), 7 of whom were obnoxious Boston fans. Half of them apparently were not sporting their natural hair color, and I'm willing to bet most of them had plastic surgery as well. They were obnoxious and got pissy when we cheered for the Yanks (Uh, hello? We're in Yankee Stadium. Get over it.) and even more pissy when we loudly and lustily booed their beloved Sox. Sucks to be a Boston fan.

I saw a shirt today that tickled me pink . . . The front said: "There was no curse . . ." and the back: "Boston just sucked for 86 years." LOL Jake's parents weren't home when I was heading back from Trenton today, so he couldn't wear his "Evil Empire" shirt.

A lot more to blog on, but I'm trying to think of how to word it. Stay tuned.

Anyhoo

So I hit a new low on the scale today. 146.6. Cool. I'm 6.6 pounds from my goal weight. I'm looking forward to settling in to a size though, this not fitting into anything right makes me a little frustrated.

Wong pitched a 2 hitter against the B-Sox yesterday, which made me a happy lady. It would have been a no score game except Bobby Abreu fucked up a catch and allowed a home run. I hate that guy. He makes more money that humanly acceptable, yet he plays with no heart and no guts. Sad.

I made a lemon and herb roasted chicken last night that was tasty, but the bird was the fucking largest one I've ever seen (I think he was on 'roids), so it took forever and a day to cook. I'll try the recipe again, with a smaller bird next time.

Jake and I went for a hike around the Manasquan Reservoir the other day, which was okay. It wasn't much of a hike, more like a gravel road through the woods where occasionally you got a glimpse of the water. I think I like the Cheesequake hiking trails a lot better. Much more rugged and isolated. But my luck for running into people I know in the most random places has continued . . . I ran into Jodie and a friend of hers on the path at the reservoir. Weird. I saw her up above and was like "That looks like Jodie." Sure enough it was. We've been talking about getting together for ages, and voila, there she was.

Jake's still hooked on his Star Wars Wii game, and I'm ready for the baseball game at 4. :o) I love it when the Yanks play Boston. I'm all psyched and ready for the game next Wednesday. I just hope it's a wee bit warmer than it was last time.

That's enough for now . . .
Be well!

More pictures of Lily

Lily's got her tongue sticking out a little bit! She was so sound asleep that I was able to get in really close to take the picture. Unusual.


Think my fish feel intimidated?

Long time.

I realized I haven't posted in a while so I wanted to drop in and say hi. Hi.

Weight's been 147 for a few days in a row now, after hovering at 150 for a while. I'm still losing, which is cool. I'm also offically in between sizes now, which means although I have to get some summery clothes to wear, nothing fits right.

I found out that DVR will "sponsor" me to finish Rutgers and get my MSW, which is wicked cool. They're also going to give me funding for books. Sweet.

I got a lot accomplished yesterday at SOS. I took a client for a referral appointment with an agency that provides supportive services like transportation and housing assistance, etc. That went well. What was funny was that one of the women who was running the intake appointment offered me a job. I wasn't there for me! I gave her my email address and told her to contact me.

It's insanely beautiful out today, and if I didn't have commitments, I'd be sitting on the beach right now. As it is, I'm free all day tomorrow but of course the weather won't cooperate.

Went to the Yankees game on April 2nd and froze my butt off. Holy *%^! was it cold! I am bringing a blankie with me to next week's game on Wednesday versus Boston. I don't know if I can handle freezing like that again. And they lost, which made the torturous temperatures even more bitter.

To celebrate the nice weather, Jake and I are going for a walk around the Manasquan Reservoir tonight. That should be nice.

I found my recipe for Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon dressing. I don't think I've posted it on here, so I will do so now. If I have, here's the recipe again! :o)

Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

Baby spinach
1/2 pound bacon, cut up with kitchen shears
1/2 cup white wine or apple cider vinegar
2-3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Splenda or sugar
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste


1. Fry the cut up bacon until crisp. While bacon is frying, whisk together the other ingredients in a seperate bowl.
2. When bacon is crisp, drain off some of the fat if you wish, but leave some in the pan, as it will serve as the 'oil' in the dressing.
3. If you took the pan off to drain the fat, return pan to range and heat until bacon sizzles again. Remove from heat. Add other ingredients to pan.
4. When it has stopped sizzling, pour hot dressing over baby spinach, allowing it to wilt a little bit.

That's pretty much all that's new here. I'm starting to get excited about the Parkinson's Unity Walk at the end of this month; I'm very close to my personal fundraising goal of $500! I've gotten some donations from unexpected (but welcomed) places.