Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day!!

My day is going to be filled with family, fireworks, and fun...and a BBQ! Hope you have a safe and fun holiday!

Stalled

During the month of June, my weight has fluctuated between 168 and 170. Today, the scale said 169. Four whole weeks I've been on this roller coaster. There are two ways I can look at this: 1) I can get mad and frustrated because I've hit a plateau all the while forgetting that I've lost 40lbs; 2) I can be happy over the fact that I am capable of maintaining my weight - even if it's unintentional. I am happy that I've lost 40lbs and I don't ever want to gain it back. I am glad that I can maintain my weight now because it proves that once I reach my goal weight, I'm capable of maintaining it.

That being said, while I'm happy to have lost 40lbs, I'm not satisfied with staying where I am. So, I've decided to walk one extra day per week. I started out walking three days per week. Then I bumped it up to four days per week. I've been walking four days per week for about 4 months; and while I've slowly increased my walking time, I think my body has gotten used to that. I can easily walk 5 miles each day. Today I actually walked 5.6 miles. So, starting yesterday, I'm going to walk at least 5.25 miles for 5 days per week.

Next, I think it's time to seriously look at the nutritional components of the food I eat. One good thing about Calorie Count is that it has a nutritional analyzer for the food that you log. It lets you know if you're eating too much or not enough of something. The picture to the right shows my nutrition report for Monday. Since I retain water like crazy, it's time to get serious about controlling my sodium intake. I'm not too concerned about calcium or vitamins because I take supplements. Still, it couldn't hurt to increase those by eating more fruits and veggies.

I'll post an updated photo in the Weight Loss Journal later today. Currently, there's no one around to take a picture of me and besides I have to shower after my walk. Hey, maybe it's a good time to clean the shower. Hehehe.

En Garde!

Parents of special needs children often feel as though they are en garde, or on guard as we say in the non-fencing world. I guess one could argue that most parents feel that way at one time or another, but it's different with a special needs child. I don't mean to imply that "nobody knows the troubles I've seen"; certainly parenting entails taking many precautions because that's what parents do. For example, most new parents know that they will need to buy outlet covers and cabinet locks, to remove poisonous plants, to make the pet food inaccessible, to keep baby away from a hot stove, etc.

Most new parents also know that at some point in the not-too-distant future they won't have to be concerned with these things. This is where the parenting road diverges for parents of special needs kids. You see, my youngest son will be 9 years old next month, and I still have to be concerned with those things. In our house, I still need to do all of the above as well as ensure that he doesn't ingest non-food items; use an extra lock on the front door; remove the knobs from the gas stove; ensure that the gate is always shut; keep the car and the garage door locked, as well as a host of other things. He still needs help with bathing and toileting, as well as dressing, eating, and other personal care. It's emotionally and physically exhausting. It's also frustrating. It can also be isolating.

There is no way to convey the sense of being en garde without sounding like I'm whining, so I will close today's post with this: parenting is a tough and tiring job. Most parents look forward to the day when their children leave the nest. For some parents though, the job of parenting a child can continue even when that child has reached adulthood. So, if we look tired, it's because we are. Is it really all that bad? Sometimes it is; usually when I think about what could have been vs. what is. I need to remember to count my blessings even on the days when I don't want to.

But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. Psalm 22:19

BFD - June '11

This month's BFD was a homemade concoction inspired by several recipes and my own creativity (cough).  I had been looking for a recipe for a breakfast pizza. I don't know why, I was just in the mood for pizza; but, since it was time for BFD, I knew it had to be breakfasty. Canadian bacon and pineapple? Too regular-sounding. Hmm, what to do what to do. I came across a few that had sausage and apples as their ingredients. Perfect!

The Dough
This is actually a modified version of the recipe that came with my KitchenAid mixer. For this recipe, I added cinnamon sugar and used a mixture of white flour and whole wheat flour. If you want to use it for regular pizza, cut the sugar down to 1 Tablespoon and omit cinnamon.

1 Tbsp yeast
1 cup warm water + 1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

Combine warm water with 1 tsp sugar. Add yeast and let stand for 5 minutes. Mix together flour, whole wheat flour, 1/4 sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add yeast mixture to flour mixture. Use dough hook on your stand mixer and mix for 8 minutes. Cover, let rise for one hour. Punch down dough and roll out onto your pizza pan.


The Sauce

Do you remember the Honey Walnut Cream Cheese Spread that I used back in November for BFD? Oh yeah, baby, this was the pizza sauce. I don't feel comfortable reposting this recipe, but you can follow the link. It's a very easy recipe. I did add an extra 2 Tbsp of water in order to thin it out and make it more spreadable. (I also omitted the walnuts because my kids don't like them.) Once you've rolled out your pizza dough, spread the cheese spread over it. Sprinkle with additional 1 Tbsp of cinnamon sugar if desired.

The Toppings
16oz ground sausage, preferably mild or a breakfast sausage
2 small apples, peeled and chopped + 2 tsp cinnamon sugar
2 Tbsp raisins
a handful of shredded coconut

Cook the sausage thoroughly. Set aside. Saute the apples and 2 tsp cinnamon sugar. I used a nonstick pan so I didn't need butter. Cook the apples for about 5 minutes until tender. Combine apples and sausage. For the record, I only used about half of the cooked sausage. Sprinkle apples, sausage, and raisins over the sauce. Top with a handful of shredded coconut. Bake at 425 for 15 - 20 minutes. I ended up having to reduce the temperature to 400. For some reason, the top oven seems to cook faster.

The Verdict
Seriously yummy! The only thing I would change is to add something crunchy like walnuts or pecans. Since my kids don't like nuts, I didn't add them. Next time, I will add them to one half of the pizza. The dough also came out thick and chewy. Maybe next time I'll try it with a thin crust. Go ahead and make your own breakfast pizza. Be creative and don't be afraid to experiment. I'll stop short of saying the possibilities are endless!