The Silver Lining

The job fair was a total bust. I pulled in the parking lot at 8:40am since it started at 9am. I drove in front of the hotel and looked inside. There were construction workers inside doing drywall. What the heck? I drove around to the back and the same thing. I got out and walked up to the sign by the road that I saw last week advertising the job fair. In tiny little mice type at the bottom it said "Georgia Dept. of Labor Career Center" (a.k.a. Unemployment Office). Oh C-R-A-P. I've been to this ofc several times since I got laid off in February. They don't open til 7:30am, but the people start lining up outside the door at 7am, and that's WITHOUT a job fair going on.

I drove over there to see just how bad it was. I counted 53 people standing outside of the building, and there were probably another 30 in line in front of them inside. I am actually desperate enough at this point that I would have stood in line behind 83 people to apply for a job, however, there was just nowhere to park. Every spot was full...people had parked on both sides of every curb, leaving VERY little room to squeeze my car through to maneuver around the parking lot. There were signs posted saying not to park on the grass. I counted 12 cars parked on the grass. I was feeling down, deflated, disgusted, and I finally made it out of the parking lot and back on the interstate.

As I was driving along I remembered a scenario from years past. I was job searching another time and had applied and interviewed for a position that I really, really wanted. I didn't get it. I called my friend Gregg and told him. He said, "Oh....well.....thank God!!" "Excuse me???", I said incredulously, wondering when my friend had suddenly turned into a moron. He explained that I had prayed fervently for that position, always praying that His will be done in my life, and the same with this job. He said since I didn't get it, then it wasn't meant to be, and I should thank God that I didn't get stuck in a place that wasn't right for me. I would have been miserable.

Hmmm...maybe my friend was smarter than I gave him credit for. That was certainly one way to look at it. Always one that enjoys the positive side of life way more than the negative...I decided to accept and be thankful for the silver lining that my friend had found in my cloud of despair. I adopted the same attitude today.

Feeling better, I headed on up to the unemployment office in the new county I just moved to and had my claim transferred. This office is much less busy, with much more pleasant employees. I only had to wait 5 minutes to see a counselor and handle the paperwork. While I was there, I found out that I've been approved for 27 more weeks, should I not find a job, which means my bills are at least going to be paid through the end of March. Praise the Lord!! Now THAT is an answer to prayer. :)

A couple of my lovely followers on the blog asked me to post the recipe for my breakfast casserole that I mentioned in last night's post. I'm happy to do so!

First let me say that I've made several of these and every time they're a little different...it all depends on what meats I have on hand, what fresh veggies were on sale that week, and how many calories I want to spend on breakfast. Here's a list of all the items I've used so far....you can mix and match them to whatever suits your taste:

rotisserie chicken
ham steaks cut into cubes
homemade turkey sausage (way less sodium than store bought; 99% fat free)
Canadian bacon (only 120 calories for 6 slices)

summer (yellow) squash
zucchini
onions
fresh or jarred mushrooms
every color of bell pepper (green, red, yellow, orange)
fresh spinach
baby asparagus
frozen broccoli (thawed)


Kraft Fat Free shredded mozzarella (1/4 c is 45 cals)
Kraft Fat Free shredded cheddar (1/4 c is 45 cals)
Kraft or Sargento reduced fat shredded Colby Jack (1/4 c is 80 cals)
Kraft or Sargento reduced fat shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend (1/4 c-80 cals)

The 2 staples in this casserole that never change are 10 egg whites and 1/2 c. of fat free cottage cheese (I use store brand). Egg whites are 17 calories each and 1/2 c. of fat free cottage cheese is 80 calories.

I use an 8x8 glass baking dish so it's a perfect square and I get 4 even pieces. I spray it with Pam olive oil cooking spray and preheat my oven to 375.

Next I chop all the veggies I'm going to use and sautee them for about 10 mins with a lid on the pan to cook out most of the liquid...this cuts way down on any liquid that cooks out while you're baking it in the oven. I do it on medium high heat, taking the lid off for the last few mins to let all the liquid evaporate.

If you're using homemade turkey sausage, you obviously need to cook that first. Little 2 oz patties cook up very quickly. If you're using ham, Canadian bacon or rotisserie chicken then there's no need to sautee ahead of time.

Layer the veggies in the bottom of the dish. Add the meat on top of that. Add your cheese on top of that, whatever amounts and blends you choose.

Mix 10 egg whites and 1/2 c of fat free cottage cheese in a mixing bowl and stir briskly with a wire whisk if you have one. Add a little salt and pepper to the mixture (I also add onion powder). Pour over the top, making sure to go around the outside edges first then finishing up in the middle. This will seal the top with egg whites and give you a nice browned, slightly crispy top on your casserole. Bake uncovered in the oven for 40 minutes. If you're oven cooks hotter, cook for 30 minutes and check it...but my egg whites are never fully cooked at 30 mins. 40 minutes is perfect in my oven.

Here's the specific ingredient list for the casserole I made this week that was 211 calories per serving:

6 oz. rotisserie chicken breast
2 c. yellow squash
1 c. red bell pepper
1 4.5 oz. jar of sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. vidalia (sweet) onion
4 c. fresh spinach
3/4 c. fat free shredded mozzarella
1/4 c. reduced fat shredded colby jack

Total calories: 844
Cals per svg: 211

It's a bit of work to sautee the veggies and get it all baked, so it's a good thing to do in the evening if you're just sitting around watching TV...it frees up your time in the morning, and especially if you have to go to work or get kids to school. I just pop a piece in the microwave for 40 seconds and Voila! :)

My weigh-in is tomorrow morning. I am holding my breath. Whatever it is, I'll deal with it, and start working on the next weigh-in. :)

Quote For The Day:

"Shallow men believe in luck, strong men believe in cause and effect." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

First I want to say thanks to everyone who has commented on my posts. I have read every one of them, but haven't had time to respond to everyone due to a REALLY busy and enjoyable weekend. But I have noticed....and thanks to those who aren't even followers on my blog, but have stopped by to leave their kind words. You're a fantastic bunch of people and I'm really enjoying the comraderie that is forming with us. :)

My weekend has been spectacular. You already know about the 2.5 mile hike on Friday and the 4 mile hike yesterday. We decided not to hike today and just let our bodies rest. I ran out to the salon and got a pedicure with the money Dwayne gave me for it last week....very sweet. I did a few chores around the house, just enjoying my day until Dwayne showed up to take me to Outback for dinner. I thought his gift-giving was complete but I was happily mistaken.

Last weekend, when he thought it was my birthday and was actually a week early, he gave me $100 for new clothes, $40 for the pedicure and 2 awesome books that I've really been enjoying this week. Today he gave me the sweetest card....4 beautiful candles with lovely scents....and a pair of diamond earrings in the shape of little flowers....they are gorgeous!! I explained before in a post entitled "My Guy" that Dwayne shows his love through giving you material items and cash...it looks like he loves me a lot! :)

Regarding the food this weekend....it's been bad. I admit it. I had a 3 lb loss this past Friday and will probably follow that up with a 5 lb. gain this week. I'm not being melodramatic. I got on the scale this morning and I've gained 5 lbs. since Friday and not sure if I'll be able to get it off in the next 4 short days!

Friday I had a light breakfast and a light dinner but after our 2.5 mile hike we had a heavy lunch in a restaurant. Sodium. Saturday I had a light breakfast and 2 c. of watermelon for lunch....maybe a total of 350 calories before dinner....but for dinner we had that food from the Publix deli...some of it was fried...plus MORE sodium. Today I had a light breakfast and a light lunch....maybe 500 calories before dinner. But then we went to Outback. I had 1 grilled chicken breast, 3 grilled shrimp, 1/2 of my rice pilaf, 1/2 of my grilled veggies, and HALF A LOAF of that dang bread they bring you!!! Plus EVEN MORE SODIUM!!!

I'm not worried about the gain that I so very much deserve and will probably see this Friday and here's why. My mind is still in the right place. I was conscious of every eating choice I made this weekend. It's unrealistic to think I will never eat in a restaurant again.....although most weekends I don't and won't be eating restaurant meals 3 consecutive days like I did this time! But that's just the way the weekend went, I enjoyed every single second of my stress-free weekend....the hikes way more than the food. And I've still got a tight grip on the overall picture and goal.

The weekend was full of sodium...... but it was also full of hiking, together time with my guy and my puppy dog, some lovely birthday gifts, positive thoughts and lots of laughter...and this will usurp any disappointment I earned on the scale this week. The next week will be better and will produce a loss....I just know it! I've got this thing...I'm going to beat it. I've never been filled with so much resolve in my entire life. I've never been so SURE of something before. I know I'm going to slay Obesity. I know I'm going to win. Not exactly sure how long it will take me....hopefully by next April....but if it's a little longer....it doesn't really matter....Obesity is going down!!! It's days are numbered...and that's an incredibly powerful feeling. :)

Quote For The Day:

"Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement." -Brian Tracy