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Changing full fat food..all opinions welcome!!!

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

I want your opinions please!We are expecting guests for Thanksgiving and My questions are about exercising and food.Would you find it rude if you knew your hostess was planning an after dinner walk outside or on the treadmill?And what do you think about offering low fat alternatives to mac n cheese and cheesecake?I did it last year and the food was eaten but,my hubs says he didnt like it.I make a yellow cake using diet sprite only no eggs or oil and frost it with half cool whip half frosting.I make two pies out of the ingredients for 1 pecan pie.Its thinner but my family loves it....I boil fresh potatoes,mash them using fat free chicken broth and theres none left!!The problem is my hubs says im cheating them out of the reason we love Thanksgiving...for the fatty foods and the gorging on sweets.What do ya'll think?He didnt even know until he saw me making the food last year,that I was making it healthier!.... emoticonSUSAN

  
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FIFIFRIZZLE 11/7/2011 11:27PM

    I think I would be charmed to go for a walk with my hostess. And I would hope (but be amazed) to find that those snoozing after their meal had tackled the dishes in my absence. And if I was your guest, I would love to be offered healthy alternatives to the traditional fare. Although I might find myself choosing some of the full fat versions that were also available.
As for the mashed potatoes, why not serve your version with butter on the side for those that want it.
My sister did a weight watchers Christmas one year, it was a blessed respite from the seasonal excesses. Somehow we always find ourselves having two or three Xmas meals...




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MAMAG476 11/5/2011 5:53AM

    Hello my sly spark friend. I say a little of both or you prepare health and have someone else make the fatty foods. You are to much. Good luck. Hope you had a great Halloween. Have a great weekend and spark on. emoticon

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HDHAWK 11/3/2011 6:18PM

    Make what people will eat. If that means you have to make some lower fat versions for yourself I'd probably do it. Go for that walk too!

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SHASSYSUE2 11/3/2011 6:05PM

    My solution is simple, but NOT for everyone... I DON'T COOK!! We go out, and they can eat whatever the heck they want to and I eat whatever I want to!! I am soooo tired of trying to make everyone happy, and this year with my Healthy Journey I am not going to cater to everyone else... I guess I am just in that kind of frame of mind.... Sorry....

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WWE827 11/3/2011 5:39PM

    We always take a walk on Thanksgiving after dinner, and again after dessert. I mix up the healthy with the less healthy; and if I want some of the higher cal stuff, I just eat a smaller portion. I do agree that after I've cooked all day, I'm not as apt to eat much. This Thanksgiving will be different for us though; some of us are running a 5K (turkey trot) in the am, and my son, who's a chef is taking over the meal, and probably having fish instead of the usual turkey!! New is good (but there will still be apple and butternut squash pie).

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CRYSTLE4HIMTX10 11/3/2011 3:35PM

    I would offer a little of both. There are traditional foods that my family doesn't care for in a healthier version..ie..mac and cheese. But I can make a cake like you mentioned and they'll eat the whole thing. emoticon I would get my exercise in before the guest or after they leave. If it is a beautiful day maybe some of the others might want to walk with you. We almost always do something outside after the meal.

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MARTHASPARKS 11/3/2011 4:12AM

    I'm in a minority here. I think that a really good hostess prepares foods the way that most of her guests prefer it. I also think that a good hostess puts the focus on her guests for the time that they are present - which means exercising before they come or after they leave. We have a family tradition that might help. For at least 15 minutes before we serve our Thanksgiving feast, we go outside and breathe the fresh, cold air. Walking back into the incredible smells of turkey, potatoes, spices, candles and pie takes your breath away. Cooking for our family leaves me with no appetite, so gorging isn't an issue. I love to cook but the rest of mine are on clean up detail, so I don't have to do it all. That was their idea: the cook doesn't clean.

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BARBAELLEN 11/2/2011 9:29PM

    I guess some people have much more cooperative families than I do. On Thanksgiving, nobody will accept anything new or different, and the cook (me) doesn't rule. Sooo -- the cook has learned how to be sneaky.

I've gotten really good at figuring out what substitutions can or cannot be detected. I'm sure you have too. The mashed potatos with broth works, but I'd never get away with low-fat mac and cheese or fat-free gravy. I'm sure you know how to do this -- you sneak in whatever you can get away with, and don't let anyone see the containers you use! Then, you let everyone enjoy and eat like pigs, and you eat whatever is right for you.

I agree with your husband. It's comfort food for a comfort day, but what they don't know won't hurt them! Just don't get found out. :)

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KOFFEENUT 11/2/2011 9:28PM

    I always figure what they don't know won't hurt them. I once served a "chocolate mousse" that was entirely vegan (made with avocados). There would have been a MELTDOWN if they'd realized they weren't getting the "real thing". Instead they sucked it down and LOVED it!

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LINDAJ0621 11/2/2011 7:56PM

    Your recipe substitutions sound yummy! In my house, the cook (Me) rules and the non-cooks say "Thank You" and do the dishes emoticon
As far as walking goes, let everyone do their own thing. In my house, DH will be snoring in front of the TV "watching" football.
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MARVEEME 11/2/2011 7:24PM

    The traditional walk after Thanksgiving dinner is an institution in many families, much like touch football. Don't compromise on this one, and don't be upset if it's a small group at first. It will grow in the fullness of time. Keep DH out of the kitchen during prep, and he won't know how the food is made. If you don't mention it, maybe he won't either. If he wants fully rich foods, have him pick them up and make sure they're in the house in time for dinner. Good luck with the "bring a dish" thing, it didn't work for me either. I did, finally, pass the torch of hosting Thanksgiving to DD last year, and while I was still involved in the prep, they're getting the hang of making this their own tradition now.

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SUECHRIS50 11/2/2011 6:04PM

    I always have to walk after a meal to help my food digest and to feel better.I have asked my daughters to make a dish or two and bring it to dinner.I know its a tradition they have come to enjoy,coming over here,but, i'd like one year OFF!!

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SHOAPIE 11/2/2011 5:22PM

    I've found that the trick is to add some fat but not much and I've had no complaints.

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BETTERHEALTH123 11/2/2011 4:35PM

    Your husband is probably "right in a way" because that's how a majority of our American society thinks and has been thinking for the past hundred years -- but now during the present times most people seem to be eating more healtier than in the past.

That's just my opinion. Most every holiday is associated with food and sweets - our society is way too materialistic - even when it comes to holidays and it doesn't seem like that is going to change very much.



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KKZMOM11 11/2/2011 3:32PM

    I agree with breathemusic. IMHO, your DH is wrong. it isn't RUDE to want to give healthier options. I would appreciate it, being your guest. I have hosted thanksgiving before and i had it potluck, so i would make what i wanted, and the guests would make what they wanted. I didn't take offense if the individual didn't like what i made. most of the time, it all got eaten. I do think a pre and post-meal walk would be a good idea, but i wouldn't force anyone to join you. I have a couple of dogs that need walks, so i have a built in excuse. i would walk and if nobody wants to come, so be it.
Also, if DH doesn't like the healthier options, tell him to make his own meal. LOL

Comment edited on: 11/2/2011 3:32:39 PM

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LHLADY517 11/2/2011 3:28PM

    I say go for it. Eating healthier is always better. I love the ways you "healified" your foods. I do think a pre-dinner walk would be best and after--maybe just a slow walk throughout the neighborhood might work.

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BREATHEMUSIC 11/2/2011 2:47PM

    I think that if people still enjoy the taste then go for it. The point is NOT to gorge yourselves on fatty foods. It's to come together and spend time with the people you love. So if there's a way to do that a little healthier, then go for it!! Although, might I suggest a pre-dinner walk? Or are you gonna have a break? I was just thinking that eating a big meal and then going on a walk sounds like a stomach ache in the making. LOL

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Our little piece of country

Monday, October 31, 2011

We moved to our neighborhood in 1997.It was cattle,horses,pigs and chickens.Now its been taken away by noise.The airport moved here by the base about 6 years ago and you can hear the Jumbo Jets night and day,Central Texas A&M,A pathways school,A middle School,3 new Churches,A career academy and 3 new fire stations.Now they are building an overpass and new highway and taking away our country road.The cattle fields are now gleaming new houses and neighborhoods!All the things I had admired about our neighborhood was its rolling hills(gone)the mooing of cows(gone)the peace(gone) Improvements?I beg to differ when I walk outside and hear traffic,sirens and school bells ringing.The marching bands sound like they are in our yard and the church choir is so dang loud(they practice outside)Other than that everything is peachy...grrrrr.....my mama always said be careful what ya wish for little girl...hmmmm... emoticonSUSAN

  
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TXGRANDMA 11/8/2011 4:52PM

    I am so sorry that happened to you in your area of TX. It surely doesn't seem fair. Maybe you can sell and move a little further out? Good Luck!
I sympathize with you, as I too, detest the URBAN sprawl. I think it is close to being a sin, using up the farm land for homes!
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FIFIFRIZZLE 11/7/2011 11:20PM

    I live in a suburb, but up 106 steps, the street seems far away and we don't hear much traffic noise. We and our neighbours walk up from the street and there are no car doors opening and closing nearby.
Though we are by the airport and sometimes we hear the planes coming in. and in the fog, the foghorns (romantic, I've always thought).
Then there is the sound of the children playing, and other neighbours, and their dogs. I can live with that, and they have to live with the sound of my chickens as they discuss their food finds, the neighbourhood cats when they get too close, and announcing their latest egg.
I used to live in the country and we would hear the sound of animals calling to each other. There was quite a din from the geese. And when it was time to wean the sheep, the ewes would call and call all night long for their little lambs. In autumn the vintners would set off bird scarers (like cannon fire at irregular intervals.) Farmers would shoot rabbits in the evening. Not so quiet, the country where i come from...

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IILAAD65 11/1/2011 9:13AM

    Move to ILLINOIS! :)

I drive the country roads to get to Walmart from my little town. I can get to the highway in less than 10 minutes but that's if I do the speed limit. One route I see sheep and the other is corn fields, crows and cows!

I love having it all within reach but where I want to be.

In 15 years, that's some serious progress! ... so sad to see it all go.

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MARTHASPARKS 10/31/2011 9:32PM

    Progress has its price. I'm sorry you all are paying it!

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BETTERHEALTH123 10/31/2011 6:58PM

    Your blog reminds me of Joni Mitchell song - Big Yellow Taxi-- "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot. They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum and charged the people a dollar and a half to see them...

don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you've got until its gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

Sad.

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RRP546 10/31/2011 3:54PM

  thats progress

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A walk together

Sunday, October 30, 2011

My oldest daughter is contemplating a second marriage.She is a beautiful young woman and she's tired of waiting for the man she loves.They met 6 years ago.He insists they wait.She calls me crying all the time.He does NOT want commitment.She came over and poured her heart out on the table.What do you think?she asked.I think,you already have your answer right here I pointed to her heart.I can't tell you,it's your decision.We took a walk together hand in hand,silent for a while.She looked at me and said Mom,I want what you and daddy have.No one has ever looked at me the way he looks at you.And he truly loves you from his heart.I know honey but,love is not made to order.It's not fast food...she laughed and said Dam!We sat down when we got back home and I embraced her in a hug so tight.I wish i could get out my book of Right Answers and tell her what she wants to know...Heck im her mom and i'd love to make her feel better and give all she wants to her on a silver platter.It dont work that way though so I'll keep loving her and lending an ear when she needs it,but no advice..... emoticonSUSAN

  
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BETTERHEALTH123 10/30/2011 10:47AM

    Susan, When and IF you find that book of "right answers" send it my way - I'd like to borrow it.

Sometimes people just need someone to listen to them.

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MARVEEME 10/30/2011 8:50AM

    The hardest thing to do is to walk away from something that is comfortable in search of something better. My prayers are with you both.

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HICKOK-HALEY 10/30/2011 2:33AM

    Your a good Mom. Your there when she needs someone to listen. I hope your Daughter figures out what she wants. emoticon

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MARTHASPARKS 10/30/2011 1:31AM

    She wants him but by staying with him, she is letting the man she really needs pass her by. For a mother that is really hard. For her, it is even worse. It is so smart of you to let her figure this out herself. You sure don't want her blaming you if it doesn't work out!

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JUSGETTENBY42 10/30/2011 12:49AM

    you cannot get into someone's heart or head-----be there to listen and be suportive

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FIFIFRIZZLE 10/30/2011 12:43AM

    What a wise mother you are.

Comment edited on: 11/7/2011 11:29:20 PM

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Today we were married 34 years!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Sometimes it feels like just yesterday two kids were getting married.It was the year Elvis died.It was the year my mother and aunt were attacked with a butcher knife by a crazed man.It was the year my precious uncle drowned and my grams was diagnosed with cancer!We looked and acted like kids,but we tied the knot for our daughters sake.The truth was we loved each other deeply as friends.It wasnt until we were married that we realized we couldnt be apart.It was'nt cool to marry outside our race.We were treated like crap by alot of whites and blacks but we stood our ground.We went to Germany and were treated like family by the locals.We went on to have 4 daughters,8 grands,two ex son-in-laws.We have seen them graduate,get married,try drugs/alcohol/go to jail and we are still together.The world is still spinning.We have both become Grouches,set in our ways but,we have mutual love and affection for each other.We talk and laugh everyday,hold hands,hug,and give a kiss before leaving each other for the day.He has started helping in the house quite alot lately,giving soothing backrubs,and taking out the trash.He knows how to be a craphead but also apologizes when he is....LOL....Today like every year he bought me beautiful roses!He took our daughter to school because I felt green around the gills from a stomach virus...i slept until 10:00am...we had a nice lunch and shopped together.Laughed at the people going by and splurged on ice cream.All these things I mention are better than any material gift....He gives these things to me all year and says...I LOVE YOU ten times a day everyday(when he's not being an ASS)HAHAHA!!!I would do it all over again.... emoticonSUSAN

  
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RAINBOWCHOC 10/30/2011 3:55AM

    Congratulations, a very full marriage....and more to come!

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MARTHASPARKS 10/30/2011 1:33AM

    This is a rock solid, happy marriage. When you remember the good things, get over the occasional desire to kill him in his sleep and really appreciate the shared past, marriage is miraculous. I am happy for you and I celebrate your love and its endurance.

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MARVEEME 10/29/2011 9:37PM

    emoticon
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

That's the key....it's not good enough to find the person you can live with, you must find the one that you can't live without. Marriage has never been a 50/50 proposition....if it's not 100/100, it will never last.

BLESSINGS!

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DIZZYDOC 10/29/2011 8:17PM

    emoticon You sound like the perfect couple. You have stuck together through so much .... you are still in love and you still care and share. What a wonderful marriage you have. I hope you have many many more anniversaries.

Judy

Comment edited on: 10/29/2011 8:17:53 PM

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KOFFEENUT 10/29/2011 2:23PM

    Congratulations on accomplishing something so rare in today's culture - 34 years of marriage!!!

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FLAFLUTTERBY 10/29/2011 5:21AM

    Happy Anniversary! Blessings to you both for hanging in there and wishing you many more years together!

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SNOWANGELDIVA 10/29/2011 2:20AM

    Oh, Sue Congratulations on your ANNIVERSARY!
Your years together have seen so many things.
I'm so sorry for the times of heartache.
emoticon emoticon

Blessings to many more joyful years!!
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Comment edited on: 10/29/2011 2:20:42 AM

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FIFIFRIZZLE 10/29/2011 1:48AM

    You are both lucky to have found each other and all credit to you for keeping the love alive after all this time.
emoticon emoticon emoticon emoticon emoticon

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PATRICIA_97504 10/29/2011 1:08AM

    Congrats on 34 years of marital bliss.

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SWEETTOOTH712 10/29/2011 12:11AM

    Congratulations and Happy Anniversary!

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CRYSTLE4HIMTX10 10/28/2011 11:54PM

    Happy Anniversary. emoticon

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My grandkids enlighten me...

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Yesterday had me so worn out from the dental office...I almost dropped upon arriving at home..guess what my 19 yo grandson missed the bus and didnt have money for a taxi...there i went again!I picked him up got in some terrible traffic and he asked could i take him"real quick"to get groceries.What the heck I needed fruit and veggies i'd knock that off my list.I had to laugh at him when i saw his cart loaded down with junk food and soda!To the top full(thank goodness for big trunks)I keep my opinions to myself about junk food because Kayla buys her share and so does my hubs!We were leaving the store when I looked up and saw him taking a bag of food out and dropping it in the Food For Families food drive box.Aww...my heart just melted!When he was young we did that together. emoticonmy little man has a big heart.He grinned over at me and said I never forget grammy...He tried to pay me gas money but,that selfless act of kindness from a teen MAN was more than enough.My lesson here was that when I was teaching them about giving was,that he was listening emoticonall along!! emoticonSUSAN

  
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MARTHASPARKS 10/28/2011 2:23PM

    Your grandchildren are magnificent. They have their grandma's heart!

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BETTERHEALTH123 10/28/2011 9:08AM

    Very nice picture. Your grandson looks happy.



Comment edited on: 10/28/2011 5:20:01 PM

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KOFFEENUT 10/28/2011 1:29AM

    I know you're proud to have such a fine man in your life - and you should also be proud of the part you played in demonstrating the values he clearly picked up!

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CRYSTLE4HIMTX10 10/27/2011 3:48PM

    Precious

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JSPIN74 10/27/2011 2:52PM

    awesomeness emoticon emoticon

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SNOWANGELDIVA 10/27/2011 2:38PM

    and you melted my heart!

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FIFIFRIZZLE 10/27/2011 2:24PM

    Awww, what a good boy.

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