Weekend Outfit - WW Meeting

Went to my regular WW meeting for the first time in a couple of weeks. As always, I wore something nice and lightweight:
My new-ish teal cardi (last seen here, ha, with the same tights), my bright orange corduroy skirt (last seen here, scroll down - I am wearing that same necklace today, too), and flat shoes for walking.

I also wore my chartreuse jacket (last seen here) because it went so well with my new purse.

I also had long brown leather gloves on for the morning.

A shot of the purse:

The handles and the bottom of it are wood. It was on for 50% off, so I got it for $12.50.

Check out the cool pattern:

I think that green blob is supposed to be a dragon - rar!

Jacket (Alison Wonderland, consignment), cardigan (Kersh), skirt (Jacob Connexion, consignment) , shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, swap from Cat), necklace (Lavishy), earrings (gift from L).

Well, my exciting news for this weekend was going to be that we got a new kitten companion for Inigo, but it was not meant to be: no kittens at the SPCA for another month. I'm disappointed, but we'll go next month and get a new family member.

In the meantime, as I type this, Mr. Drooly-pants is sitting on my lap. Here he is when we got home last weekend and unpacked our Fluevogs:

Kitties and tissue - an unbeatable combination.

Heh, he's digging for mice:

There must be one there somewhere, buddy!

Red Friday and Healthy Lasagna

I really didn't feel like getting dressed today, but like last week, I am Making An Effort: Inigo is not impressed with my efforts, clearly. It's also Wear Red Day in the US and February is Heart Month with the Heart and Stroke Foundation in BC (an organization I support because of my dad dying of a heart attack). Anyway, I have my red sweater on and my red patterned socks.

Well, most of the time you can't see my socks:

My feet look like leopard loaves of bread, but at least they're warm!

Sweater (Tobias), jeans (Seven7, gift from Caro), belt (swap from Ruth), slippers (Isotoner).

I really don't like cooking, but I make more effort at it over the past four years, since I lost weight. I used to buy frozen lasagna and throw it in the oven - sure, it saved time, but that processed food will kill you, man. All that salt! All the added sugar! Lack of whole ingredients and whole grains! Lack of veggies!

So I bought some whole wheat lasagna noodles and played with the recipe on the back, combined with my mom's recipe. I don't have my own recipe written down, and I tend to vary it a bit every time I make it, but if you're interested, here's how I make it.

Ingredients:

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles - 8 PointsPlus Values (Weight Watchers)
3 cloves of garlic, diced small - 0 PP
1 3" diameter onion - 0 PP
4 tsp olive oil - 4 PP
1 can unsalted diced tomatoes - 2 PP
1/2 can unsalted tomato paste - 1 PP
6 oz extra lean ground beef - 6 PP
500 ml fat free cottage cheese - 9 PP
1 egg - 2 PP
2 cups finely chopped spinach - 0 PP
4 green onions, finely chopped - 0 PP
Ground pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano - 0 PP
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli - 0 PP
1 whole pepper, finely chopped - 0 PP
2 stalks celery, finely chopped - 0 PP
4 large mushrooms, chopped - 0 PP
1/3 package of skim mozzarella, grated - 10 PP
6 tbsp shredded Asiago cheese - 3 PP

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, covered, then 10 minutes uncovered. Rest 10 minutes before serving. Refridgerate any unused portions and use within 2 days.

Process:
I line my non-stick big cake pan with aluminum foil, creating a divider in the middle with another piece:

The reason I make a divider is that I LOVE mushrooms and L loathes them. This way, I have my yummy mushroom lasagna, and he has no mushrooms at all. Poor L.

I've calculated out the PointsPlus values for all my packaged food. I went through my freezer, fridge and cupboards with my WW calculator when I started the new program and wrote all the PointsPlus values on the packages with a permanent marker. The lasagna noodles are 8 PP for one serving or 15 for two. As my recipe needs 9 noodles total, that's a two serving amount.I snap the noodles in half and pop them in a pot of boiling water. At the same time, I saute up the garlic (chopped up finely) and onion (diced) in the olive oil. Preheat the oven to 350.
Yum...I love the smell of onions and garlic cooking. This is the base for nearly everything I cook, from burritos, to spaghetti, to soup.

I track my PP as I go, calculating or looking up the PP values and jotting them down on a sticky note:I keep my sticky notes in my 3-month tracker to refer back to the next time I make that recipe.

I've gone through my Pocket Guide book and highlighted all the foods I regularly eat so that it's easier to look them up. I buy my extra-lean ground beef in large quantities when it's on sale, flatten it into patties (faster to thaw than a ball) and divide it up into freezer bags - this is about 6 ounces (the size of two small patties).

I cook that up with the onions and garlic:Mmmm...the whole house smells good!

I don't buy most tomato sauces because they are loaded with sugar and salt. This brand is organic, no salt, just diced tomatoes.

In my book, it's 0 PP, but since I'm using the entire can, I calculated it out at 2 points. I'm only cheating myself by trying to work around the system. *sigh*

I also added half a can of organic tomato paste because the diced tomatoes alone are fairly bland:

Although the paste is just straight tomatoes, it's concentrated tomato flavour and really adds a lot of zip. This was 1 PP. I dumped it in and added a bit of water to keep the mixture from getting too thick. I'll use the other half when I make spaghetti this weekend.

I add my spices at this point. This is what I loaded up my sauce with:

Lots of ground mixed black and coloured peppercorns, cayenne pepper (L and I both love spicy food, and the spice helps balance out the lower sodium content), red pepper flakes, oregano and basil. I load it up!Mmmm...that's looking good. While it's simmering on low (add water if it gets too thick), I mix up my cheese filling layer:
That's the cottage cheese, egg, chopped spinach, and half of the green onion. I also added nutmeg, gave it all a good stir and set it aside for a few minutes.

I chop up my veggies:I do a pretty fine chop on all of these: broccoli, orange pepper, celery and the rest of the green onions. Sometimes I vary this up with some zucchini, cauliflower or asparagus, whatever I need to use up in the veggie bin.


I add the veggies to the meat sauce and let it simmer for a while:Heavenly! This is my spaghetti sauce almost exactly.

While the veggies are getting soft, I chop up the mushrooms:

I always do them last so that they don't touch the other veggies. I'm such a good wife.

When the noodles are done (they usually are cooked by this point - I leave them in the water so they don't dry out and stick together), I start assembling the lasagna.Smoosh around a bit of the sauce in the bottom of the pan so that the noodles don't stick to the bottom:

Then add 3 of the half-noodles per side:

L's side gets half of the cottage cheese/spinach mix. I mix in half of the mushrooms to the remaining mix and spread it in my side.

Another layer of 3 half noodles goes on top of that, then half of the remaining sauce:I add the rest of my mushrooms to the sauce and stir them in. I save a few pieces of mushrooms for the top.

Add the last layer of 3 half noodles, and cover the top with shredded skim mozzarella. I buy a package of skim mozza when it's on sale, calculate the PP of the entire package, cut it into 3 sections and freeze the portions I don't need (I write on the freezer package how many PP there are).You can see that I've added the last few bits of mushroom on top so that I can tell whose is whose. I also add Asiago cheese:

Dry cheeses are surprisingly low in fat and have loads of flavour. I also buy Parmesan, Romano and a Mixed Cheese variety of this brand.

Next, insert toothpicks at regular intervals all over the top:

Next, cover it with another sheet of aluminum foil:
Bake it for 45 minutes. This is a bit of a time-intensive recipe because of the prep time and baking time - this took me a little over 2 hours to make - so because of that, I usually make this on the weekend when I have more time.

After 45 minutes, take it out:

Remove the top layer of foil and take out the toothpicks. Pop it back into the oven for another 10 minutes to brown up the top a bit.
After 10 minutes is up, take it out and let it sit for another 10 minutes. This is the hardest part, because by then, I'm starving and it smells So. Darned. Good.


I distract myself by calculating out the PP values for the entire pan:

Oops, I forgot to add 2 PP for the egg - so it's actually 52 PP. That seems like a lot, but that's 26 PP for half of the pan, and 13 PP for a quarter of the pan (my usual serving). If I choose to be a bit more restrained, I could roast some veggies or have a salad on the side and eat 1/8th of it for only 7 PP!

This is what our dinner looked like: Mine was a little harder to get out of the pan! That's a big portion, as you can see - half of that (or 1/8th of the pan) would still be a good-sized serving.

I immediately put another serving on smaller plates and wrap it up and put it in the fridge for the next night's dinner (two shots in the microwave at about 2.5 minutes each will do it). It tastes even better the next day!

Yum!

Check out the nutritional benefits per 1/4 of the pan:

- loads of fibre (noodles, veggies)

- a great source of mostly lean protein (beef, cheese, egg)

- 1 serving of low-fat dairy

- 2 servings of veggies

- 1 serving of healthy oil

And believe me, I am happily full after eating that! It keeps me satisfied, and I'm not even interested in evening snacks. When I compare this to the packaged, processed lasagna I used to buy, sure, that was easier and faster to make, but my version is so much healthier! I would rather spend the time once a month and make something that I know is going to be good for my health.

Fake Boots, Games and Making an Effort

Being currently out of work, it's really easy to fall into the "wear my robe around the house all day" trap, which is directly related to the dreaded "jammie pants" syndrome. My wonderful husband, L, doesn't deserve to see me always looking like a schlump, so today I am making an effort to look nice for him. We're going to hang out tonight, maybe (maybe? who am I kidding? ha!) drink a bit of wine and play some board games.

Do you like board games? I love playing games. I grew up playing cribbage, Rummy, Rumoli, Monopoly, The Game of Life, Scrabble, Yahtzee and various other games. As an adult, I continued to play crib, backgammon, Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit (I kick ass, but History is my weak category. No one can touch me on the Entertainment version).

Since I met L, I've gotten into role-playing games (shhhh, don't tell anyone, D&D is super-geeky). But he's also into playing strategy games like Risk. Risk is not my cup of tea, but I love other types of strategy games. My favourite by far is Carcassonne, a tile game where you build your own board. It's great with a group (and easy to learn), and awesome with just two people - it's different every time you play, so you never get bored (board? ha, see that?).

We have several versions of Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers, The Castle (a two-player only game), and The Discovery (my personal favourite). We have most of the expansions and mini-expansions, and our original game has all kinds of random tiles mixed in from these. We sometimes play "Calvinball" versions where we make up our own rules.

I also really enjoy all the versions of Fluxx. What? You don't know Fluxx? Fluxx you! You need this game! Anyone of any age can play Fluxx! It rules! If you're super-geeky, there's Monty Python Fluxx! Look for it in your local comic shop.

Um...yeah. Anyway, I'm making an effort to look night for our game night tonight.
This is my super-soft faux suede thrifted BCBGMaxAzria dress last seen here. Added my stripey tee underneath for warmth, as well as my patterned grey tights and black knee socks in an effort to help this look like a more dressy outfit. Does it kinda look like I have flat boots on?

Hee, see the curly tail in the above pic?

Someone wants an early dinner!

I tied a black scarf obi-style at the waist - not as uncomfortable as a belt (I'll be doing a lot of sitting on the couch, hunched over the coffee table) but still dressy. And because it compresses my stomach just a titch, it will remind me not to eat too many chips tonight - weigh-in tomorrow!

I hope you all have an awesome weekend!

Dress (BCBGMaxAzria, thrifted), tee (Majestic, swap from Caro), tights (Hue), socks (McGregor).

Floaty Blue (and Swords for Megan)

I was asked to fill in for a receptionist at one of the Weight Watchers drop-in meetings today. I'm not trained on it, but I've been shown some stuff and I worked in retail for decades, so I'm fine in a pinch. I got the start time wrong, though, and actually had to RUN to the meeting. I impressed myself: I made it in 10 minutes! I did swap out these shoes for runners (I changed back once I got there).

But woo! What a crazy meeting! Nearly 70 people showed up - it was just non-stop.

Anyway, this is what I wore:
Part of my walking around yesterday was going to one of my favourite larger thrift stores. They had a "buy two, get one free" deal on (I do love a good deal!), so of course, I had to browse around. And of COURSE I found something. A few somethings. I had to get the deal!

This top is by Elie Tahari for Nordstrom - it was $16.95. I checked online and this brand's tops sell at Nordstrom's starting at $168! I've seen Tahari in some of the more expensive consignment shops and they are always way too rich for my blood. I like the cobalt and white pattern, and the pretty pin-tucks. And it's silk! So it was actually warm. The style/pattern was a little iffy for me - do you think it's too old/ageing? I like the tunic length, since I don't have many tunics in my closet.

Megan mentioned yesterday that I looked like Link from Legend of Zelda, and that I just needed a broadsword. Well, Megan, I don't have a broadsword, but I do have swords ("You idiot, we've all got swords!" - bonus points if you know what movie that's from).
This is a replica sword (longsword, I think, but L will correct me if I'm wrong) that L picked up in his Ren Faire days. It used to have a blue hunk of yarn on it as a lady's favour.

This is a replica of a Scottish claymore:

We bought it when we went to Scotland in oh...1996...from a guy in a shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh (he was really cute, I recall). We put it in with our luggage and brought it home, no problem, all duct-taped and wrapped in cardboard (it's not sharpened).

Both of our swords hang on the wall in the library. We have other swords and knives as well.

My outerwear:

My blue jacket and grey/black accoutrements.

I'm keeping this outfit on, because I have book club tonight, so no "stuff" photo. Instead, here's the closet shot:

Silver feather earrings, silver filigree cuff and my Scottish ring (hey, I got that and the sword on the same trip! Picture of the ring and how we ended up going to Scotland story here).

Inigo was being very cute:

Look at his little crossed paws. Awwww....

Coat (Mario Serrano), hat (Jacob), scarf (The Bay), gloves (Parkhurst). Blouse (Elie Tahari for Nordstrom, thrifted), pants (Kensie), shoes (First by Feet First), cuff (St. Paul's Cathedral gift shop, London), ring (trip to Scotland), earrings (no brand, local).

Tuesday WW Group - Teal and Purple (and Some Pictures of Inigo)

Apparently my Fluevogs caused quite a stir last week! I had many comments on them today, so I have promised to wear a different pair of shoes every week to my Tuesday Weight Watchers Group. Good thing I have the blog to refer to!

I pulled together today's outfit from some of my new Plum purchases:
Yes, I know the tights are more blue than teal, but whatever, I think they go just fine. The cardigan is new - it was 50% off, so $24. It's a nice cotton and spandex blend, so washable (yay!). It's the same brand and similar cut to this green cardi (warning, picture-heavy post) I picked up second hand last year.

The cardigan is a nice basic in a good colour, but my love is for the skirt - it's got pockets!

Plus, it's purple, it's brocade, it's designed and made in Canada - and it was $25, regular $85. Sweet!

Also, check out the nice waist detail:

It criss-crosses in the front - isn't that awesome? You can also see the 3 black sparkly buttons on the side, just above the zip.

The stuff:

These are the shoes I bought for my birthday back in October - only worn them once (here).

Oops, forgot to put my new belt in the photo:

It's the same purple as the skirt, also from Plum, and was $4 (and it's leather).

Because I was wearing a black cami under the cardi, I was going to go with all black or all-silver jewelry, but when I started poking around in my jewelry box, I found this fabulous silver bracelet that L gave me (again, for my birthday, I think):

I quite liked the pops of red in it and the ring. You can also see the 3 black sparkly buttons on the skirt - they're roses! What a cool detail. I love stuff like that.

Cardigan (Kersh), cami (Esprit), skirt (Plum), tights (can't remember), shoes (Me Too), belt (Plum), bracelet (gift from L), ring (gift from Cindy), earrings (over 15 years old).

Inigo has been hanging out on this box lately (it's the one that was full of recycling, which has now been emptied and is sitting on its side):

I love his dear little white paws.

I changed out of my "good" clothes when I got home, and into my "house" clothes. I got this long-sleeved grey tee yesterday in a thrift store for $7.50. I put the cami I had on with the work outfit over top of it, and tossed on my black jeans. I was laughing at Inigo. See why?

Rar! Attack of the monster kitty!

Grey top (Jacob, thrifted), cami (Esprit), jeans (Dish).

I got another shipment of supplies from WW today. Inigo wasted no time in jumping in the box:

Hee!