08-19-09

Today is day 3 of the blind one. As most of you know, Orion had PRK done on Monday morning (bright and early, too..like get the kids out of bed and put them in the car in their jammies kind of early). After surgery he was pretty peppy..talking about how clear everything was on the way home..but we knew that the cheer wouldn't last so long because the meds will wear off and it will hurt. Oh, it will hurt. I nailed this huge heavy black fuzzy blanket Orion got while he was in Iraq (and I swear..that thing is so heavy I had to stop using it on the bed because I am just too weak to deal with a heavy BLANKET in the middle of the night) over our bedroom window..and literally..no light gets in. Nothing. It confuses me every day that I go up there to nap with him while the babies are napping. I'll wake up in a daze like..did I sleep too long? Is it the middle of the night? And it's not like I can look at the clock..because he unplugged it (we have an obnoxiously bright alarm clock)..the whole thing is just messing with me. Anyway..so he's upstairs in the dark. He ventures out every now and then because he's bored (can't watch tv..can't play on the laptop..can't read..but he CAN and DOES dance around in the dark to Radiohead. Don't tell him I told you) so it's nice to see him when he does. Oh, this isn't going anywhere. He's feeling a little better than he did yesterday..so that's good. He has an appointment on Friday morning to take off his bandage contacts, I think.

He is handsome though. Hairy chest and all. I love that freckle on his face. It's my favorite.

So I've been bringing up all of his meals. Here are a couple with recipes in case anyone wanted to give them a whirl:

Berry Blast Smoothie (Josiah, I'm thinking about you)

Makes: about 1 3/4 cups or 1 serving

1 container (6oz) mixed berry low-fat yogurt (I couldn't find this..and since I was making 2 servings, I just used half of a 6oz container of blueberry and half of a 6oz container of raspberry for each serving)

1 cup frozen berry medley (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries; such as Dole Mixed Berries or Cascadian Farm Organic Harvest Berries)

1/3 cup nonfat (skim) milk (or use soy)

2 T. instant nonfat dry milk powder

In blender, combine ingredients and blend until smooth and frothy. Pour into 1 tall glass.

Each smoothie: About 299 calories, 16 g protein, 59 g carbohydrate, 2 g total fat (1 g saturated), 4 g fiber, 12 mg cholesterol, 219 mg sodium.

Macaroni and Cheese on the Light Side

Makes 6 servings

1 package (16 oz) whole-wheat cavatelli, macaroni, or other short, tubular pasta (I couldn't find whole wheat macaroni..so I just used rotini..not a big deal)

2 T margarine or butter

3 T all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

1/8 t ground nutmeg

3 1/2 cups low-fat milk (1%)

6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese (I used Kraft 2% sharp Cheddar)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen mixed vegetables

1. In large saucepot, cook pasta as label directs.

2. Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, melt margarine over medium heat. With wire whisk, stir in flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in milk and, stirring constantly, cook over medium-high heat until sauce boils and thickens slightly. Boil 1 minute, stirring.

3. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses just until melted. Use immersion blender to blend mixture in saucepan until smooth (I don't own one of those, so I just poured the sauce into a blender, took out the middle section to let steam out and blended on a low setting until sauce was smooth).

4. Place frozen vegetables in colander; drain pasta over vegetables. Return pasta mixture to saucepot; stir in cheese sauce and heat through.

(**my sauce looks thin..I should have let it cook a little longer to thicken up..but thin or thick..it's still super delicious**)

Each Serving: About 522 calories, 28 g protein, 77 g carbohydrate, 13 g total fat (5 g saturated), 11 g fiber, 27 mg cholesterol, 358 mg sodium.

I made this one for dinner last night:

Gingered Pork and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Makes 4 servings

1 pork tenderloin (12oz), thinly sliced

2 T grated, peeled fresh ginger (did you know that was my first time actually peeling and grating fresh ginger? True story)
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 T teriyaki sauce

2 t cornstarch

2 t canola oil

8 ounces snow peas, strings removed

1 medium zucchini (8oz), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

3 green onions, cut into 3-inch pieces (I omitted these..because I'm not into them.)

1. In medium bowl, toss pork and fresh ginger. In cup, mix broth, teriyaki sauce, and cornstarch; set aside.

2. In nonstick, 12-inch skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add snow peas, zucchini, and green onions and cook, stirring frequently (stir-frying), until lightly browned and tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

3. In same skillet, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil; add pork mixture and stir-fry until pork just loses its pink color. Transfer pork to bowl with vegetables. Stir cornstarch mixture; add to skillet and heat to boiling. Boil until sauce thickens, about 1 minute, Stir in pork and vegetables; heat through.

Have 1 serving with 3/4 cup rice, preferably brown (I forgot to pick some up so I just used white rice).

Each Serving: About 186 calories (not including rice), 21 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 8 g total fat (1 g saturated), 55 mg cholesterol, 430 mg sodium.

Also..you guys are cute with your guesses..but you're all wrong. Cramer said 170 and that blew me away until Hannah suggested 150..that's sweet. The answer for that picture in the last post was actually 207. Dude, I know, right? And know that I started out at 230. I figured it would be an eye opener to a lot of people because when you think of someone over 200 pounds you think (for the most part) they're super chunky..but..it's just not so. My height helps to distribute the weight better than if I were, say, 5 feet tall, ya know? That 207 is actually only 2 pounds heavier than I was when Orion got home from Afghanistan..weird, huh? My absolute goal is 150-155..my goal for Christmas is 170 (the weight I was when I found out I was pregnant with Calix)..that will put me at my just before baby weight. Cute..cute. I have a picture of me in a corset from my first Halloween with Orion. I was 155 and sexy and I keep that picture on my nightstand..I stare at it daily. It's my kick in the pants.