My arm is healing, so I will be posting more often, now. I also plan on posting more recipes, too. The recipe I'm posting today can be made with brown rice to make it healthier. Although I suppose it's pretty healthy if you use white rice. Either way it's delicious and nutritious. So here it is. Try it and enjoy it.

                                                                    Texas Hash

1 1/2 Pounds Lean Ground Chuck.
1 Onion; chopped.
2 Cloves of Garlic; chopped.
1/2 Green Pepper; chopped.
1 large or 2 small cans Tomato Sauce.
Enough Ketchup to cover the top with.
3 cups White or Brown Rice; cooked.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the Rice according to directions.
Brown the Ground Chuck, Onion, Garlic and Green Pepper together in a skillet.
Drain or use a slotted spoon to dish it out.
After the Rice and Ground Chuck are cooked, set aside.
In a large casserole dish layer the ingredients.
Put a layer of Rice on the bottom of the dish.
Put a layer of the Ground Chuck on top of the Rice.
Add a layer of 1 small or 1/2 large can of Tomato Sauce on top of the Ground Chuck mixture.
Keep layering, until all of the food, except the Ketchup is used.
Put a layer of Ketchup on the very top.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until cooked through and hot.

I thought I better do another update today. My arm is improving, but it does still hurt some. My weight is holding steady and my eating is, too. I'm trying to come up with some more healthy recipes to help us lose weight. I plan on redoing the recipes I already have to make them more weight-loss friendly. And I'm trying to start a recipe blog for the Holidays. Check back later and I will update that information. I'm still working on it.

I realize I haven't posted in a little while, but I have a good excuse. I fell on my living room floor, on August 29, 2013. I broke my right arm and dislocated my shoulder. I was pretty sure right away that I broke my arm. It was very painful. My husband took me to the emergency room, where I got the verdict. They had to put my shoulder back in place and I've been wearing a sling to hold my arm in place, while it heals. As far as my diet goes; I haven't been doing real good, but not too bad either. I'm pretty much staying the same. As soon as my arm heals enough for me to exercise I plan on being more consistent with that. Well I guess that's my condensed update for now. I will try to start increasing my posts this week.

                                                            My 1500 Calorie Diet

Breakfast
2 oz. Protein= 2 cooked eggs or 2 Tblsp. Peanut Butter or 2 oz. Cheese or 1/2 cup unsalted Nuts.
1 Carb Serving=1 Slice higher-fiber toast, or 1/2 cup oatmeal or 3/4 cup higher-fiber cold cereal, etc.
1 Carb Serving= 1 cup fat-free or 1% Milk or 1 cup calcium- fortified soymilk or 1 cup low-fat yogurt, etc.

Mid-Morning Snack
Any non-starchy raw vegetables= broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, onions, raw carrots, avocado, etc.
1 Carb Serving= A fresh apple, peach, nectarine, or pear is best at this time for blood sugar balance.

Lunch
3 oz. Protein serving=3 oz. total of protein (chicken, turkey, fish, lean pork, lean beef, cheese or unsalted nuts)
Any non-starchy veggies (raw, steamed)= Romaine Lettuce, green beans, peppers, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, avocado.
1 Carb Serving= higher-fiber bread or tortilla or 1/2 cup pasta or brown rice or 1/2 c. corn, peas, squash, etc.
1 Carb Serving= 1 cup low-fat yogurt or 1 cup fat-free or 1% milk or 1 cup soymilk.

Afternoon Snack
Any non-starchy raw vegetables= broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, raw carrots, etc.
1 Carb Serving= Best fruits for blood sugar balance: fresh peaches, plums, pears,kiwi,nectarines, apples, clementines & all berries.

Supper
3 oz. Protein serving=3 oz. total of protein (chicken, turkey, fish, lean pork, lean beef, cheese, unsalted nuts)
Any non-starchy veggies (raw, steamed)= broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, romaine lettuce, avocado.
1 Carb Serving=higher-fiber bread or tortilla or 1/2 cup pasta or brown rice or 1/2 cup peas, corn, squash, etc.1 Carb Serving=1 cup fat-free or 1% milk or 1 cup soymilk or 1 cup low-fat yogurt.

I've been thinking today about how to lose weight. I would like to lose about 2 pounds a week. I believe this diet is the way I need to do it. I should have been doing a better job staying on this diet from when I first started it. I still believe in Grace, but I may have not understood the idea like I needed to. I'm starting to see that I do need the diet and where the Grace comes in is if I somehow get off-track I need to correct myself and keep moving forward. So much more effective than being too relaxed! I plan on trying it this way, now. I will post updates as to how it's working.

Okay, so I weighed again this morning and it looks as though I have lost most of the weight that I gained. I still need to lose about 2 more pounds to get back down to where I was before I gained a little back. I should be able to do that this week. I think I will start posting weight reports once a week. Probably on Sunday. Not the amount I weigh, (I don't have that much nerve yet), but how many pounds I have lost. After I lose enough weight , for me to feel comfortable, I will probably post a before and after weight. In the meantime I just want to concentrate on eating right, exercising, and getting in shape. That will take a while and a lot of effort by itself. Not to mention everything else I have to do, everyday! Pray for me! This is going to be a very long and tedious journey! My pain seems to be gone now, (I think I had a virus), so I should be able to exercise this week a little easier than I could last week. After I get off of here I think I will go exercise, before the day gets away from me. This isn't exactly diet food, but my husband made breakfast yesterday, so here is a picture of it.

                                                French Toast with Fruit and Sugar-Free Syrup.
French Toast
2 slices Texas Toast per serving.
1-2 Eggs, whisked per serving.
1 cup Milk per serving.
Cinnamon to taste.
Nutmeg to taste.
Sugar or Sweetener to taste.

Topping
Enough fresh or frozen fruit (thawed out), for the amount of French Toast you are preparing.
A little Butter, for topping each piece of French Toast.
Sugar-Free Syrup, for topping.

Preheat a skillet or griddle, lightly oiled.
Place all the ingredients, but the Texas Toast, in a bowl and whisk together.
Put the Texas Toast, one piece at a time, in the Milk mixture and coat on both sides.
Place the Texas Toast, a piece at a time on the skillet or griddle.
Brown on one side turn over and brown on the other side until cooked through.
Continue this process until all the pieces of French Toast you want are done.
Remove to a serving plate.
Top with the Fruit and Syrup.

I weighed this morning before I had anything to eat. It looks like I may have gained a couple of pounds. But my stomach has been hurting some today, too. So I wonder if I may be retaining some fluid, which concerns me because of my kidneys. I guess I will wait and see how I feel by next week and decide then if I need to go to the doctor or not. Before all of this my back had been hurting for a while, too. Needless to say it has been very difficult to do much exercising, lately. I did get on the Ab Coaster Pro, though and tried to make myself exercise. My back hurt so bad that I had to quit. I will try again later today, if I'm not in too much pain. I really believe if I can manage to lose enough weight to do me some good, that I will feel much better. It definitely seems to be an uphill battle. I'm trying to lose weight and improve my health at the same time, which is not easy. I think for the rest of today I will try to eat only healthy foods. We'll see! If I do that, it might make me feel better by in the morning. Okay for now I think I will go eat a few grapes. Hopefully I will get on a better track, soon.

I haven't weighed today, so I don't know how I'm doing weight wise, but I believe I'm doing okay. My back has been hurting me and I've been babysitting, so I haven't been eating a lot lately. I probably am not going to stay on here long enough this time to post a recipe. Although I may make that Chef Salad tomorrow and hopefully post a picture of it with the recipe. I'm hoping my back will quit hurting soon, so I can start exercising on a more regular basis. So for now just try to remember to eat healthy and get some exercise and your weight should adjust.