I’m down another pound. And considering the large amount of food I consumed last weekend, I’m thrilled. Ain’t that great?
This is great! And I’ve got 12 pounds to go till I reach my goal–and I feel this is going to be the most difficult part of the journey!
Now that the cooler weather is here (which is an absolute joke because it was hot as balls from Monday on…) and the days are getting shorter, we are returning to our ritual of Saturday evening French Meals. I made Chicken with Grapes, or Chicken Veronique, or Chicken Supremes de Volaille Veronique—however you say it, it is pure deliciousness.
The recipe I use is from the book “French, The Secrets of Classic Cooking Made Easy” by Carole Clements & Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen. As you can see from the photo, the page is a mess. I use this recipe all the time. But I’ve tweaked it a bit. I make the sauce separately and make it in advance because I think the sauce achieves a better consistency and the flavors blend much better. I also throw fresh tarragon into the sauce!
I also pound the chicken really flat and dredge it in rice flour before cooking. The rice flour keeps the breasts moist without giving a heavy coating.
Anyway, I’m rather proud of myself. It’s October 20th—11 days before Halloween and I haven’t had any candy. Under normal circumstances, I have at least four bags of chocolate candy by now and “sneak” a ton of it. Last year I finished off an entire bag of Butterfinger Cups a week before Halloween.
My strategy? I’m not buying the candy until a couple of days before the Hallowed Eve!
In addition, if I really get the urge for something sweet, I’ll have one of these little rose flavored covered anise candies I got in France. Along with my chai tea, one of these little gems really hits the spot.
These little drops of candy smell just like roses. The flavor isn’t for everyone, but it sure satisfies the craving for something sweet. I’ll be stocking up on these next month when we are in Paris!
Do you have any strategies to beat those mid-afternoon craves—or do you crave something in the evening? Share your tips! Please!
Let me tell you something—I am soooo tired today.
Oh..I wasn’t the only one who was walking around in a sleep-deprived stupor today. The majority of my co-workers were in the same state. We all watched the debate!
It was bad enough when whiney boy Trump said the election is rigged against him but the last straw was when he stood up on the podium and called Hillary Clinton a nasty woman! He’s no real man–he is a cowardly bully who abuses women in every way!
We stayed up to see the aftermath of the Presidential debate last night and I’m exhausted. That debate left me emotionally spent!
That’s right Donald Trump. You know nothing about being a decent and kind person. It is beyond sad!
Look—if any of my reader friends are voting for Trump. I don’t hate nor do I despise you. Let’s get that out in the open. It is Donald Trump who I despise. He is just an awful man in every sense of the word.
I should have stayed true to my promise of watching Amelie. For about the 100th time!
I SHOULD have watched Amelie. It is THE most “feel-good” film of all time. I highly recommend this beautiful love story. You will fall in love and will cry like a baby from happiness!
On to more pleasant subject matter.
Remember the other day I wrote about winterizing skin and cosmetics? Well, I realized that I left a great little blush out of the post. It’s this NYC Color liquid stain. It looks like nail polish but it isn’t! It goes on very bright and you have to blend quickly, but the payoff is great. This lasts all day and isn’t drying to your skin at all. It is also great on the budget. It was less than $4.00 and is worth more.
NYC New York Color Lovatics Cheek Tint is really wonderful. This color is Cheeky Pink and even though it looks red in this out-of-focus photo, it goes on nice and pink…
I have it on my cheeks. I’ve been using it all week and a little goes a long way!
Another eye shadow palette I have been using often is this one by Makeup Revolution. I found out about this brand and this palette from another blogger. $7.00 at Ulta, it is the Redemption Iconic palette. The shadows are matte but don’t go on ashy. They glide on like silk—which is an amazing trait for a matte shadow. The colors, even though neutral are very pigmented and don’t fade at all throughout the day. Surprisingly, the double-sponged tip applicator is of excellent quality too! I’m blown away by this one!
Look how matte these shadows are! And they glide on so silky. I’m telling you for the price of seven bucks, this palette is a steal! There isn’t a bad shadow in the bunch!
And I need to give a shout out to reader Nancy W. She reminded me that I needed to order more of the collagen serum from Skin Actives by sending me an email asking me which serum I recommended a while ago. Thank you Nancy—my order is in! I hope you ordered too!
Oh..this serum is so much better than pricier department store brands–and I USED to be a huge Lancome Genifique fan. At $14.00, this is a hellalot better and far less expensive!
I’m also annoyed with Mother Nature. This Global Warming is getting out of hand because there is a great fall/winter wardrobe in my closet that is itching (not literally!) to get out and be worn and seen.
And the temperature just rises and rises. Yesterday it hit 84 and earlier this evening when I left the office, the temperature in my car was 78. Come on. I’m done with this heat.
My clothing is fitting much better—and I know that I’m going against all expert advice about keeping clothes and what to get rid of but—I am glad that I’ve saved all my old work clothes. Because now I do not have to go out and purchase another wardrobe.
I purchased two items over the weekend and was so excited to wear them and couldn’t due to the heat—so I’m hoping that next week’s weather is cool, cold freezing!!
Alright. The moment I “spotted” (pun intended) this leopard print skirt on J. Crew Factory’s site I HAD to make it mine. I also had to have those thigh-high boots when I saw them at DSW. Bonaparte was kind enough to buy them for me! I wanted to wear this outfit so badly. I even had the heels set aside to wear with tights if it was too warm for boots. Unfortunately it was too warm for the entire outfit!
Here’s what I wore this week!
Saturday’s weather was still a bit on the cool side so I was comfortable in a blazer and scarf. I wasn’t able to fit into these ankle jeans for a while but now they fit fine! And YES. I DID wear shoes. I wore loafers!
On Monday I wore a black t-shirt dress
This $15.00 Tee shirt dress from Old Navy is one that’ll be worn three seasons. I stopped fake tanning the legs because I thought I would be wearing tights. It stinks because I have to shave my legs every day during the warm weather.
This is where I’m glad that I hold onto clothing. I purchased the black tunic shirt maybe a little over a year ago and never wore it. It is incredibly light and was perfect for this fall heat! I prefer the “half tuck” that is shown in the photo on the left but it isn’t office appropriate. The untucked shirt on the right looks a bit more polished for a casual office look. And YES you CAN wear white after labor day! I said so. It’s ok!
By Wednesday I was beginning to go crazy with the summer’s return. I went with this years old skirt from J. Crew Factory. I actually THREW this skirt in the trash but had second thoughts so I took it back out. I like it now. But I don’t want to wear it till the Spring!!
About this tunic. I purchased it last year online. It was 70% off on the Tory Burch sale. I ordered a size 10–ok? Well, when it arrived, the 10 was snug and looked awful–but I kept it. I wore it before Labor Day weekend and it fit a bit better but I was still “meh” about the fit. I decided to wear it today and was almost jumping for joy because it FINALLY fit so nicely. Tory Burch clothing DOES run small though–I think her blondeness designs for skinny-ass Philly Mainline ladies and not for real women with curves! I’m wearing pants from J. Crew. I swear these pants are from the year of the flood because I don’t even know what pants they are but they are nice and soft and stretch nicely! Sam Edelman flats are on my feet!
This weight loss journey is now becoming routine—and I don’t mean that in a bad or boring way. It’s just that I’m thinking more about what I’m eating and thinking less of getting snacky and just shoving anything into my mouth. I’m finding out that I can enjoy those Saturday evening full-course French meals and still lose weight by really focusing on the diet during the week.
And that was my week! I hope you had a wonderful and successful week. Don’t forget to comment on your strategies for craving sweets while dieting!!
That damn debate is still on my mind. As is the word “Nasty” that Donald Trump used in calling My President Hillary. I would rather think of the Janet Jackson song “Nasty”—it’s much better! And my good thoughts are with Ms. Jackson—at 50 years old, she is pregnant. That is an empowered woman!
