i want chicken(s)

I want chickens. Of my own. In my yard. Back yard.


In recent months, I've come across people stating they want their own chickens. I've thought to myself: now, isn't that endearing and quirky?

Now I get it.

Today after reflecting upon the amount of egg whites consumed today, not to mention in this past week I realized how many eggs I should be buying. Then I tried to think about the source of these eggs.

But, that's just the problem. I don't know the source.

And for this reason, I want chickens.
I have a fenced in yard. Not to mention a back field that already has horses in it. They'd fit right in. (ooooooh, but as I type this I also hear the coyotes. would that be a problem??) I'm about ready to go out there with a hammer and nails and build a coop of my very own.

Almost.

lurking animal products

Today, when organizing my pantry/cupboard, I found cans of chicken based soups lurking in the corner. Chicken gumbo (for my favorite kind of sloppy joe's that i obviously no longer eat.....) (why didn't I have a last supper????), and two cans of Healthy Select Cream of Chicken soup - that make up a killer Chicken Tetrazinni.

They have been surrendered -no: transferred, relocated, displaced to my cousin/roommate's food cupboard. Along with (earlier in the game) my emergency in-case-of-illness Chicken Noodle soup's.

I guess I now need emergency Veggie broth...

Struggles

Last week was a challenge.

A new routine brought with it a change in lifestyle. Previous week & weekend of excitement left no time for food preperation. And overall feeling of blah left me... well, blah.

New time schedule of reporting to the high school meant that I skipped out on my normal breakfast of egg whites and opted for Bran Flakes. Whole grains, full of fiber, but lacking in the protein department. Two dinners were split between a large batch of Zuchunni Parmesean (fancy for breaded & baked Zuchinni w/ Marinara). Again, no protein. Exhaustion lent to stupid snacking vs. healthy nurishment.

So, this week is Mission Protein. I've whipped up a large batch of scrambled Egg Whites & Veggies to warm up each morning and eat in a tortilla (sorry folks, this girl doesn't cook at 5:30am). More eggs are hard boiled. Cheese & Yogurt stocked in fridge. And Morningstar Farm products are Buy One Get One currently at Publix. Woo! (This smart Publix shopper save over $23 yesterday...)

I've also decided to start monitoring my eating a little more closely via the WW Points system. I'm pretty anti-dietplan, but I have some old materials that I dig out every now and then when I need to get back to reality in terms of my eating habits. My goal is to lose 10 lbs for a specific event in November that I'd love to have a killer dress for.

Kids, I've consumed all but 5 points so far today. (I'm not going to tell you about my undocumented fat free coffee creamer). Dinner will be Green beans I steamed last night (oooh, those are protein, yes?), Spicy Black bean burger, & Perhaps a hard boiled egg to fill me up for a night full of grad school. Will there be enough points left for a final piece of Dove chocolate???? And let's pray that no one brings a treat in tonight for first week of classes....

Accountability requested.

Still Goin' Strong!!

It's been a while. Markedly due to travels to MI and further excitement in the land of Lakeland.

Highlights from the past several weeks:
*Homemade Salmon Burgers: Canned Salmon, Green Peppers, Onion, Bread Crumbs, & seasonings. Enjoyable, but very crumbly. They need more to hold them together. However, I question the quality of fish that comes out of a can in chunks. Is it worth this cheap form of protein?

*My mom was eager to buy me Veg products. I coached her on what to look for - so I could have faux meat patties while the family continues to consume saturated fats in the form of animal products. I pointed out that my least fave brand of burgers is Boca. She made a point to buy a box of Boca Vegan burgers. Ooops!

*My mom thought I still ate CHICKEN. Ummm No, no extra horomones for me, please.

*Mom did score on the MorningStar Farms Spicy Black Bean burgers, Yum Yum!!! And Morningstar Farms Chick Patties. Double Yumm again!!!!!!

*Fancy Family Style Dinner event at Amish Restaurant: I had the fore-thought to ask the server to bring me an extra salad with the meats. Then my dad passed the the mashed potatoes, looked me in the eye and asked: Can you eat these???
Yes Dad, Yes I can. Meeeeeeeeeat. It's meat I'm off.

*During said dinner, my parents, especially my father continuously looked at me asking: Are you Ok? Is this Ok? Hello plate filled to the brim with vegetables, potatoes, & noodles!!

*After this dinner, I believe I was among the few not feeling sick from over eating. (Although was considerably full as well.)

*Discovered store-bought Salmon Burgers at Aldi's. Bought two boxes. They are convienent and not too bad. But after eating 3, may need to take a break. I have an entire other box to get through.

*My new co-worker was telling me today about the joys of Chick-Fil-A chicken soup b/c I wasn't feeling well. I didn't have the energy or the heart to tell her I was a vegetarian. Ooops.

Home Again...

So.... I'm visiting the family.
1. Did I mention that I was raised on Meat & Potatoes?
2. My mom thought that I still ate Chicken. No mom - no meat. Chicken is meat.
3. My brother likes to say: Mmmmmmmm Sausage while eating it.
4. My mom bought me Veg patties. She is totally dazed by these creations. I love it. Specifically, Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Patties.
5. I'm officially the crazy girl in the family, if not the community.