The Walking Dead

I watch a lot of television. Like, more than the average bear. And not since The X Files has a show given me the chills like The Walking Dead did. Also, the production values, the direction, the acting, the FX, the makeup, the sets... All movie quality. Not something you'd think to see on a television show, much less a show in the horror genre. There aren't many horror genre shows out there. Sure, we have Supernatural, but I would classify that as more of a drama and comedy mixed with, well, supernatural elements. The X Files was a show that scared the pants off of me on a weekly basis and this new show, The Walking Dead, did the same thing. The zombies were scary, the pacing was spot on and the story just works. I know many will say, "Isn't this a rip-off of 28 Days Later?" and they will be wrong. The Walking Dead was a graphic novel that came out years before 28 Days Later. And I'm kinda upset about that. I loved 28 Days Later, it was a great zombie flick. But this show, while the beginning is very similar to that movie, it's already moving towards something new. This show better get a big following b/c it deserves it and it is just an awesomely fun romp! Not denigrating Dawn of the Dead (b/c dude, that movie is awesome!) but The Walking Dead has zombies as they should be. Slow and stupid. I mean, c'mon, they're zombies. They've lost all ability save for the basic one of the need to feed. They don't run, they don't plan, they don't band together and find ways to get to their dinner. They're just zombies. As they should be.

Lee's Fit Test Take 2

I am very proud of Lee. He has been doing SO good on his diet and his fitness. In the past 12 weeks, he's lost almost 20 pounds and over 4 inches off his waist.

Unfortunately, this wasn't quite enough for the USAF. :( He still failed his Fit Test. Now, on the upside of this, he only failed by 2.5 points. He needed a 75 to pass. On his first test, back in April, he only scored a 22. Yikes, right? And today, he scored a 72.5. So you know what? I'm still proud of him.

But now comes the worry. There is a real possibility that he could be discharged from the military for failing again. I mean, yes, it's not the most likely option, but it's still there and that terrifies me. Lee has 13 years in, only 7 more to go before retirement. And he's still working on his degree. I have no marketable skills, I'm basically an idiot.

Now we have to wait until Monday to see what happens. It could be something as small as an LOC, or in the middle with an LOR. Or the ultimate Worst Case Scenario. A discharge from the USAF.

Gonna be a long weekend of waiting.

Turkey Pasta Bake

1 pound ground turkey, 97% lean

Drizzle of olive oil

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

2tbs tomato paste

4tsp minced garlic

Parsley

Italian seasoning

S&P

Cayenne

Rosemary

Oregano

Basil

8oz Fat Free Philadelphia Cream Cheese

14oz whole wheat rotini pasta

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

4 slices swiss cheese

1/4 cup finely grated mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup 1% milk

Heat oven to 375.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta, boil until al dente, about 10mins.

Brown ground turkey, add sauce, tomatoes, paste, 3tsp minced garlic and other seasonings to your liking. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 10mins.

Heat small saucepan over medium heat, add milk and cream cheese. Season with pepper, cayenne, parsley and 1tsp minced garlic. Heat, stirring occasionally, until cream cheese is melted.

Drain pasta, return to hot pot and add cheese sauce. Stir until evenly coated.

Spray casserole dish with Pam, pour in noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. Pour meat sauce on top of noodles, then top with swiss and mozzarella.

Bake, uncovered, for 15-20mins, until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Makes 12 servings.

Calories per serving - 235

Lee's Weight Loss Part 2

So proud of Lee! :) In 6 weeks, he's lost 15 pounds! That's spot-on with what he needs to lose in order to pass his next fit test. He was told to lost 30 pounds in 3 months, so he's right on track. He's been eating better, his portion sizes have decreased dramatically, he's working out and his endurance is so much better now. When he started working out, he couldn't even do a mile on the elliptical w/o having to hop off and catch his breath. Now, he's doing 2.5 miles at a time and just barely breaking a sweat. I'm so very proud of my husband and how much he's embraced this new phase of his life. I have no worries that he'll pass his next fit test with flying colors!

Lee's Weight Loss

It's been 4 weeks since Lee was told that he had to get his waist down to under 40inches (he was at 44.5) and he had to drop 30 pounds (he was at 245). Well, here we are, a month later, and YAY! Lee's made his goal of losing 10 pounds in April! :D He probably could've lost more, if he went balls out, but we didn't want to completely shock his system. Our biggest changes have been no more fast food during the week, just once during the weekend. Also, a big change!, no more drinking beer during the week. Dude, that was getting outta hand anyways! We needed a reason to cut back on the beer. At 110calories per beer, and Lee can easily put away 12 beers in a night, that's 1320 calories, just in BEER! (As opposed to wine, which in 1 bottle, there's only 550 calories.) I also stepped up and started becoming a bit of a food nazi. LOL Seriously, I was tossing out chips and white bread and frozen breakfast sandwiches and cheese in a can, all that crap that Lee would snack on. To replace it, I started buying fish and ground turkey, 90cal granola bars, 100cal bags of popcorn, nuts, beef jerky, cheese (but the good cheese! Edam and Emmental and Fontina) and crackers, loads of broccoli and red potatoes, plus bags of salad. Now, I cook a fresh healthy lunch every day which I always keep below 500 calories. I actually try to keep it in the 300cal range, if I can. Dinner, I rarely make it more than 600. But once in a while, I do splurge a bit and the calories may go up to 800-900. I logged Lee's meals for an entire month, just so I could wrap my head around how many calories go into what. Now it's second nature to do the math in my head and let him know how many calories his meals are. He got to around 1500 calories per day, but that was w/o the beer! But he did cut back his drinking to just on Fri and Sat nights. No more mid-week drinking beers!

He's been really good about working out, too. If he can't make it to the gym, then we do a workout DVD here at home, or he hops on the elliptical for 30mins.

For the next month, we're cutting out fast food completely, cutting out beer completely. He's also going to step up his workout regimen to running 5x a week and doing weights 3x a week.

I have complete faith that he'll drop the unwanted pounds and get back on track with the USAF's fitness regulations. :)

Mock Mashed Potatoes

1 large potato, peeled and quartered

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

2 tbs I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light

2 tbs Fat Free Philadelphia Cream Cheese

S&P

Bring large pot of water to a boil, add potatoes and cauliflower florets.

Boil until fork tender, about 20mins.

Drain, return to pot.

Mash well (or use a hand mixer) with remaining ingredients.

Makes 5 servings

Calories per serving - 80

Piadina

1 La Tortilla Factory Tomato & Basil wrap

1/2 tomato, sliced thin

2 slices thin deli turkey

2 slices thin deli ham

2 slices turkey bacon

1tbs reduced fat cream cheese

Shredded cheddar cheese

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Spray with Pam.

Assemble tortilla by spreading cream cheese first, topping with ham and turkey, then bacon and tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Place into hot skillet, cook until cheese is melted. Adjust heat so it doesn't burn and check frequently.

Serve hot.

Total calories - 320