Where did everyone go?

I just removed my live feed tracker, it got depressing seeing that I was the only one who visited.

Cabbage and Beef Casserole

1 pound ground beef
2 medium onions, diced
1 medium head of cabbage, coursely sliced (I dice mine, in 1 inch squares... or so)
2 medium-sized carrots, thinly sliced (I use 1 can of sliced carrots)
2 tsp salt
pepper.... no measurment, I just shake till it looks good ;-)
3/4 cup long grain rice
1 can beef broth (13-14oz)
1/2 cup water 

 1. In large pan, brown ground beef and onions.... until meat is well browned.
    While the meat browns, I chop the cabbage

2. 2. Remove from heat. Add cabbage, carrots and salt, toss well.

 3. Pour uncooked rice into 3 quart casserole dish, spoon beef mixture over it, then pour water and broth over the top.

 

 Cover and bake at 350 for an hour.

4. To serve, stir ground beef mixture and rice..... now eat up! :)

Makes 6 servings
460 Calories per serving.

Make it healthier by adding sodium and fat free broth. Or substitute the beef with ground turkey. Danielle, maybe try elk :)

This is a big favorite in the house, we never have left-overs!

Safety Tip for Life!

This is my tip for the week which everyone SHOULD follow..... every time they walk in public!

WALK AGAINST TRAFFIC!!!

The reason I thought of this, yesterday I set out for my normal 2 mile walk, I turned right off my street like I always do, going with traffic. About 1/4 mile into it a van passed me going the opposite way. It was an older beat up van and both guys in it stared at me all the way by..... it gave me the creeps! Then I worried the whole time about them turning around and coming up behind me with their van door open and throwing me in before I knew what happened. I was looking over my shoulder my entire walk.

When you're walking with traffic, anybody can come up behind you without you knowing.... especially for those of us wearing headsets and cant hear whats coming! So walk against traffic and  see whats coming your way!

October is almost over, how did you do on your goals? I will post my results and set new ones for November tomorrow :)

Before I go, does anyone else ever get swelling in your hands when you walk?

I ask because I do and was wondering why. Also I was asking mostly because I was wondering if anyone is paying attention ;-) 

Stay Safe!!!

I like to move it move it

Wow, I cant believe its been over 2 weeks since I've posted! I've been doing pretty good but I haven't tried any new recipes. I am keeping up with my walking though and I think its finally paying off! I keep my iPod in the top of my bra so I can get to it easily and this morning it slid down the side of my bra and slapped me on the side!!! Its never done that before. Maybe it was trying to pat me on the back ;-)

Which brings me to my tip for the week.... ok my tip for the last 2 weeks!

When you walk listen to something that puts a little spring into your step. I like to step to the beat. And I have 11 songs on my workout list, 8 of them have a fast tempo. But my last one on the list is "I Like To Move It", from the Madagascar movie :))))) And that one brings me home!!!

So listen to songs that make you happy, puts a spring in your step and that makes you move it move it :))))

Anybody have any good recipes?

This weeks Recipe

I also topped with Parmesan Cheese. It was very good. Although I dont think I fooled Travis by processing the veggies. He refused to believe that I didn't add anything other than Hamburger, "cheese", and noodles. He kept saying but I taste something else....

The processed carrots makes it look like I added cheese :)

Hamburger Buddy

 

Very finely chopping onion, mushrooms and carrots in the food processor is not only fast—it makes the vegetables hard to detect for picky eaters. They also form the base for the sauce of this ground beef skillet supper. Make it a meal: Serve with a green salad.

6 servings, about 1 1/3 cups each | Active Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 10 ounces white mushrooms, large ones cut in half
• 1 large onion, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth, divided
• 8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles, (2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or chives for garnish

---

Preparation

1. Fit a food processor with the steel blade attachment. With the motor running, drop garlic through the feed tube and process until minced, then add carrots and mushrooms and process until finely chopped. Turn it off, add onion, and pulse until roughly chopped.
2. Cook beef in a large straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften and the mushrooms release their juices, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Stir in water, 1 1/2 cups broth, noodles and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Whisk flour with the remaining 1/4 cup broth in a small bowl until smooth; stir into the hamburger mixture. Stir in the sour cream. Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley (or chives), if desired.

Nutrition

Per serving : 326 Calories; 10 g Fat; 4 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 54 mg Cholesterol; 38 g Carbohydrates; 23 g Protein; 4 g Fiber; 431 mg Sodium; 644 mg Potassium

2 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 2 medium-fat meats

One of my peeves

Tell me, are there rude people everywhere, or is it just California?
Its so frustrating when you're out walking, trying to keep up the pace and someone in a car sees you approaching a street they want to turn on and they accelerate to turn in front of you! I've even stepped foot into the street and still have had people turn right in front of. Sometimes so close I can kick their car!

Its not like I'm out on busy streets where there's a ton of traffic. I walk our community loop, which is a mile, twice. And in those 2 miles I see maybe 20 cars tops. I go at 9:00 so people aren't hurry to get to work, or to get their kids to school. And they could be driving at a normal speed until they see me starting to cross where they want to turn, then I hear rubber burning!!!

Come on people, what happened to good ol' Old Fashioned Courtesy!??
Ok, I'm done ranting. (deep breathe, positive thoughts now)
Hows your week going?

Changing our outlook

It has been brought to my attention by a couple of you that you don't think "The Fat Farm" is a very suitable name for our group. And I will have to agree. Someone mentioned starting a Fat Farm and I thought it was cute and ran with it. But we want to stay positive.... keep a positive attitude towards a healthier lifestyle.

The Fat Farm sounds like a place that harvests fat.... and that's the last thing we want to harvest! So as you noticed, I changed the title to something better suited for our goals ;-)

I'll try to change the page URL too, but that will mess up any links and will need to be fixed later.

I'm also trying to remove that dreaded "D" word from my posts too :) This is only the first week, so I'm still working out the kinks and need your input.

By the way, why are you sitting here reading this, you should be out there walking!!! :)))
Enjoy your Sunday.... Me, Didi and Danielle are taking the day off ;-)

Welcome!

Welcome to Zaroga and Bev :)
Even though Bev doesn't have a blog yet, I have great faith that she will soon ;-)

Soda Is The Enemy

I found a very sweet alternative to soda, its called Fuze. There are 2 different types.

Type 1: Slenderize

I like the Cranberry Raspberry, but they have a few different flavors.
The only thing about the slenderize, it leaves a LITTLE aftertaste in your mouth, but nothing bad.
Slenderize only has 5 calories a serving.
It also contains...
Chromium- A micronutrient known to improve the amount of energy you get from food.

Vitamin C- An antioxidant essential for vision, growth and healthy skin

Super Citrimax- Helps you maintain a normal appetite and increases energy in healthy individuals. It also helps support a healthy metabolism.

and finally L-Carnitine- An amino acid which boosts energy.

--------

Type 2: Refresh

Refresh has more calories...Which explains why I like it better! :) It is 90 calories per serving. And the Peach Mango is THE BEST!


Its also has
Calcium
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Vitamin B Complex
(B3 - B5 - B6 - B12)

They have a website which will probably give you a lot more info. Its drinkfuze.com

But nothing beats good ol' H2O... so drink plenty of water!!

This weeks recipe

I got this recipe from Marianne Bush, and it was the best!! I doubled the recipe since we have a house full. Everyone loved it and it will definitely be a regular dish now.
The only thing I did differently, I left out the cayenne, We dont do spicy!

The Nutritional values follow the recipe.... Happy Eating! :)

Eating Well Broccoli-Cheese Chowder

Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each
Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon dry mustard
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces broccoli crowns (see Ingredient Note), cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
⅛ teaspoon salt
eating well Broccoli-Cheese Chowder Ingredients Cont.


Eating Well Broccoli-Cheese Chowder Instructions

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
2. Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more. Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a bowl and mash; return to the pan.
3. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.
eating well Broccoli-Cheese Chowder Instructions Cont.


Eating Well Broccoli-Cheese Chowder Tips

Ingredient note: Most supermarkets sell broccoli crowns, which are the tops of the bunches, with the stalks cut off. Although crowns are more expensive than entire bunches, they are convenient and there is considerably less waste.
eating well Broccoli-Cheese Chowder Tips Cont.


eating well Broccoli-Cheese Chowder Nutrition Information

Per serving: 205 calories; 9 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 21 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrate; 9 g protein; 4 g fiber; 508 mg sodium; 436 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (61% daily value), Vitamin A (64% dv), Calcium (34% dv).
1 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 high-fat meat
eating well Broccoli-Cheese Chowder Nutrition Information Cont.

We're on a roll!

I have to revise the post I left this morning, because of my blogging ignorance I didnt notice that Danielle had signed up too!! Yea Danielle!!! I'm excited, she has a lot of great tips AND recipes! :)

First, let me say Yea!!! Didis on board!!! She carries a big whip too so she'll keep us(?) in line :)

Today is WALKtober 1st. The weather is starting to cool down so get out there and walk walk walk!

My goals for today: I'm going to walk the loop (1 Mile) and I will have NO soda today!!! Thats a big goal for me.... the soda part anyways. I wont even look at a soda, just looking adds pounds!!

I will also try to find a healthy, yummy recipe that I can share. I'll try it out first just to make its yummy. ... and I'll take pictures ;-)

Also, LESS computer time!!! I can sometimes dwindle half my day sitting at the computer.

So now there is 2 3 of us.... where is everyone else? More team, more recipes more support.... and we all can use extra support.... and I'm not talking bras. Although it would be nice to have extra support there too.... especially when exercising ;-)

Ok, Didi and Danielle..... lets kick butt!!!

Looking for Exercise Buddies!!

I dont know about you, but I'm tired of worrying about my weight every day! Thats why I decided to start this blog for family and friends and I hope they will follow my lead.

The Plan: To set daily goals for myself... and follow through with them. With everyone watching, I'll be more likely to do them.
I'm also going to post delicious, good for you, recipes weekly. And any tips or suggestions, or thoughts I may have. And of course, I'll post my progress.... or non-progress if thats the case.

What I want from you..... the same :) Start your own fat farm (ie:TheFatFarm_Danielle, or TheFatFarm_Didi, etc), list your recipes so we can trade.... your thoughts, your ideas, your support, your stern words when I seem to be wandering off track. I'm not saying we need to yell at each other if we have a piece of cake one day.... We all need our guilty pleasures now and then.... just not ALL the time!

So who's in? The more the merrier :)