Dip your veggies

I made this awesome dip for our fresh veggies, as an alternative to the high fat ranch type dip we usually go for. It's low fat, full of good soy protein and, in my opinion, rather tasty.

Limey dip - for dipping crudites
10 oz package of frozen edamame - shelled
1/2 cup low/non-fat cottage cheese
1 tsp zest from lime and the juice squeezed out
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
1 clove garlic - crushed

Cook the edamame in salted boiling water for 10 minutes, it will probably return to boil in last 5 minutes. Put all ingredients in food process, and process until smooth. Chill and serve with fresh cut up vegetables.

Gluten free note: Cottage cheese is not generally GF as most cottage cheese is made with whey, I haven't shopped the whole food stores to see if there is an alternative, so substitute GF sour cream and add a little more sugar in place of the cottage cheese and you should be GF. A delicious, nutritious way to eat more veggies. (LMH - see, I am really trying to come up with better dips!) 2TBS = approximately 4 grams of carb

FedEx just arrived with a basket of fruit for the B-Hop family from M's parents. What an awesome surprise, I have dibs on the pear! V spied the cashews, but I may have to wrestle them from her, they are a favorite of all of us.

I lost 3.2 lbs this week, and M stayed the same. I am at a net loss of 4.8 and he's at 10. The girls weighed in and V is up 1 lb, ML is happily reporting a loss of 2 lbs! I walked four days of the week, not the five that I intended, and gave up journaling my food on Saturday night, when out with friends and my sisters we stopped for drinks and nachos and I lost track of how many I gobbled, they were soooooo good. I survived the potluck lunch at work, only tempting myself to a small sweet bar of gooey delight (it came from a bakery named sweet magnolia's, how could I resist?) and, although I ate more than my usual allowance for lunch, I enjoyed not overdoing it. I have adjusted all of my basal rates (this is the insulin that I get constantly from my pump) down, the nighttime have gone down .4 g and daytime down .2 g. I am waking up well under 90 for my morning blood sugars, so I'll continue to adjust as my body stabilizes from the exercise and better eating. I was talking to another man at work who is a type II diabetic and he said that he notices a big difference in his blood sugars, even if he just loses 10 lbs. I am noticing the more wholesome eating, the exercise and the little bit of weight loss are all contributing to better blood sugar numbers. May not prevent heart disease in the long run, but it will let me keep my toes and other parts of my body that could suffer from the long-term effects of this disease.

This weeks goals, continue to fit in the walks, and get at least five checked off. One of my staff members and I do our afternoon "walk and talk" meetings, which gets us both out of the office, she usually has a list of a few things to run by me and we get our exercise while we work.

With this being Easter weekend, I know myself too well to expect I will journal over the weekend. I will start on Monday morning, journaling my weeks food intake and exercise. Our 2nd daughter, V, is moving into our home on a more permanent basis, and we have lots of sorting of things to get her temporary room cleared out and finish the work in our basement so she can take up her "private" residence downstairs. She's 16 mind you, there's limited privacy, but more room to have her friends over in the basement. V has agreed to be my nighttime walking buddy, so between she, my work buddy and the neighbors, I should be able to get all my walks in.

I purchased non-edible trinkets and just a little candy for filling our Easter eggs for the hunt. Trying to inspire our kids to think more about what they eat, not go without the sweet temptations, but to limit the intake and balance them out with good, healthier choices. I've kept the fruit basket full all week, and we gravitate there when we really have the munchies, the little cutie clementines are our family favorite, they also work wonders for bringing up a low blood sugar in a hurry.

We've invited the neighbors to help us die our eggs again this afternoon. I am baking my first gluten free dessert for M for Easter, it's a carrot cake, so I'm sure we'll all want a taste. It won't be sugar free, fat free or all that healthy, but it will be a nice treat for our three weeks of managing through a new way of living. It's not nearly as difficult with so many family members and good friends all working to support each other. I mean, those women and few men from my ww meetings meant a lot to me when I attended meetings and sometimes inspired me, but they are long gone from my life. What I know for sure is that my fellow b-hoppers are here for life and will always be a source of inspiration and challenge when I need it.

So, my parting message to all is a wish for a most wonderful Easter with family and friends. I will be hosting my family and friends here, but for those in PA, LA and other areas of the country, keep your focus on the joy of being together and not the short term satisfaction of eating jelly beans, peeps and other Easter treats. Happy Easter to you all with a lot more love and less of me!