Thank you, Elaine.  I will switch to that brand...much better carb calories.  I do stress over carbs but it is a good thing cause if I didn't that'd be ALL I eat.   My Landstrom rice cakes are all over 70 calories, I think. 

For me, the rice cake is part of the head game of giving up  bread and using them as my substitute.  I do have some low-carb whole grain bread in the freezer and had some as toast a few weekends ago but I don't want to allow that back into my life fulltime or it will just lead to big problems. 

Very smart pairing the rice cake with a protein, that helps with the grazing I bet.  I know on days I'm being careless I can eat rice cakes one after another.  Somehow they will just slide right down like popcorn and then the calories mount up but if I slow down enough to spread on some nut butter then I stop at one. 

Elaine, what kind of rice cakes do you like?  I was buying the Landstrom brand (sp?) but found out that other rice cakes are half the calories.  Yikes....what was I eating all this time????  I love me some rice cake mock pb&j  and another fav. is my mock Elivis....rice cake, pb (well, soynut butter or sunflowernut butter if not PB2) and banana under the toaster oven broiler.  Oh heaven!!!

I hear ya on the weekends being more difficult because of being away from the regimented eating.  These two weeks on vacation have been so tough food-wise.  The last 2 days have been the best, trying to follow Natalie's lead of going back to basics.  I managed to get the scale down to 144 today.  Hoping for at least that or less tomorrow. 

Been a long day, I got three Christmas presents sewn plus a good start on some new valances for my kitchen.  Tired, going to bed! 

TTFN
M

Hope you don't mind me getting this started but I might as well get it posted now and then get back to my sewing machine.  Trying to be as productive as possible on my last 2 days of vacation. 

coffee and tea to start the day
breakfast: cottage cheese pancakes, 1/4 cup sf syrup,1 egg
snack: soy latte then 1 serv. sf choc. 'cupcake'
lunch: 1 egg, 1/2 cup caulitators
snack: sf cocoa then 1 serving 5-min pumpkin cake
dinner: mahi mahi, green salad
snack? maybe a mini bag of popcorn or a bran muffin?  I feel very 'carby' today but am trying to keep it sane. 

DH has started working on the basement remodel again after a loooooong time not having time for it.  I'm gonna stay out of his way!  Only an idiot stops a man when he is working on the house.  Woohoo!

Mollleeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....

I watched a show on the Food Network the other night, and they did meatballs with lingonberry jam centers!  Looked ooooh so good.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound ground veal
• 1/2 cup minced yellow onion
• 3 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves stripped and coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons white pepper
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons lingonberries*
• Vegetable oil
• *Cook's Note: Substitute cranberry sauce if you can't find lingonberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the ground beef, veal, onion, tarragon, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper into a large mixing bowl. Lightly beat the eggs and pour over the meat. Mix well using your hands (it's the best way to make meatballs). Add 1 1/2 cups of the bread crumbs and mix well. Set aside.

Form the meat mixture into 12 balls. Make a hole in the center of each ball with your thumb and fill the hole with 1 teaspoon of the lingonberries. Push the meat back over the fruit, making sure to seal the hole well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (The meatballs can be made to this point 1 day in advance.)

Pour 3 inches of vegetable oil into a large deep sided skillet and place over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes. Test the oil by dropping a bread cube into it. If the cube browns quickly, the oil is ready. Remove the meatballs from the refrigerator and roll them in the remaining bread crumbs. Carefully place them into the skillet 4 at a time. Keep a close watch on them, making sure to turn them so they get golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a sheet of paper towels. Repeat with the remaining meatballs.

Put the meatballs on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

**** Of course, we'd have to make a few adjustments for our pouches and them not trying to kill us, but they looked oh so good ****

I'd change the veal for mild italian sausage, because I'm ethically opposed to veal.

They used lingonberry jam, not straight lingonberries.

Can't figure out how to imbed a picture in this...it is too late in the day.   But I did manage to get some photos of this on my profile if you want to see how it looks.  I have had three bites of this so far and like the chocolate version, it is dense and filling.  Doubt I will be able to eat it tonight.  Woohoo!

5 Minute Pumpkin Cake

Seeing the many 5-Minute Cake recipes on the web had me jonesin' for a pumpkin cake version.  Shelley (www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com) made a great-sounding carrot cake version that inspired me to work on my pumpkin 'fix'.  Came out pretty good!

5 Minute Pumpkin Cake

1 egg, beaten
3 Tablespoons vanilla soymilk (I used Soy Slender)
2 Tablespoons Davinci sugar free Pumpkin Pie syrup
1/4 cup Libby's canned pumpkin
2 Tablespoons canola oil
3 Tablespoons Gluten-free pancake mix (http://maplegrove.stores.yahoo.net/glfrpr.html)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 packets Splenda
1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Mix all ingredients together in a heat-proof glass measuring cup.  Microwave for 2 minutes, allow to sit 3-5 minutes.  Turn out onto a plate and divide into 4 slices.  I topped mine with Torani sf caramel sauce and an extra sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.  Would also be good with ff whipped 'frosting'.