Day 2

I slept better last night than I have in a long while. Pretty much since I was about 4 or 5 months pregnant with Dominic. I had the opportunity to wake up bright and early at 5am (well, dark and early), but I didn't take it. Instead, I laid Dominic back down in his bassinet and went back to sleep. Well, that was dumb. I didn't wake up again until 8:30 to a sleeping household. No one was up yet. It was kind of creepy.

But I went ahead and started my day anyway. Breakfast was a quick and easy cottage cheese with fresh raspberries. Man, that was surprisingly refreshing and energizing. Then start on my motherly duties: pick up the house, get the kids changed and dressed, feed said kids... You know, the "fun" reason to become a mom. Before I knew it, it was time to eat again. I'm really going to have to get used to this eating every 3 hours. It's kind of night and day compared to the way I ate before. I would eat in the morning and then nothing until about 3 or 4pm. That's when I was hungry again. No wonder my body started storing up fat. I was starving it and didn't even know it.

Sophia helped me make a really light and easy strawberry-banana smoothie with whey protein. It was pretty good and we all noshed on those for a bit. Then Pasquale's "gotta-get-stuff-done" mode kicked in and we all went outside for some yard work. Pasquale raked up dog poop, I worked in the garden (planting Sophia's only remaining tomato seedling-it was awesome!), Sophia walked around singing and swatting at flies and Dominic sat/laid in his bouncer sucking on the rings. All in all, it was actually pretty fun spending some time outdoors before it gets too hot. I'm not sure Pasquale shares my sentiment, but it was fun nonetheless.
 
Then it was already time to eat again! It just kind of creeps up on you before you know it. I made some awesome turkey sandwiches sans cheese for mine and we all sat down to a family lunch meal. That's the first time in a long time we all ate lunch together- at the kitchen table- with the tv off- at lunchtime! It was magical. I guess more than healthy weight loss can come from this eating stuff.

I don't think I told you about the turkey meatloaf I made last night. This is a recipe everyone should have. Not just those trying to lose weight. I don't think I'll make meatloaf the old way ever again.

Here's the recipe. (Note: it calls for mashed red potatoes and fresh green beans to complete the meal. Trust me, make the entire meal.!) I couldn't get Sophia to eat any mashed potatoes, but she cleaned her plate of green beans and meatloaf. I mean, CLEANED her plate! She even asked for more. For those of you unaware, Sophia's not a big eater. Luckily she's not normally picky either. So this was a good dinner for us.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
4 egg whites
1 cup salsa
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats, uncooked
1 pkg Knorr Vegetable Soup mix
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
6 portions red potatoes
2 lgs fresh green beans
3/4 cup skim milk
2 Tbsp Butter Buds

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, onion, egg whites, salsa, oats, soup mix and black pepper. Press mixture into 9"x5" loaf pan and spread ketchup over top. Bake in preheated oven until meatloaf is no longer pink in the center and juice is clear, about 60 minutes.
3. Approximately 25 minutes after putting the meatloaf in the oven, cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Place cut potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Cut stems off green beans and place in a large saucepan with 1 inch of water in the bottom. Heat to boiling over high heat; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain.
5. Remove meatloaf from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.
6. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan. Mash while adding skim milk a little at a time. Add Butter Buds and mash vigorously until potatoes are light and fluffy. (I like them still a little chunky.)

It was really simple and it was probably the most flavorful meatloaf I had ever had. You should try it. It just so happens to be a bonus that it's low in fat and salt!