Crawfish...the Lobster of Louisiana!

I know, I know...Diet to go doesn't have a crawfish dish (yet) so yes, I ate off the plan but there was no avoiding it this weekend. The Home and Garden show was in the Superdome this weekend...has nothing to do with crawfish but i stuck to the program Saturday. But, the Louisiana crawfish festival was this weekend (actually Thursday through Sunday) in St. Bernard Parish. This area was devastated by Katrina and under at least a dozen feet of water for days on end. The fact that it has recovered and still has it's festival is a miracle. No, I didn't eat crawfish there either but our company picnic was this weekend north of Denham Springs, La. and there was a couple hundred pounds boiled there and I definitely ate some mudbugs after a long 100 mile motorcycle ride.

The weather was gorgeous after several days of torrential rains and thunderstorms. Clear blue skies, breezy and temps in the 70's all day. Now, for those of you that don't get the whole "suck the head and pinch the tail" thing, let me explain it to you. We basically eat crawfish until they're out of season or until you're absolutely sick of them...whichever comes first. Being that it's late March I'm surprised that I've only had 2 occasions to enjoy them...and enjoy them I did. I'm hoping my caloric intake for the day stayed under 1800 calories by skipping dinner and just having the crawfish (and a couple of oat sodas) for lunch and skipping dinner. I'll let you know next week if it worked out for me. Luv dem crawfish now.

18 and counting!

It's coming off! What a great way to start the morning; I stepped on the scale and it surprised me with a 240.4 pound reading. I knew I would have a loss but almost 2 full pounds was really cool to see today. I'm going to hit it hard this coming week and hope to be in the 230's by next Thursday. It's a great feeling too. For those of you that have been on the fence about DTG, you too could be 18 pounds lighter by now. Make the call or log on but don't wait any longer...swimsuit will be here before you know it...

I've figured out the secret to Diet to Go...for me anyway.

Here's why I think the DTG plan works for me. There isn't any guess work. I always know what I'm having and everything is provided. See, left to my own devices, I tend to make a lot of impulsive and unhealthy choices. With DTG, I know there is always something right there for me. It takes very little prep work and within minutes I have something tasty and healthy to eat. I love the fact that everything has been weighed, measured, calculated, etc. This way I don't feel guilty about eating the angelfood cake, chocolate mousse or pudding. I can always reach for a juicy navel orange or fresh apple. It's remarkable that even though my food travels several hundred miles to get to me the fruit ends up in better shape than if I brought it home from the local grocery. I feel like Oprah; this meal plan is like having your own personal Bob Greene (I think that's his name) selecting and preparing your meals for you. OK, I do the actual heating and eating but it couldn't be simpler. I hear rumors that DTG is rolling out a completly new website too so log on, select your meal plan and get busy eating well and losing weight with great tasting, real food.

Just a quickie cuz I'm tird and it's late

I'll have you know that when I mentioned I ate at O'henry's with my son several blogs ago, we were asked to color the place mat while waiting. If it was good enough, we would be entered into a drawing to win a free entree'. He won! They called the other day and told him he won so I will probably take him back there to eat this week being that he did so well on his report card today. It's just Hudson and I this week since mommy is on convention in Reno. I'm sticking to the plan and hope I can resist ordering up a big fat juicy burger again and just have a salad or grilled fish. Thanks for the wonderful comments being left from followers. I wish I had all your email addresses so I could reply quickly to your posts. If you trust enough to leave it with me I promise to write back.

Hornets win by 12!!!

For not being a basketball fan my son and I had a great time last night at the Hornets vs. Grizzlies in the Arena. Of course he came home with a jersey and basketball; he’s a fan now! Three good seats fell into my lap at the last minute so me, a good friend and my son took our place in the crowd and had a wonderful time. He shared Nachos with my friend and had cotton candy…I didn’t have a single chip this time but I did indulge in a few adult beverages while there. What a great night.

Have I mentioned how much I really like the food in week 5? This morning’s breakfast pie was delicious right out of the toaster oven as was the Tuscan boats. These savory filled potato skins are perfect with a few grinds of pepper but I really love the side dish of whole grains and cranberries. It has a wonderful flavor and is filling when washed down with the smoothie. Tonight’s dinner of Turkey Salisbury with green beans and mashed potato’s is good old fashioned comfort food.

I’m counting the hoops my son and I shot with his new official Hornets basketball and cutting the grass as exercise as I have yet to start my Powerslide program. Shortly after I started DTG, I had an MRI of my left knee. It showed I have a Plica Band issue that causes my knee to become inflamed and is quite painful. Since the Powerslide requires a lateral motion I have yet to feel comfortable with my knee to attempt a long session. My wife will be out of town all next week so I’m going to roll it out and leave it out (she hates the house junked up, right) in the hopes that I will use it. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. If the weather is as nice as it was today I think I’ll take another bike ride.

Hey, I'm down another pound!

I'm happy to report that I've lost a total of 16 pounds! I have to say that I am used to taking the weight off a bit faster than this but I know it was NEVER healthy. I have to remind myself that it took a while to put it all on so it will take some time to take it back off. I leave to go out west at the end of May and I would love to be 30 pounds lighter by that time. Unfortunately the math is not in my favor unless I can get myself moving a bit more. I also am thinking about cutting back to the 1200 calorie plan...maybe even going lo-carb.

My doctors have been worried about the cholesterol numbers in the lo-carb plan but I've been battling my sugars and am borderline diabetic. Unfortunately my sugar readings have been higher since starting the DTG plan. I blame it on all of the "extras" that make Diet To Go so good. The delicious jams and specialty cream cheeses plus applebutter and yogurt. The plan is obviously calorie based and carefully put together with overall calories in mind. The lo-carb plan will have less sugar because that's the basis for most high protien plans like Sugarbusters, Atkins, South Beach, etc. Sugar, refined or enriched flours are bad; wheat and meat is good. Now, where DTG's traditional low fat plan may let sugars go; lo-carb diets tend to throw fat counts out the window but it's the right fats that count. Regardles, once you hit ketosis, the weight tends to fall off. It may be good for losing weight but it's unrealistic to think you can maintain that type of food regimine for very long so people go back to the comfort of their pastas, breads and sugars. I'll give it some thought...we'll have to see.

Another bright spot for my day was that I got to spend the early evening taking a ride with my son. He's just getting old enough to where he stays on the bike well. I would love to take him on some on my long distance trips but he's still pretty young. He'll do just fine though and I can't wait to take another spin with him. And yes, the photographer (his mother) is horrified that he rides with me. What a dude!

It's St. Pats Day...I promise, no jokes about Patio Furniture.

Well Happy St. Patrick's Day and may the luck of the Irish be with you. Most years I would find myself by around noon at a place called Parasols in the Irish Channel of New Orleans enjoying a large mug of green beer and a shot or two of good ole Jameson Irish Whiskey. I'd see friends that I hadn't seen since probably last year while watching the masses dressed in green flow by. The great thing about a place like Parasols is that they not only do a great business during St. Pats but serve a great Po-boy year round. After enjoying the festivities it's likely I would poke my head inside Parasols for a plate of corned beef and cabbage or a delicious hot-sausage po-boy. That was then, this is now.

Now that I average about 10 hours a day at the plant, I find it less likely to want to do anything after work but come home and see my family. It's much safer for me to do so now that I'm on the Diet to Go plan. I know I have to come home to eat my dinner and by 5:30, 6:00pm I'm ready to eat! You want to know why so many people are overweight in New Orleans? It's because we never get a chance to slow down. No need to take you through the entire year month by month but since I've started DTG I've suffered through Twelfth Night and King Cake season, Mardi Gras, Valentines Day, The Irish/Italian parades of last weekend, St. Patrick's Day, not to mention fresh seafood and it's abundance during Lent. Let's see, Easter is coming in April. Jazz Fest the last weekend of April and the first weekend in May along with Memorial day BBQ's and my vacation out west.

The weather during the winter and spring is the only thing that makes the summer months bearable. Because it's so nice right now it's festival season and we have a festival for everything; Crawfish, crab, shrimp, frog, boat, sweet potato, strawberry...there are pages of them and all with good food, music and drink. I fear I may have to leave this state to get healthy. I'm happy that my meals are prepared for me so I know what I should be eating but it's times like these that I wish I was one of those people who has the metabolism to eat what they want. BTW, I'd forgotten how good the black bean soup and delicious pretzel was and the burrito with beans is awesome too. Erin go Brau...

I was a bad boy but boy, what a great weekend.

OK, I told myself that Saturday was going to be my day to enjoy myself guilt free. I did. I had my DTG breakfast of a crab apple muffin and yogurt but when the seafood was spilled out on the table at that 6 year olds' birthday party I knew there was no way to resist it. Hot spicy crawfish and shrimp with boiled garlic, potato's, sausage and cold beer is more than any coon ass can resist so yes, I gave in to the temptation and enjoyed it all...except for the potato's...in an attempt to watch the carbs, ya know. We all had a great time. When we got home it was time to get ready for Supercross in the Superdome!!!!!

My son and I really enjoyed the show and yes I indulged in everything it had to offer. I fed my son a personal size pizza of which I ate one small piece myself and had a beer to wash it down. He had never had Nachos either so we shared a small tub of melted processed cheese food and chips (I added a few jalapenos)and we both had a great time getting home exhausted around 10:30pm. I got a chance to sit up with my wife and talk a bit so we shared a glass of wine too. It was a really good Saturday and I don't plan on beating myself up over it because I got right back on the plan Sunday morning so here's to a great weekend and hopefully a good week...with some exercise thrown in. Check out the motocross daredevils from the show.

Forgive my shaky camerawork...I used my cell phone.

"one less pound to drag around."

Well I’m down a full 15 pounds now and can feel it in the way my clothes are fitting. My FBP’s (Fat Boy Pants) are fitting more loosely now and I can see a difference in my face. Yes, FBP’s…it a term coined by my old partner while on the radio. Her husband began putting on some pounds and she mentioned that he had to go to Sears and but some FBP’s. Now I’d never heard it put that way but I knew exactly what he was getting and the angst he felt having to buy them. I would always sell or get rid of all my “fat” clothes when I lost weight thinking I’ll never let myself get that big again only to have to buy an even larger waist size than before. It’s crippling having to check out with a new pair of FBP’s because you’ve told yourself that you’ll never do it again. I felt shame and was embarrassed. You know, kind of like when you’re buying feminine products for your wife or condoms or a nudie magazine…”I’ll have this pack of chick-lets, a pocket comb and the latest issue of ‘Big Ones’ please.” You know like the counter help doesn’t think it’s for you…”hmmmm, fat boy pants, flip-flops and sunglasses; he must be buying these for his chubby cousin so they can go to the beach.” Yeah, right. I’m hoping to get back into my “skinny pants.” Don’t you all have a pair of those? You know, that one pair that you looked really good in and keep telling yourself you are going to wear again. Trust me, by the time you get back in them those Jordache jeans will be back in style again.

Hey, my food shipment arrived on time and without damage today. It was packed even better than the week before where just the lid got crushed. This time they took a piece of card board and placed it over the top as before but this time kept it a bit long and bent it over the sides about 4 inches as well. No damage!! You’ll also be happy to know that my trash compactor is running like new again after a week on the fritz. I got my parts in and changed out the gear myself. I figure I saved at least a hundred bucks on a service call for repair. I know, you’ll all sleep better tonight knowing my trash compactor is back smashing trash. I’ve got a full weekend. The Audubon Zoo has a Dinosaur exhibit and the media preview is Friday night. I had a cool band come in to cut a commercial for their gig at the Howlin Wolf later that night. I think I’ll check them out. Saturday, my wife and I are planning on attending one of my sons friends birthday party…they are serving crawfish and yes, I’m planning on having some. Later that night is Super cross in the Superdome!!!!! All the top riders roosting at an indoor arena. Sunday I plan on taking my dirt bike to my friend and riding partner Kirk’s house as we prepare for our annual ride out west in May. We are bringing a third person with us so we need to plan out how to pack the bikes and all our gear on the trailer and in the truck. Might be tight but we are starting early in case we have to make any other arrangements. Have a great weekend!

I'm trying any way I can to work in some exercise.

As most of you may know, I work in radio and have done so for over 25 years now. When I was on the air, most people thought Disc Jockeys just sat around with our feet up on the console, smoked dope, answered the phone and every now and then keyed the microphone and blabbered on about something. The truth is, as a morning show host, it's a bit more hectic than that but I have to be honest with you; I got in to radio because there is very little math, you work in an air-conditioned environment (because of all the hot equipment) and there is no heavy lifting. Let's face it working in radio breeds couch potato's and now that I sit at a desk all day it's even more difficult to try and get some movement throughout the day. I am forcing myself to get up and move around a bit more and when I can, I slip out and take a walk. Today, I walked all the way up to Convention Center Boulevard from the station and came back down Andrew W Higgins to Lee Circle and to the station. It took me about 30 minutes to complete my walk so I figure it was around two miles in length. I also play a game with the elevator. If I need to go upstairs I see if the elevator is on the first floor. If not, I take the stairs to the desired floor instead of waiting on the elevator. Same thing when I'm ready to go back down. If the elevator is waiting there with the door open, I jump on. If not, I take the stairs down. It's not much but It's more than what I would have been doing...waiting for the elevator to come and taking it every time.

Food wise I've been pretty good. Morning breakfasts are uneventful but filling whether it be a simple bagel, cream cheese and yogurt or a muffin; It's usually enough to carry me through to lunch. There is always enough food for lunch and usually something that I can save for later in the afternoon when the tummy begins to growl. Desert, a piece of fruit...whatever. Dinner is great because I never have to worry what's for dinner...there is always something just waiting to be nuked or toasted. Tomorrow is weigh-in and I hope my food arrives on time and is not delayed for any reason. I'll post up tomorrow with some pictures and hopefully another week with a loss.

I know, we look like pro's right?

Well, I survived the weekend without hurting myself too bad. Saturday’s motorcycle ride on the trails of Mississippi went well and was as enjoyable as any other time as we had beautiful weather and the spills weren’t too serious. We all fall…it’s just a matter of what and how you hit when you go down. I’ll live. I brought my DTG sandwich out there and ate it like before. The only thing I did differently was instead of stopping for breakfast I boiled some eggs and brought an apple to eat in the truck on the way out. It gave me plenty of protein and energy to ride and make it to lunch.

I was dog tired and with the time change it felt good to sleep in. After my morning Starbucks, I had to get to work on fixing my trash compactor. It’s just over one year old and the PLASTIC gear that drives it broke. I looked at the local home improvement stores but figured they wouldn’t stock it…I ordered it online. With 3 day shipping (since it broke last Wednesday and there is still garbage in the hopper) and the pasts it was about $40 I didn’t want to spend but had to. I know what I’ll be doing Thursday evening.

My son asked me a few days back if he could play Tennis. I think he must have seen a small boy playing at the courts right around the corner from our home. While we were out parts hunting we went to the local sporting goods store and $100 later we had rackets, balls, headbands and new shoes…it’s not really a sport if it doesn’t require special footwear, right? I know, I was bitching about the 40 bucks I spent to repair the trash masher but come on; if I could have picked it up at the sporting goods store I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. It’s not unusual for me to drop a Benjamin in there at every visit.

I certainly didn’t want to wait for a court and then have someone else wait on me as I struggle through swatting at balls with my son who’s never before even touched a racket so I opted to find someplace where we could freely hit the ball with no pressure of being hurried or judge for our poor skills. I tell you all of this because even after being sore from Saturday’s ride, I still managed to run down errant balls so I’m counting this as EXERCISE! I’ve been having some trouble getting started on my Powerslide. I was sick when it arrived and just didn’t have the energy to effectively muster a work out and I have yet to find a good place in the house to put it because I don’t want to have to pack it up every day either. Excuses yes, but I’m hoping my son will push me to want to play tennis with him a couple nights a week too.

Today was a typical Monday and no real surprises meal wise at work. I love the blueberry pancakes; a substitution for something with artichokes as I recall and the roast turkey sandwich for lunch...toasted nicely with a piece of Swiss cheese. When I got home, I saw my wife stopped for boiled shrimp…how could I not peel a couple as an appetizer. I know they’re not part of the meal plan but I’m a southern boy…It’s SHRIMP! I’m already preparing myself for a crawfish boil this weekend. I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist those delicious mudbugs and maybe a bottle of cold suds. I’m only human, right?

Just in the nick of time!!!

I'm happy to report my food arrived today! I checked the tracking list and saw that the shipment took an extended stay in Roanoke Va. due to bad weather early in it's trip. I was scared to open it for fear of what I might find and the possibility of exposing it to the warm environs of my office if it was still all frozen. I had a leftover yogurt for breakfast but needed to open the box to pull something out for lunch. Much to my pleasure, everything was still pretty well frozen.

If I haven't explained how the food comes to me previously, my first shipments came in a cardboard box with insulated panels and a piece of dry ice (which is all gone by the time I receive the package). It would have a small box attached to the outside with very strong plastic straps. It was big and a bit unwieldy but it always made it and everything was intact and frozen solid. A couple of weeks ago I began receiving a Styrofoam ice chest with the same small box of fruit and extras (that round out the 1600 calorie meal plan) and the straps. The first carton shipped like that was destroyed (with pictures in a previous post) but the food was still frozen and the food intact. I thought maybe something happened to the big cardboard box and they delivered what was left. The next week, same thing and same condition. This week the box was a day late getting to me (not DTG's fault...they control a lot of things but not the weather) it was shipped on time but needed to rest is Roanoke. When I got it home tonight I noticed a difference in the Styrofoam ice chest. It was a bit beefier and they used a piece of cardboard on the top of the lid before strapping the box of condiments etc to the top...my suggestion BTW. I'm glad to know they are listening. The lid was damaged a bit but not smashed into the contents of the chest like the 2 previous shipments. Much better but still not getting to me without issue.

Today brought me back five weeks when I had my first lunch at the office. I had (and shared) the big bowl of Shrimp and Mango Bisque. It came complete with a little Pita bread, a jicama salad and of course...Chocolate Pudding!!! Look, anything that DTG sends for desert is delicious. I only wish each meal had a little something sweet to finish off with but again...that's why I'm in the shape I'm in now. I have made one complete revolution through the five week menu and am almost 15 pounds lighter for it.

Tomorrow I'm going riding in the Desoto forest at one of our favorite trails called Bethel. I'm gearing up for my annual trip out west through the deserts and mountains of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. I'm taking the Memorial week for my trek so I'm still undecided as to how I'm going to handle my food. I do know one thing though. With about 2 months left to go I'm hoping to be thirty or so pounds lighter as I make the ride this year. I've got photos dating back 10 years of my adventures out west. One year we went all the way to Yellowstone National Park. It was 6800 miles in just 12 days and we were wiped out on our return. Linking several 600 mile days together is exhausting and rewarding all at the same time. Distance riding is my marathon now and I'm thankful my wife understands...whole nother story.

I got some good news and some bad news...bad news first.

Well, I figured it would happen at some point but I didn’t think it would be today. I waited and waited for my shipment to arrive at work today and unfortunately it never came. At first I thought maybe the ice chest finally burst since the last two shipments arrived pretty well battered. I even asked the ladies at the front desk a couple of times if the UPS man had come by. He had but didn’t leave anything for me. I guess it’s a good thing I ate out last night with my son because it left me with a spare dinner which, by the way, was pretty good. It was a porcine mushroom stuffed chicken breast with a wild rice pilaf and some veggies. By now, you all know how I feel about mushrooms but I have to say the combination was quite tasty with a few shakes of hot sauce and a couple of dashes of Molly McButter on the vegetables. I must have missed a dinner roll from a dinner during the week so I sopped it all up with that.

Now for the good news; I lost another pound this week! I went from 245 to 244 bringing my total to 14 pounds in just 5 weeks. That’s an average of almost 3 pounds per week. Looking at the big picture, I’m pleased with that. I think about how long it took me to pack on 14 pounds to get from 244 to 258; I’m sure it took longer than 5 weeks so taking it off in 5 weeks puts it in perspective for me. Do I wish it was more? You bet! Can I make it come off faster…I’m sure. Do I know how to make it come off faster…of course; exercise! I didn’t tell you in yesterday’s blog that I took a walk around lunchtime. I needed to go to the bank and there is a branch about a mile or so up beautiful and historic St. Charles Avenue so I decided to hoof it from my office located just down from Lee Circle. The round trip only took about 40 minutes. I figure I can still rip off at least a 15 minute mile and I was in the bank less than 5 minutes so 35 minutes of walking is probably a little over 2 miles. Not bad for not having trained in quite some time.

In 1996 I was walking closer to 6, 8 and ten miles a day as I was training for a marathon in Alaska. I found I could walk forever at about 10 to 12 minute miles. I was working up to marathon pace when my father passed away unexpectedly in April of a massive heart attack…he was only 59. I still made the trip and completed a half marathon but my training really fell off after the passing of my father. I was unmotivated and began to question my own mortality. My wife and I had been married for almost 5 years and living life doing whatever we wanted. Shortly after my fathers passing we began trying to have a child. After almost six years, in 2002 we were blessed with our son Hudson. He is truly a gift and a real reason to live. I’ve explained why daddy is on a diet and why he checks his sugar every morning and he is committed to helping me…it’s really cute and he keeps me in line. Sorry no pictures tonight. We’re having company and lets face it…I don’t look much different from last week! Looking forward to riding motorcycles again this weekend so let’s hope my food arrives tomorrow or I’ll be forced to deal with making my own food decisions all weekend. I’m not ready for that yet so come on UPS!!!!

I ate at a real restaurant for the first time tonight!

I feel successful in my very first outing and only full meal off of the DTG plan. Tonight, my wife was out of town so when I picked up my young son Hudson from kindergarten we decided to go out to eat. His school uses a smiley face system to gauge conduct and so far this week he has 3 green smiley faces. I felt he needed a reward so we went out to the local O’Henry’s restaurant. It's one of those places where you can throw the peanut shells on the floor and nobody yells at you so Hudson loves it. I stuck to the plan as best I could and ordered from the Lite Side Menu of grilled chicken breast, broccoli and a small salad with a delicious balsamic vinaigrette. My son had a cheeseburger and fries…more along the lines of what I would have order in the past. They grill a pretty good burger…piled high with lots of shredded cheddar and a mound of well seasoned French fries. You be glad to know I didn’t pilfer even one fry! He finished his coloring (also supplied by the restaurant) and we walked across the parking lot to the Baskin and Robbins Ice Cream Store. I ordered him a scoop of chocolate in a sugar cone and watched in delight as only a six year old can revel in such a treat. Again, not even a single lick for me. So after a bit of Guitar Hero III, I’d say it was a pretty successful night for all involved.

I’ve missed a couple of days posting but want to catch you up on what I’ve been eating so here we go! Today’s lunch of Hummus with Pita, string cheese and a fruit cup was a perfect change-up to lunch and worked out really well with the toaster oven. If you haven’t heard me say it enough by now, buy a cheap Wal-Mart toaster oven because some of the dishes are better heated with it rather than the micro. I crisped up the pita and re-seasoned the hummus to my liking and it was really good. Another tip I’ve given is saving a few of the side dishes for a later time. Often, for breakfast, if there is a yogurt or piece of fruit that accompanies the bagel, scone or muffin, I will save that for later and have it as a snack when the belly starts to rumble. Most diets are recommending 5 or 6 small meals a day over 3 larger ones. Doing this really helps me not only get through the day by spacing out the times that I eat but in most cases, cutting a few extra calories by forgetting or not needing to eat it. I have also decided to try and keep my sugars better in line by leaving off the marmalades, apple butter or sweet spread and skipping the juices too. By including them I find it really spikes my pre-lunch glucose check.

I’ve had a couple of really good dinners, too. The Cioppino seafood medley was a delicious mixture of shrimp, small scallops and a few pieces of whole fish in a delicious broth that at first I didn’t think Id like but could easily eat that a couple of times a week…and that’s not because it comes with the ever popular, lick the container clean, chocolate pudding! Honestly, the seafood was that good. I also really enjoyed the Vegetable Ravioli. Being that I’m not a mushroom fan I wasn’t fond of the ratatouille but it was easily pushed to the side. Oh, and did I mention there was chocolate mousse with this meal…another crowd pleaser. Tomorrow will complete my fifth week on the program which means I will have tasted all 5 menus. I made a few substitutions along the way but for the most part there were very few meals that I just flat out didn’t like or wouldn’t eat. And, I can honestly say I have enjoyed this meal plan better that any other I’ve been on in the past. It works for me because it’s easy to follow and there is very little needed from the store. I’ll talk more about how it’s affected my family, being that I don’t partake in the groceries that they are eating but that’s a blog for another day. It’s a weigh day for me tomorrow and another shipment arrives…I’ll let ya know how I did.

Must every week begin with Monday?

Mondays can really be a bear sometimes. It wasn't that it was so much stressful but just longer than I'd hoped it would be. Happy to be home and done with it. I must have missed a breakfast while I was sick last week so I ate the Parfait and Granola for breakfast today. I really must rethink cornbread muffins for breakfast because I really do enjoy when I get them. It's a nice compliment to whatever breakfast is. Lunch was a ham and cheese sandwich with some kind of mushroom salad and peach pudding. I popped the sandwich in my toaster oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese and enjoyed the ham and cheese goodness of the sandwich but just couldn't get past the sweetness of the pre-grilled bread it was on. It's the same bread used for French Toast and has something sweet about it that wasn't sitting well with the savory ham and cheese. Hungry; I ate it but would have preferred a simple rye or sour dough bread. Not being a fan of mushrooms, I quickly pitched that but enjoyed the fruit pudding...almost cobbleresque. Tonight's meal of Red Fish and Creamy Polenta was very good. It came with a side of broccoli, breadsicks and angel food cake. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat the cake now and put this day to bed. I think I've had all the Monday I can stand for one day.