Everyday Systems

Good topic! I especially like that it's framed as breaking the fast-- I sure look forward to breakfast since I don't do evening snacks as a rule. I basically have a smoothie and toast, sort of an intelligent default. The smoothie is based on yogurt/banana/some kind of green/some other fruit on hand ...

Oh! Oh! These are portable and don't involve loose little pieces: http://thelittleways.com/how-to-make-sacrifice-beads This is what they look like in use: http://trinityepiscopalchurchwestpittston.org/prayer-beads/ Traditionally you "pull" or slide a bead for good deeds or sacrifices made during the...

Ainsley! What a rare and lovely name (and my daughter's middle name ).

I recall it means "field of flowers?"

Welcome to the board. How's it going your second week into No-S?

Ursula

The thread about No-S maintenance which got into keeping certain foods out of the house altogether reminded me of our candy cabinets. Yes, we actually keep it locked up, out of sight, out of mind, and it's been very successful! This started out as an ounce of prevention when we remodeled our kitchen...

Hi everybody, I don't post often but try to visit once a week. I do have a cool discovery to share. I've noticed something interesting about switching to unsweetened coffee-- I thought I would mind very much but it actually tastes fine and, shocking to me, IT LASTS LONGER/SATISFIES MORE. Earlier in ...

VC, I'll just add that if you've been stopping at one piece under pressure that's more a sign of a success than fail.

Lookingup, congratulations on your twins! With a couple older little ones about as well, I second the advice already given about sleep. Just consider that your number one hobby for now. My sister had twins, and you've already heard this advice, I'm sure: their first year is a blur and you and your w...

Hi franceacct, hope things are going well this week. One additional factor you may want to consider is water retention. Sounds like that week you logged 30 miles and participated in a 10 K was more physical activity than you're used to? One of the ways a body responds to what it interprets as unusua...

Congratulations! I had a very tough first pregnancy with nausea--then it got even tougher my second time with a combination of nausea and stomach flu I could not shake; I was steadily losing weight for weeks and terrified for my baby. So here's what I learned the hard way-- and what made the next tw...

How about making the recipe portion but freezing the leftovers in portions--not necessarily separately wrapped, but at least pre-cut, to be able to pull out a single portion easily at a later time? Not sure if it's laziness or efficiency on my part to go ahead and make a dessert in its entirety, but...

Eschano, I love that ice cream vendor story! The vendor is probably a dad. Ever notice how parents, especially moms, have an automatic eye for how large a portion they serve their kids? Speaking of kids, it's sad how many situations American kids find themselves in come with built in snacks, almost ...

funny!

My dessert/sweets conditioning is so strong I haven't yet made it go away entirely for No-S days, but I have cut it down to size. A Dove or similar sized individual chocolate, a hard candy, a tiny portion of ice cream, or other tiny portion satisfy the "need". It's kind of ridiculous that I can't ju...

Another slushy drink for you tea lovers-- chai concentrate and milk blended(diluted) with ice. (I'm sure chilled, concentrated home brewed chai tea and some kind of sweetener could be used as well.) Again, a tiny bit of Xanthan gum is optional to keep from separating. Or just stir with straw.

Slushy drinks! First, you need a good blender-- the Oster insulated drink cups or Magic Bullet, etc make it even easier. Tip-- if you have an Oster blender, Mason jars fit into the base for a portion size blending container you can drink out of. I'm not talking smoothie here, this is much more dilut...

I second what Oolala said about including some fat. It really does fuel you between meals. I find even just whole milk in coffee goes a long way in satiating me between meals-- a No-S loophole, to my mind, but I'll take it! Not too many generations back, our ancestors would have been aghast at what ...

http://www.amazon.com/Minutes-Morning-Simple-Pounds-Guaranteed/dp/0060505389/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400703376&sr=1-5&keywords=jorge+cruz I guess Jorge Cruz is a TV personality/trainer-- this, his first book, was highly recommended in the PE section of a homeschool catalog where I found it! ...

Good find, Beth--thank you!

Dear MLW: The shiny silver lining about your little girl's teeth: not only did it bring you to this revelation, and I'm sure your entire family is eating more healthily now, BUT these are her baby teeth! Thank goodness for second chances! I hope the dentist explained that if she (you :)) changes her...

I'm 53... to my very younger self, sheesh girl, you ended up with more stretch marks from extreme (800 cal/day) diets and constant yo yo weight fluctuations in your late teens and early 20's than you ever did in the course of 4 pregnancies! That's enough proof to me that the skin damage came from th...

Great idea! It occurs to me that I've seen lots of divided plates in thrift shops--usually in sets, many quite attractive and with a vintage-y feel. They tend to have higher edges than typical dinner plates, which is always a plus for keeping foods separated... they must have been popular for cockta...

Why not set the fruit in a separate small dish next to your plate, leaving tthe space the fruit would take on your plate clear. (eg the fruit is visually a "missing slice" from your plate). In my case, as chief bottlewasher around here, I prefer to finish at least that part of the meal without the c...