So I’m going to try my best to start off each day with a bowl of protein-laden cereal, or a protein shake. I even set up a food log in Google Docs to help me keep track of my food/protein consumption. I had a spreadsheet on my computer before, but it was a pain to use and keep updated because there wasn’t a way for me to sync it between my two computers. At least with the food log being in Google Docs I’ll be able to access it from any computer I might happen to be on.
Right now I have six ounces worth of it + three ounces of milk, which amounts to 57 grams of protein, provided I can get it all down and keep it all down. If I can, 57 grams of protein is a kick-ass start to the day, since my daily goal is 60 — the ideal goal being 80.

I finally have jenn.nu’s new layout up, which you should be able to see (if not, clear your cache). It’s been a work-in-progress for over a week now. Long gone are the days of throwing up a new layout every week, or even every month. Hah. Now I’m doing good to get a new one going every 2-3 months! I really should do like Dooce and some of the other “big” bloggers, and use the same layout all of the time, and just change the header images, fonts and colors as desired. But I get bored with the same thing, which is why I switch around with two column and three column layouts, large header areas and then large footer areas, etc.

Right now I have cereal to eat, this blog entry to finish, and then tons of email to get through, followed by tons of blogging. Most of my week is dedicated to Eden Fantasys and SEOwhat, and on the weekends I tackle everything else — paid blogging, paid tweets, private blogging for other clients, etc. Whew! It’s a hectic schedule, but it mostly works!

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This is one of the very few times I’ve showcased actual food on my blog and on Flickr, because, c’mon, a fat chick talking about food? You don’t say! But tell me those nachos don’t look heavenly and you don’t want to dive right in! I get tired of bringing three quarters of my food home with me, and re-heated food never tastes the same as when it was first made… so I’m getting more creative and more frugal by making my own spiffy dishes, instead of running out to a restaurant (or in this case, a Taco Bell drive-thru) for them.

Best of all? I can create my own portions! Those nachos were made on a saucer plate, which is the size of dish I eat off these days. They’re Jenn sized! ♥

P.S. You can find the recipe here!

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You’re looking at one of the best soups I have ever tried. And luckily for me, my friend Jason made it, so I have at least six meals worth of it stored in my fridge. It’s a creamy tomato soup with a block of pepperjack cheese thrown in. It’s also made with cream cheese, which means even more cheesy (and protein) goodness for me! This stuff is heavenly. And soup always stays down for me (I guess it’s harder for air to make its way into dense liquids), so that’s a nice little bonus.

In other news, I took down all of the Christmas tree decorations and general Christmas decor this evening, and Dan hauled the tree outside tonight. I had a vacuum bag worth of pine needles to sweep up, and probably another half-bag worth to vacuum up, but I’m sure I missed several thousand or so, and so they’ll be turning up randomly throughout the year. Goodbye Christmas… now I’m getting excited for Valentine’s Day! ♥

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I went out to the grocery store this evening. Fun times. I was just so damn sick of plain chicken soup broth and chicken stock that I begged Dan to take me to the grocery store. I picked out several chunkier and more flavorful soups whose broths are bound to pack some more taste than what I’ve been getting. And I wasn’t disappointed… minestrone soup broth was AWESOME!

Have I mentioned that I am counting down the days until Thanksgiving? I am so over this shake and soup broth crap. Now that I’m home and feeling a bit better my hunger has returned. Spaghetti, fried chicken and French fries have all smelled mouth-wateringly good. Yet the sugar cookies I made with Alyssa this afternoon (and let her and Ryan decorate with leaf and pumpkin sprinkles) smelled and tasted (I put a dot-sized amount on my tongue just for a taste, because I was curious about many post-op patients saying that sweet things taste off and unappetizing — looks like they were right!) off.
Oh, and food commercials? EVIL. I have never craved Subway subs, Applebee’s appetizers, Pizza Hut’s pasta and Domino’s pizza like I am now! Heh. I can start to slowly re-introduce normal foods in weeks 5 and 6 (Christmas and New Year’s!), and man oh man I cannot WAIT.

Okay, enough of my food babbling. This must seriously be the largest amount of text I have ever devoted to food. So yes, enough. Right now I’m relaxing in the living room. Blanket over my lap and legs, dog nestled on the arm of the recliner and my left thigh, laptop conveniently positioned in front of me thanks to a Tablemate tray, no pain or twinges unless I move, starting to feel sleepy, down 12 lbs. since surgery last Wednesday… Life is good!

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It was so hot in here yesterday. And then last night, my mother and brothers came over for dinner — rigatoni with tomato sauce and garlic bread. But then Dan needed dinner too, and he doesn’t like rigatoni, and really wanted meatballs. So guess who stood over a hot stove, making rigatoni AND spaghetti AND tomato sauce AND meatballs to simmer in another pan of tomato sauce? And not one but TWO loaves of garlic bread.
And after everybody wolfed down dinner, they all looked at me expectantly. Dessert. So the oven went back on again, the kitchen’s temperature soared to roasting, and I made a delicious butter golden yellow cake with triple chocolate fudge chip icing on it.

*sweat*

And then came the clean up. So much fun. After everyone left and the kidlets were in bed, I begged Dan to install the AC units. He agreed, but only if I beat the first boss song on Guitar Hero 3. It took me two tries, but I did it.

*basks in AC*

Today? I thought about the Hands-on House for Alyssa, but I think I’ll save that for tomorrow, when it’s supposed to be cool, cloudy and rainy. So today… either a walk at a park that has a pond with loads of ducks and geese, and/or another trip to the playground. But for now, I’ve got laundry to fold!

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I just woke up from an unintended nap. I was laying on the couch, flipping through a magazine and playing Bubble Breaker (167 games with an average score of 403, yeah!) when I fell asleep. Oops. I still feel fuzzy.

Dan has requested my uber yummy meatballs for dinner. No secret to them, really. Just ground beef, milk, egg, bread crumbs, shredded cheese, italian seasoning and whatever else I may find in the fridge or cupboard that catches my eye.

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This CNN article was a godsend. Not only did it provide estimated payment dates from the IRS itself, but also linked to a spiffy calculator where you plug in some basic information from your 2007 tax return in order to find out what you’ll be getting back!

Today is blah. Nothing good, nothing bad. Just blah. But blah is okay. I need some boringness in my life, because whenever there’s excitement, I can guarantee that at least some of it is rather dramalicious.

Dinner: browned chicken, rice and broccoli simmered in cream of chicken soup and various spices. Yummy!

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