Keto: Morning, Noon, and Night (Part 2 of 2)

Some time later and a few pounds lighter, I am feeling so good about how well I have this Keto thing down! In fact, July 22nd marks 3 months since I started this journey. I have lost a total of 20 lbs!!

This is a great time to post part 2 of the morning, noon, and night blog series. To read part 1, click here.

Continuing where I left off: Lunch/Dinner. When on Keto, it may seem even more difficult to put together a satisfying meal that helps hold you over until dinner or avoid the late night snacking. This is where resources like Google and Pinterest are your best friends!

There are a ton of great ideas on each site with an endless supply of recipes!

Use the following tips to sort through the data:

• Start with flavors and tastes you enjoy. Finding foods/recipes similar to what you already like, will help with the transition into a Keto-friendly lifestyle.
• Don't be afraid to try new things. Believe me, I have tried many new recipes and foods. Willingness to at least try them, will help you embark on a whole new food journey!
• Always find the nutritional data. Yes, you can plug information into an app, but with so many online sources, there is no reason for that hard work. I simply won't bother to use a recipe if I don't have nutritional information. 
• Don't think you have to overspend. Everything seems overwhelming and expensive when you haven't had the experience to know what works and what doesn't. Think about how to take recipes you already enjoy and alter them to make them Keto-friendly. You don't have to go broke to eat a Keto diet.
• Organize. This does not only apply to recipes, but to how you have your foods accessible and your meals planned. Proper preparation will avoid disappointing results. Below is one of the awesome ideas I found online (and one of my own versions of it).

Basically, you take a clear organizer box (I found this one at Wal-mart for about $14) and wash it. Once dry, add snacks that you can just stuff into each of the different compartments. As you are doing that, close the lid on top to write the serving size and carb count with a dry-erase marker. Repeat the process for each snack until the box is full. It's a great go-to for snacks!

Turning our focus back to lunch and dinner, here are a few ideas to get your mind thinking that yes, you can make keto work for you!

Now of course, meals aren't all you think about, when you make a change like this. You cannot forget sweets and desserts. This one can be a tricky one. There are a variety of different sugar-free options. You should do your research and figure out what is best for you. I will admit, that through my experience and research, I found the sugar-free option Swerve to be my favorite! It is a 1:1 substitute that I can use in my baking. There is especially important to me since I am a baker too!!

 So for a few ideas of the scrumptious sweets you can enjoy, I am going to make you hungry again!

These all look delightful! 

As promised, I also have a few wonderful recipes to share from my own experiences on keto. All of the recipes I recommend are NOT my own, but I did actually try each of them. So the ones I recommend, are 4-5 stars, in my book! 

Egg Frittata 

https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-the-fridge-clearing-omelet-you-can-make-once-a-week-244666

In this recipe, I did make some minor alterations, like adding bacon or ham and subbing parmasean cheese instead of goat cheese. It is loaded with veggies though and cooks very quick with a cast iron skillet. In fact, I made two batches back-to-back the first time, and put both in 8 inch round baking pans to store in the freezer. These are full of flavor with a 5-start review from me.

Salmon & Asparagus Foil Packets (Adapted from a recipe using Shrimp)

https://www.cookingclassy.com/shrimp-and-asparagus-foil-packs-with-garlic-lemon-butter-sauce/

With this recipe, I was looking for something fast and easy to prep. The recipe actually places the foil packets on the grill, but since it takes a lot of time to get the charcoal grill going, I chose the oven. It was excellent! This was also the first time I had tried asparagus, which I very much enjoyed. This meal is also perfect for the family, adding the healthy benefits that is perfect for adults and growing kids alike. I call this a 5-star recipe because fish, butter, and lemon together are simply a hit!

I do have many more concoctions and recipes that I have tried, but I need more photos, so they will have to wait.

For the Facebook savvy, I have included some groups I would recommend joining for inspiration, questions, and that have great support systems.

Keto It Your Way, Macros, Barbell Beauties (Barbell Beauties also talks about healthy diets like Keto).

And of course there are plenty of websites out there that are awesome! Blogs I am about to start following, but kinda do on Pinterest anyway, include IbreatheI'mHungry, KetoConnect, Ditchthecarbs, and KetoChristina to name a few.

This won't be the last time I visit the topic of Keto, in fact, hear me out. I'm actually going to post a before and after pic next time I post. Sooo that should inspire me to stick it out. You are relying on me!!

Anyhow, have you taken the plunge to start keto? How is it going for you? I'll bet we have much to discuss!!

Necromunda Painting - Steps of (NOT) an expert

I've seen some amazing painted terrain, models, and armies since I started watching this hobby evolve (bear in mind, I have been exposed to this since 1999). And I would never compare my painting to the experts in the field, including the most popular GW painter these days, Duncan. However, I do feel confident enough in my ability to share these latest two models with you.

In case you don't understand the joke, pull up a video tutorial of painting by Duncan..... Go ahead.... I'll wait.... (Gets a drink of water) ...... There it is!! You see the reference is to painting. I mostly agree with this, but then there is yellow. Expect like 5 thin coats! Ayaya

Moving on, I decided to reward my character model of Tumala (from my last battle) and one of the gangers, Rhosin. Tumala is equipped with a chem thrower and Rhosin has a power sword and pistol.

Like my other three painted Escher gangers, I painted the armour of these tough fighting chicks with yellow. This is something I originally wasn't a fan of because, well, yellow! It's a real pain to paint. However, the models look so good with that yellow armor that I just had to keep going with it.

Let me add that they are based gray because Duncan said so. Personally, I would not base them gray again. I'm just not a fan of it.

I used Averland Sunset  for the first color, as you can see below. You should never worry about mistakes at this point, you are going to paint over it when you paint your next color.

Then, as per Duncan's instructions, I painted the trim around the yellow Abaddon Black. This is like a tanktop or shirt underneath. It is also a great way to make the yellow standout, almost like it's outlined.

Now here is where the models begin to come alive! I started with Bugman's Glow for the base color. The color is a warm fleshtone that allows you to bring it up with a highlight color like Cadian Fleshtone, which I used next. Make sure that when you are doing flesh, that you also paint two thin coats. And mistakes are okay. We can always touch up later.

Next I decided to get the base colors on the pants and belts. Here I used Mournfang Brown and Eshin Grey for the pants. The pelt hanging off of Rhosin was painted bone. The hair color was easy, but I did want to give Tumala a more original shade. We started with good ol Troll Slayer Orange to get a base color down. I had a difficult time deciding how I was going to paint Tumala's boots, but I think I came up with a brilliant idea to make the buckles look more like gems. You'll see... Oh and then I added Leadbelcher Silver to complete all the base colors.

Once all the base colors were applied, I felt pretty good about myself. Now though I don't have pictures, there was some time spent on touching up the models. Plan on time to do this, but avoid spending more than an hour on it. There comes a point where you have to let small mistakes go kinda like Kintsukuroi fine china. Have you seen this before?

Now you know what I mean :) So I used several washes (and accidentally used glossy versions) that included Reikland Fleshshade, Nuln Oil, and Agrax Earthshade. I also used a couple of inks from old school GW lines. I used the Red ink for Tumala's hair and the Chestnut ink for the brown belts. I forgot how much I loved those colors!!

Prewash.

Postwash.

After the washes, I did gobs of highlighting and just forgot to take photos. I added the ink to Tumala's hair and then drybrushed some yellow, blonde-like strands. I think it came out cool as all get out!!

For both of them, I highlighted the face, muscles, metal, yellow, and brown straps. I should technically highlight the black and paint the eyes, but I don't think I'm that good....yet. And of course, I added the chem spray by using my favorite ghost technical paint, Waystone Green.

Finally, I based the models and called them done, or at least table-top ready.

So it was a fun experience painting these two models. It took about 3 full days (8 hours each) to paint the two of them. I am not a fast painter, but I do try to enjoy myself. Below I have included a few photos of the painted gangers on my Escher team. This is partly to show them off, partly to show the yellow terrain that Jay is close to completing, and partly to taunt Jay. He hasn't painted one ganger yet. What's taking you so long ol buddy, ol pal??

I have 5 more characters to go and look forward to getting started on them. Unfortunately, they will have to wait, since my next model-painting project is Sisters of Battle!! I have some girls to work on. Let me know what you've been up to? Surely, you have painted something interesting too. Comment below.

Time Off from Work

They say that you should eat right and exercise. They say you shouldn't stress too much and should have a positive attitude. They say that you shouldn't be a workaholic! Unfortunately, I'm not perfect at any of those things, but I sure try to be.

So with that in mind, I decided it was time to take some time off at the beginning of June. I planned it perfectly where it was right when the kids (er I mean teenagers) ended school. We had planned to spend some quality time together and just enjoy a little of summer, before the heat gets unbearable. And yes, we managed to have a great time!



Anyone who knows me personally, knows I work in the transportation industry. This career is very demanding and requires a certain skill set. In fact, when I first began as a simply receptionist, I had no idea it would evolve into my career. Ten years in and I wouldn't change a thing! It's fast-paced, real-time driven, high-pressure, and high-reward. My boss and coworkers are amazing and the job is exciting every day!

There are serious challenges in the industry from DOT mandates, to driver shortages, driver-less trucks, and shipper/consignee issues. Those are problems I may touch on in another post, but for now just know that there are a select few people who can do this. And I feel lucky enough to be one of them.

Moving along, I did make sure we kept busy with all kinds of fun from swimming to gaming and painting to kickstarters. To be clear, we received one of our kickstarters called Joan of Arc (wave 1) during my break. Kinda awesome! Btw, the archer on horse I shared below is less than 2 inches tall!!

We spent a lot of time together and I just found myself enjoying a chance to relax.

Some of the great things we did included building some Necromunda models. For those who are unfamiliar with Necromunda, it is a game system created by Games Workshop originally in the '90s. The game is a tabletop skirmish game where you take post-apocolyptic bands of miniatures and fight for resources and territory. It is easy to play and when I finally got to building the reboot models, I was more excited than ever to start painting them! I forgot how detailed the models are and loved how Games Workshop made them so easy to build, as well. I built the Escher band and the hubby built the Goliath gang.

A few weeks after building the gangs, then we put together another part of our gaming that correlated with Necromunda. Another kickstarter we got into was Tinkerturf. The kickstarter was for building terrain that was basically just like the original terrain for Necromunda, but it was even better! Very easy to build, great material, and customizable as all get out! We just finished building the 2nd part of that set and look forward to playing a game with the new terrain. In the meantime, feast your eyes on my 1 (Yes just 1, at the time) painted Necromunda model on the Tinkerturf terrain. Pretty cool eh?

We also played an Age of Sigmar game (my favorite game system Games Workshop has made). I played a ghost army against the Iron Jaws (Orks). Unfortunately, I lost, but then I was playing against a former GW employee and gamer all around. I still don't stand a chance! lol

Iron Jawz Won!!

Beyond games like that, we also decided to get in a game of Munchkin-a really cool card-based game focused on killing monsters and keeping your opponents from winning. Of course, we had not played the 40K version, so we opened the box and went for it! Jay won. Darn it.

As foretold, my daughter and I decided to start a painting. Originally it was supposed to be the whole "painting with a twist" idea of getting it done in one night, but there was no rush. So instead we finished it in 3 days. I was very proud of her work on the dusk scene and glad to start/finish a painting myself so quickly. This was the kind of thing I need to do more often in my off time.

  

And of course, no summer is complete without swimming!

So we did get that in after some hard labor at my Sis-in-Law's house to get their pool area ready. The kids enjoyed that relief.


Lastly, no vacation is complete without the modern video game time. I am a ridiculously avid fan of Minecraft (specifically on survival mode). So I played hours of that, and have continued since. There is something oh so very exciting about finding diamond ore or fighting a blaze in the nether world. It sends my adrenaline racing!!

We also explored the fun of beat saber (because I finally ordered it for our ps4 VR. It did not disappoint! The family all supported one another as we tireless played through each level, trying to beat it. *Que music

All in all, it was some great family time and that's what mattered.

So what do you do when you get a little time off? Any kinds of games and activities you prefer to do with the family? Share in the comments below. And in the meantime, have a great day!!