Already having a problem...

[Niobe]

..not that anyone but me can do anything about it, of course, I just need to vent.

Dinner for the kids was lightly (comparatively) battered chicken breast, brussel sprouts, and I didn't bother to make a starch for them tonight as they're not very hungry (usually they'd complain).

But that chicken has 20g of carb per breast and only 19g of protein! So for dinner I can either eat badly, have turkey lunchmeat and veggies AGAIN, or go spend money I shouldn't spend on something better for myself.

Obviously I know what I should do, and I'll do it. I'm not really upset about the carbs, of course; I prefer plain chicken. What I'm bothered by is having no control over what's available to me in this house. :( (And being worried my employer's going to get mad about the lunchmeat going so fast. Love her to bits, but she really tries to minimize her food budget.)

Okay, I'm done whining now. Off to eat turkey.

[LisaS]

I know you're just venting - but this enigmatic post leaves me with lots of questions (can't help it)
Why can't you eat the chicken w/out the breading? Two breasts w/out the breading should be fine - even 1.5. I'm guessing the chicken was something frozen that you just heated for the kids?
What's the connection between lunchmeat and your employer - it isn't your own food?
Why do you have no control over the food available in the house?

this is like playing What's My Line ... are you a Nanny?

I apologize if I'm prying - feel free to ignore.

[Viking Dan]

Eat the children. They are probably low in carbs.

[Niobe]

I know you're just venting - but this enigmatic post leaves me with lots of questions (can't help it)
Why can't you eat the chicken w/out the breading? Two breasts w/out the breading should be fine - even 1.5. I'm guessing the chicken was something frozen that you just heated for the kids?
What's the connection between lunchmeat and your employer - it isn't your own food?
Why do you have no control over the food available in the house?

this is like playing What's My Line ... are you a Nanny?

I apologize if I'm prying - feel free to ignore.

LOL; sorry, I was being a little vague. The chicken was pre-breaded frozen fillets. And you're spot on, I am a nanny. :)

[Niobe]

Eat the children. They are probably low in carbs.

Umm ... :paranoid: Maybe. :)

I ended up going to the store and buying some stuff of my own (going to make my credit card payment a squeeze, but it's worth it). The trick now is to keep the munchkins and mommy from eating it!

[Gaelen]

Niobe...back to one of LisaS's suggestions...
why not just remove as much as possible of the breading from the chicken, and then eat it?
And would it be over the line to discuss with the kids' Mom about having some improved choices...maybe instead of frozen breaded chicken fillets, she could buy a bag of wings or boneless chicken breasts, UNbreaded, which you could prep as you liked. All of my nephews and my niece LOVE wings, any way I fix them...and they'd be fine for you, AND cheaper on your employer's budget. I used to keep both of those things on hand for their weekly visits, bake them with Italian dressing and let the kids add heat or spices at the table. Now the older ones like them hotter than I do. ;)

Maybe you could also convince your employer to pick up an extra dozen eggs each week, which wouldn't stretch your credit card budget, her food budget or your prep time...but give you a ready opt-out of higher carb dinners?

[Billie]

Niobe its hard to understand the predicament you are in with the food being bought and your job dependent on it. Does someone else do the cooking? If it is you and you have a budget for food prep and for yourself and the kids, obviously their eating is also important to you, can you make the choices? Or if someone else other than you is preparing it, can you have a sit down with them?

If none of the above works, and mom and dad buy the groceries and tell you what to eat, then you will have to be inventive for sure, but you can. The breading can go right off the chicken, and there's alot of cheaper things and probably better for you than deli turkey. Can you keep some eggs for yourself, packages of tuna or salmon? Peanut butter even?

You know the good thing is you are seeing some movement on the scale--and don't let anyone stand in way of your good health. It might be a little slower but we all have to work in the circumstances that we are in, so take some deep breaths, get some support and suggestions here and keep it going!

[cmcole]

I would have gone, for this meal, with the removal of the breading.

The other suggestions are also good. There must be a happy medium. Since you are living there and preparing meals, perhaps sit down and make a menu of reasonable suggestions and go over it with your employer. This would give you options, and, since you're doing the preparation work, perhaps make it even easier on your employer.

Some people just stick with the "way it's always been done" or the fastest thing possible when they grocery shop. Do you do the shopping? Do you have the input on the menu? I don't know the extent of your responsibilities, but if you're going to be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle and be able to look after the children, then the situation must be resolved.

[Niobe]

Thanks for your support and suggestions, everybody; like I said, I was just venting, I know there are plenty of ways around it. There's just always something 'round here ... tonight I have to make myself else an entirely separate meal because I was doing something else while everyone else was eating, and came back to find the kids' dogs had gotten on the counter and eaten the rest of the chicken cordon bleu! >:(

btw, the reason I didn't scrape the breading off was because it wouldn't come off without taking most of the chicken with it--that crap was like glue! :)

Gaelen, that's a good idea about the eggs--I'm kind of embarassed I didn't think of eggs last night! The chicken's good too; and we usually have some sort of meat I can do something with, unless mom used the meat I took out the night before, or isn't going to the store until we use everything in the freezer. :roll:

Billie, thank you for reminding me that things used to be worse. I don't do the shopping (god I wish, have tried in fact, but she doesn't go for it), and some nights I don't do the cooking. But last year, we had a monthly pre-made calendar that I had to follow--I do have more flexibilty than I used to regarding both what I feed the kids and myself, so already I'm ahead of where I was. :)

CMcole, you're exactly right about "the way it's always been" and convenience--lots of quick'n'easy meals in the house. I don't know that I'd have any success trying to talk to her about it as she doesn't see anything wrong with the way they eat. Her kids will sometimes have dry cereal and bread for breakfast, a jelly sandwich with chips and fruit snacks for lunch, a plate of spaghetti (sometimes even with meat!) for dinner, and snacks of popcorn, granola bars, and juice; there's no way they're getting enough protein, which is probably why they both complain about their legs hurting a lot.

Anyway, I've got some stuff that doesn't have to go in the fridge now for emergencies that I can keep downstairs, and the rest of the time I'll make do. Still counting the days until I'm done, but I'm feeling equal to the challenge again. :)

[Claudette]

Poor kids, I feel so sorry for them! Looking at that menu, no wonder their legs hurt.

How about keeping a can of protein powder, like whey vanilla, downstairs in your room that you could mix with cold water and drink in a pinch? I keep a shaker, too, to mix the powder with water.


I keep a can in my shelf in my office at work for the days when I have to work late or when I don't have time to eat a proper lunch. I add a small piece of fruit or raw veggies if time allows and viola, I have a meal on my plan.

Just hang in there, you can do it.

Claudette

[Niobe]

I do actually have protein powder; but I've never found one I can choke down just mixed with water ... and one of the kids left the rubber ring out of the blender and destroyed it! :peeved: Always something. I've been doing alright though. :)

[Billie]

Niobe your weight is certainly coming down, any comments from people regarding the differences?

[Niobe]

Thanks for noticing Billie! :) Strangely, when I lost about twenty pounds over last summer, nobody said anything. The last couple of months though (when I haven't lost anything but the usual LC-starting-water-weight) I've been getting asked by all sorts of people. :confused: Guess it's because for the first time my exercise routine appears to be doing something, so I do look slightly different.

[Billie]

Good for you! And you feel slightly different and your clothes fit slightly different and you know what else your health is getting magnificiently better! Now I would say that is a winning combination!

[Niobe]

That's all true ... but I still fell on my face today. :( Well, okay, maybe it wasn't all THAT bad, but I had one meal that was definitely off-plan, blew both the meal and the day's total. The good news is I didn't say "oh, screw it all" and dive into a brownie. I am learning. :)