Baked Southwest Eggrolls with Chicken

I have been enjoying cooking since trying to lose wieght. My lastest experiment was Southwest Eggrolls, similar to Chili's Southwest Eggrolls. It was a fairly easy recipe, modified from recipes that I found the web.

Ingredients for the Egg Rolls

10-12 Chicken Tenders
4 oz can of diced green chiles

2 Cups Shredded Cheese
2 Cups Frozen Corn
1 Can Black Beans, Rinsed and Drained
1 Bunch Green Onions, Sliced
1 10 oz Package Frozen Spinach, or Fresh Spinach, Sauted
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ceyenne Pepper
1 Package Egg Roll Wrappers

Avacado Dip:
Sour Cream
Greek Yogurt
Avacado
Green Onions

Place frozen chicken tenders in a crock pot, top with can of green chiles. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
When chicken in cooked, place in dish and shred with fork. Mix other ingredients, except for wrappers, in a large bown with the chicken.
Place a heaping spoonful of the mix in the middle of the wrapper. Roll wrapper over mixture, folding in sides of wrapper, moisten corners with water to seal the seams.
Brush wrapper with olive oil.
Preheat oven to 425. Bake eggrolls for 15 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking.

For the dip, mix sour cream and/or yogurt, depending on how low fat you want to go, with the diced avacado and green onion.

Serve with shredded lettuce and salsa!

Makes 24 Egg Rolls
Calories Estimated at 190 per Egg Roll

Weight Loss Odyssey!

These are my before pictures, taken close to my heaviest weight, I have been unhappy about my weight for some time. But about year ago, my knee started giving me trouble. I had gone to the ortho doctor because my knee was hurting. He said the knee cap was off center, told me to exercise the knee, ride the stationary bike, do therapy.

One Saturday, Ron and I went to a farm auction, where he bought a "farm" tractor, by the way, I walked and stood in a field all day. The next day, the kids and I went to see "Shrek" the Broadway play at the Robinson Auditorium. While walking down the sidewalk, my knee popped and I had some pain that I have never experienced before.

Despite the pain, I hobbled into the auditorium, requested a wheel chair, so that we could see the play. It was GREAT! A lot of people helped me that day!

The doctor diagnosed a torn meniscus. I had surgery for a meniscus repair in December 2011. A year of exercise and therapy didn't really heal my knee.

In August of 2012, I gave serious consideration to lap band surgery to lose weight. I finally decided that losing weight might heal my knee.

The profile picture shows my knee problem. My right knee is knock-kneed. I think it always was, but not to this extent. So, besides my weight getting out of hand, I knew I needed to lose weight to help my knee. Walking hurts, I am constantly afraid of it getting worse, and I walk with it kind of caving in.

I scheduled the lap band surgery for September 2012. I needed to lose enough weight to get my BMI below 40 for the surgery to be considered lower risk and cost less.

On August 13, 2012, I started recording my food and exercise on My Fitness Pal. I attempted to keep my calories at 1200 and ride the recumbent bike 60 minutes at least 5 days a week. 

I used some GNC Protein shakes some to help me lose weight.

The first 15-20 lbs came off pretty quick. I was on track to lose 2 lbs a week. 

Then the holidays hit. My loss has slowed down considerably!

I have not given up though. This is when I would normally give up and just quit.

January 2013, I have started the South Beach diet. For 2 weeks, no sugar, fruit, bread, potatoes, rice, etc. I made that for about 1 1/2 weeks, then we went on a business trip.

After the trip, I have been using a modified South Beach. I have tried to reduce my carbohydrate intake. I have also changed my exercise to 20-30 minutes of riding at a higher pace.

I bought a massage table for my therapy, and an occasional massage!

 February 2013, I have lost 30.1 lbs! I am very excited about that!

I have so much more that I need to lose, but I have not been at this weight for years!

I also have my knee surgery scheduled. March 19!

I hope to lose a few more pounds before the surgery. And to continue my weight loss odyssey!

 

 

Ron is losing weight just by eating what I give him and a bad case of pnemonia! This picture is from our January 2013 trip to Tampa Florida.. This is at the Tampa Bontanical Garden. I hope to post another picture next year showing less of us both.

Ron and His Not So Happy New Year

During the power outage, Ron had to winterize the pool and hot tubs. It was cold outside and we had no heat for him to warm up with. I don't know if that caused him to get sick, but New Year's Eve, he woke up with a fever. We cancelled our exciting New Year's Eve that we had planned, food, fireworks and all! New Year's Day, still sick. He would not visit the doctor. Wednesday, Jan 2, Ron went to see the doctor, but not out family doctor. The doctor diagnosis the flu, even though the test was negative. I had called his oncologist to see if any special treatment would be required because of his chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL. Thankfully the oncologist wanted to see Ron for a blood test. Jan 3, Ron woke up telling me he was ready to go somewhere, oncologist or emergency room, anywhere! 
His white blood count was elevated slightly, but not enough to cause Ron to feel so bad. Dr Beck had us go downstairs for chest x-rays. The technician showed me the cloudy area in his lungs. Dr Beck went downstairs to view the x-rays himself. He came back in the room and said, that is a pretty good case of pneumonia and he wanted Ron to head to the hospital and  be admitted to critical care!
Ron, by this time was very willing to go anywhere to get better.
Ron spent the first night in the cardiac critical care area, then three nights in a room on the oncology floor. Several rounds of IV antibiotics, various other treatments, and Ron was discharged from the hospital.
It took another several weeks for Ron to get better!

We did find out that with this CLL, Ron is not to ignore a fever or any other signs of infection.
I have not made a post about the CLL. I realized that this blog is good way to chronicle the exciting life that Ron and I live.

A year or so ago, Ron was diagnosis with chronic lypmpcytic leukemia. The oncologist stated that Ron would not die from CLL, he would die "with" CLL. I wasn't sure what that meant. After this bout with pneumonia, I did a little research. Many CLL patients die from pneumonia or some other infection that they are susceptible to because of the lowered immunity.

Next time I ask Ron is he wants to go to the doctor, I will not ask him, I will tell him we are going to the doctor. There is no waiting for Monday, waiting for the fever to go down, we go to the doctor!

I believe this has made a believer out of Ron. He seems to be more willing to relax. We have a business meeting in California. He said, lets take the family so we can go to Disneyland! I told him I was saving those funds for my 60th birthday. He told me to save more money, he wanted to have fun now! So, it's off to Disneyland we go!

Christmas Power Outage 2012

On Christmas Day 2012, an ice and snow storm started. We were able to have dinner, but before cleaning the kitchen, the power went out! That ended the celebration for the night. That night was OK, the next morning, we headed to Andrea and Steves for breakfast and sledding. We went home for the night, went to work the next morning. Then another night of no power, until Saturday morning, when my suffering sparked my creativity!

On the first day of the power outage,

my true love gave to me, warmth with a big bear hug

On the second day of the power outage,

my true love gave to me, a kerosene heater

 and warmth with a big bear hug
On the third day of the power outage, my true love gave to me,

lights with a generator, a kerosene heater,

and warmth with a big bear hug.
On the fourth day of the power outage, my true love gave to me,

an electric blanket, lights with a generator, a kerosene heater,

and warmth with a big bear hug.
On the fifth day of the power outage, my true love gave to me,

breakfast at East End Cafe, an electric blanket, lights with a generator, a kerosene heater,

and warmth with a big bear hug.
On the sixth day of the power outage my true love better give me a hotel room....!

To follow up, the power came back on Saturday morning! I have never enjoyed cleaning house and doing laundry more!

Kayak Trip in Florida

We took a 2 hour kayak trip. I thought it would be in a small river or bayou type waterway, but no, it

was in the bay! The weather was beautiful. I did not anticipate the distance that we would travel.

I really do not know what I was thinking. Ron did better than me, even though he was still recovering from pnemonia!

We saw some interesting birds! The exercise was good for us! But I did expect to see more wild life, maybe a dolphin!

I do not like this picture! I am posting it on my blog to use as my "before" picture! I have lost 28 lbs, but I can see from this picture how much more I need to lose! I hope to post another kayak or canoe picture in the future showing less of me!