NutriSystem Food

Summer has finally arrived in midMichigan. That's my thermometer from yesterday. 117 degrees in the sun!!! the inside temp is only 65 because the unit sits right above my register in the kitchen. It was actually 75 inside.
Except for barn chores, I wasn't outside much but did a lot of spinning and knitting. I cut back my morning walk to a mile and my evening bike ride to a mile.
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My second NutriSystem Box arrived yesterday by UPS. I thought some of you might be interested in it, so took pictures before I put it away.
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Because this was my second month, I got to make some choices before they shipped it.
First of all are the breakfasts. You can see there are several packages of cererals and a couple oatmeals, plus some scones and muffins. At the very bottom are breakfast bars. Last month I had some scrambled eggs that came to life with water and the microwave. I really don't like milk, but will get it into me on cereral. I usually have an Activia when I come in from chores.
If you want a bigger picture of what is here, just left click on the picture:

On to the lunches....the little tubs have a metal top that comes off, replace the plastic top and microwave. I think these are quite good. The larger containers on the left get boiling water added and then set for about 5 minutes.....and, of course, more bars.



Moving right along here to the dinners. These boxes just go into the microwave so are quick and easy. No veggies here so I have to supplement. Last month the Schwann's man brought me a big box of NutriSystem's frozen dinners with veggies in them, some sandwiches, and ice cream. I'm thinking I will probably get that again.

And the yummies.... Last month I got quite a few cookies so I changed that to more salty stuff like pretzels and soy chips. Oh, and the monthly supply of vitamins on the left. So, my friends, you can see that there is way more food than I need for a month. The best part is that I can just open my cupboard and choose something. No planning ahead and no prep, well except for having some fresh fruit and vegetables on hand.

As for taste - it's ok. I'm not a big connoisseur and don't especially like to eat, so it works for me.

You probably want to know the cost - $299 a month.

I will have to make a decision each month if I want to continue. I have lost 13 pounds, and want to lose about 10 more.

Strawberry Breakfast and Wildflowers (maybe)

After chores I stopped at the strawberry patch and picked the first strawberries of this year. I just had to show you how big they are. That's ↓ a regular sized plum with them. Three strawberries filled me up.
BTW - I've lost 10 pounds since I started the NutriSystem 4 weeks ago, and still eating frequently. I will for sure stay on it another month.





I have never really enjoyed gardening. I want the garden spotless - no weeds - but don't have the stick-to-itive-ness to do the weeding so have always left the garden work to Smitty. He didn't seem to mind the weeds. Last fall after harvest, I had folks take his berry bushes, most of the strawberry plants, and bulbs, and then tilled it up. I thought I would just seed it to grass. But then this spring I got to thinking how awesome it would be if it were wild flowers. It would be beautiful and sort of a memorial/tribute to Smitty. I've sown lots of seeds but am afraid the weeds may take over. Is hard to tell the difference. Now I'm thinking maybe I should buy some plants to put out there. At least I could tell them from the weeds.

Light Brown Alpaca Roving

I want to show you the other bag of fiber that I brought home from Zeilingers on Sunday.

This fiber is from Nick who lives in St. Louis at Diversified Alpacas. I bought his gorgeous fiber in February and had Z put it into 100% alpaca roving. It's a beautiful light golden brown, extremely clean and fine. Cassie → quite insisted on showing you the bag of 5 pounds because yesterday Max got to be poster doggie.
I will be putting it in my Etsy shop when I get done here.

NutriSystem update - Oh, my, another 1/2 pound gone according to the morning scale. I can hardly get all the food into me. Seems like everytime I turn around, I'm sticking something into my mouth. We'll see what happens without my daily exercise. Had a major leg cramp during the night and barn chores didn't really work the soreness out so I'm taking a break from the 2 mile morning walk.

Alpaca - Merino Top from the Mill

Yesterday I ran over to Frankenmuth, MI, to Zeilingers to pick up some fiber that I left in March. I love going over there because they are always so helpful and treat me so well....They make me feel special even though I'm only bringing them a hundred or so pounds of fiber each year - compare that to the thousands of pounds of buffalo that they do.
Anyway, I'm so pleased!!!! I will just tell you about the white. The alpaca comes from Target who lives in St. Louis, MI, with Chris and Jenn at Diversified Alpacas. He's a very handsome herd sire with lovely fleece who we are hoping to breed to my Ariana.

I had left Zeilingers a little over 10 pounds of 75% Target and 25% white merino from Genopalette's lambs. Gary suggested that I have it made into topp instead of roving like I have always done in the past. This picture → is the pound of noils left over that might be considered trash. I can imagine it in an awesome bed for Max or Cassie.

Speaking of Max, here he is posing for you so that you can see what 8 pounds of top looks like. I had a treat in my hand to get him to stay.

I love the way the fiber is coiled around. Looking down into the bag → is like looking into a tornado. I'm really anxious to spin some of this because it's so soft and smooth. When I pull it apart it is about 4 inches long which makes me think it's going to practically spin itself.

I took the picture above to list this in my Etsy store. The picture on the right shows how I use my weaving warping frame to wrap the top and then band it with information like - weight, my stuff, and a picture of the alpaca who donated the fiber.

Note on the warping frame, I've used it only once to measure yarn for weaving. What a waste, but it works to put up roving and top.

NutriSystem update: I thought that I had all my food but the Schwann's truck dropped off a bunch of frozen stuff today. I had a veggie pizza and an ice cream bar for lunch. They were yummy.

I started the program last Monday and have lost 3 pounds. This is amazing because I'm eating constantly.

I was just looking up how to spell top or topp, and came across the neatest little FAQ - How to tell if the fiber is roving or top? Pull the fiber apart. Top pulls apart in a straight line; roving leaves a rough, triangular-shaped edge.

NutriSystem for Weight Loss??????

Asparagus from my little patch - drizzled with a touch of olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and a generous amount of pepper, and briefly broiled. Yummy! one of the best parts of spring. I won't eat asparagus canned or frozen or anyone elses because nothing can compare to snapping it off and eating it 20 minutes later.

I'll be talking about food on here for a while 'cause I have ordered the NutriSystem. I've been walking 2 miles every morning and biking a couple every evening and haven't lost weight. Discussing this with DD Terre and she tells me I'm just not eating enough. I hate to take the time to prepare food so the NutriSystem sounds like a good plan for me.

The 30 pound box arrived yesterday from UPS filled with 28 days of food. It's all color coded and labeled Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Desserts, which is now arranged in my cupboard as such. By the way this cost $299.95, including shipping. The food is all in a dry form. For example: last night I had a chicken thing that I just had to zap in the microwave, this a.m. I added water to scrambled eggs and zapped it. So far the food has been tasty.

A little record book came with the meals but I like keeping track at their online site. I record what I eat, weight, measurements, and exercise. They have a community with forums but I've only lurked there a little. So, my friends, you will occasionally be hearing about the program and my progress.