The Difference Between Men and Women

I'm on this little journey this year, along with my husband. It's a journey to really lose weight and get healthy this year, and STAY that way! However, last Saturday didn't help! It was my sister-in-law's (Papa Bear's sister) birthday, and we celebrated by having dinner at the Outback Steakhouse, and then having cake and ice cream at my parents-in-law's house.

I did fairly well with dinner. I chose the fish. I can't remember the name of the dish, and it doesn't show it on their website, but it was tilapia with fresh lump crab meat, shrimp, crawfish, and mushrooms in a light butter-Chablis sauce, served with seasonal veggies. The veggies were yellow squash, carrots, and broccoli. Pretty healthy, right? I didn't have any appetizers, although I did snag a few french fries from Brother Bear's plate. And I did have a bite of Papa Bear's Queensland Salad.

But it was the cake and ice cream that got me. I didn't have a lot, but it was enough. I had a small piece of birthday cake, and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Then, I saw that my brother-in-law (Papa Bear's brother) wasn't having cake and ice cream. This is what he said, "I'm just thinking of my workout today. I don't feel like ruining it.". In response to that, my husband said, "That's why I allowed myself the cake today. I planned for it.". Who thinks like that? Like, "I just worked out, so I'm not going to ruin it by eating wrong.".

Here's how I think: I walked today, so I can have that scoop of ice cream and not feel bad about it. Right? Is that how you other gals think, or is it just me? Do you justify that candy bar, because you worked out? Let's hear it!

Mama Bear

Tasty AND Healthy?

I've always sauteed mushrooms in butter or margarine. Always. I mean, what better way to sautee? Right? Well, now that Papa Bear and I are really working hard at getting healthy and losing weight, I have been trying to come up with new ways to do things. So, I thought, "hmmm....I wonder what would happen if I sauteed some mushrooms in beef (flavored) broth." I had the beef broth left over from making Rachael Ray's Cheeseburger Chili Mac, and we had mushrooms left over from salad, so I thought I'd put the two together. OH MY GOODNESS!!! You wouldn't believe the flavor!


Here's what I did: Put a carton (or whatever you have left over) of whole mushrooms in a small skillet, and add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup beef broth. (Ours happened to be "beef-flavored" because that's all that Papa Bear could find at Whole Foods. He saw chicken broth and vegetable broth, but not beef broth...only beef-flavored broth. Weird, huh?!) Bring to a low boil over medium heat, and let simmer.


Every now and then, give the mushrooms a stir, so that all sides get cooked evenly. Continue to simmer, and you will see the broth start getting a little thicker as it "disappears". Start stirring constantly at this point. The beef-flavored broth caramelizes on the mushrooms.


Once all the liquid is gone, take the skillet off of the heat. Let the mushrooms cool down a bit, and then ENJOY! These reminded me of some fried mushrooms we used to get at a little drive-in called the Panther Drive-In in Knob Noster, Missouri when I was a little girl. The flavor seemed to taste the same. Of course, mine didn't have the breading and frying.



Mama Bear

Mariani Premium Ultimate Apricots

There used to be a time when I thought I didn't like dried fruits like prunes and apricots. That was a LONG time ago. Now, I'm so glad my tastes have changed. We have a super tasty, healthy superhero when it comes to helping us lose weight and get healthy....Dried Apricots.

Here's what the back of the bag says: "Bursting with flavor, Mariani Premium Ultimate Apricots are specially prepared and slightly sweetened with a natural fruit essence. Sun-ripened to full maturity, our apricots are tender and juicy. Spectacular in color and flavor, no other Mediterranean apricot can compare!"

That's kind of what I said too, when I first tasted one. Seriously. I actually told my husband "It feels like I'm biting into a bit of sunshine." I know. Corny. It's ok. These apricots are SO yummy that I have to be careful how many I eat. I will sit there and snack on them, not thinking about how much fiber I'm taking in!

The Mariani apricots have no added sugar, have 0g of fat, 400mg of potassium, 6g of Dietary Fiber, and even 1g of Protein! And that's just for a 1/4 cup serving.

I would encourage you to try some Mariani Apricots too. We got ours at Costco. YUM! YUM!

Mama Bear