#Oatmeal #TakeTheOatmealChallenge #Porridge: My Favorite Scottish Porridge - Eat Yer Oatmeal, Lose Weight Fast! #ChewyOatmealCookies! Yippee!! #Diet #Regularity #HealthyLiving #Yum! : )

Take The Oatmeal Challenge 

Eat One Bowl of Oatmeal a Day for 30 Days

Scottish Porridge! 

See how you do : ) You're Gonna LOVE the results, baby-cakes!

Let us all know how many inches you lose around your Waist! 

Yahoo!! : )

And #OatmealCookies, too!

Scottish Porridge -- a super-healthy treat for breakfast!

Or Oatmeal for ANY Meal - I just had mine for dinner! Yum! 

Yum! I DO love my porridge - it's really important to have a nice place to sit down, enjoy your meal - especially your Oatmeal, then you'll feel like it's a real meal, and we all know your brain is behind a lot 'o da annoying extra weight... mine is, anyway, so you want to feel happy and content, and really enjoy your Oatmeal, love that Scottish Porridge! lol! 

(Don't forget to cook it with the salt, otherwise, yick! Is completely flavorless, without the salt, and salt is way better for you than the extra sugar... you just want to make it so that YOU like it, who cares what anyone else says, the inches you lose around your waist will be way better for your overall health than anything anyone has to say about the salt...) And, take that with a grain of salt, too - haha! ; )

Oh, and those are the pretty little Wire Trees that I love to make! : ) 

Can you lose weight just by eating oatmeal, just by adding oatmeal to your regular diet?  

Absolutely!  

Adding Oatmeal to your regular diet will make those extra pounds just fall off, and if you add in going to the gym, well, then.. WHAMMO!!  You're gonna drop that extra weight in no time! (AND, you'll be all regular, too! lol!) 

I make 3 bowls of Porridge at a time - one for now, then for the next day and the day after - lol! 

Just pop in the microwave for 3 minutes, after it's been in the fridge, and your porridge will be juuust right! lol! 

Oh, and drink that tea, too... if you can make sure you're not drinking your calories, you'll take extra pounds off just by switching to water where you can, and tea is my favorite!  I'm a Tea Jenny! lol! (A lot like a Tea 'Junkie', only much more civilized! hahaha!)

I'm a big oatmeal fan -- it's one of the best foods we can eat to lose weight, or maintain a healthy weight, plus, is really tasty and is very inexpensive : )

Ingredients:

2 cups Oatmeal,  the One Minute Oatmeal (I use One Cup Regular Oatmeal, One Cup Large Flakes or Steel Cut Oatmeal - but it'll all be good, and it'll all be healthy!)

3 cups of Water

1 1/2 tsp of Salt (You know what?? I used to say "1 tsp of Salt", because I felt guilty about saying how much salt I actually put in my porridge, but then, the other day, the morning routine was waaay thrown off, and I forgot the salt, fist time, ever, to forget the salt, and it was HORRIBLE - did I already says, 'HORRIBLE'?? hahaha!  It was God-Awful, so then I thought, omg, is this why people hate porridge, won't eat their Oatmeal? Because their Mom or Dad made them some God-Awful Oatmeal, no salt, no flavour.. well, maybe the flavour of death-warmed-over, since it's , you know, hot...bah'hahahahaha! Me jus' entertaining mah'self, at this point! hahaha!

Anyway, the bottom line info about cooking your Oatmeal - please add the Salt - it's okay for you, unless you're on a very tight no-salt regimen (but even then, hmmm, I dunno, I would think the health benefits of eating Oatmeal might override that 'no salt' thing... that's a personal choice : )

Turns out, this is about a half a teaspoon of salt, in the center of my hand! So, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt in your porridge! I always, always, just measure the salt in the center of my palm - lol!
I don't know HOW you would ever doctor up the oatmeal/porridge, without the Salt.. you would need massive amounts of sugar, if you like Brown Sugar and Cinnamon in your Porridge.. to me, that just adds more sugar, soo, hmmm... but if that's how you'll eat your porridge, ooookaaay... and you can always add in fruit and walnuts...apparently, that's yummy, too... just so long as your food tastes good - healthy AND delicious, that's what we're shootin' for, here! lol!  

I loove my porridge the regular way, with milk - yum! Am making it, right now, divide it into 3 bowls, pop the other two bowls in the fridge for tomorrow and the next day... I just heat them up for 4 minutes in the microwave - easy schmeasy..and the porridge keeps me going all day - is the best! Da bestestest! lol! 

( I think I actually use 3 tsp...sneaky! And I use my hand to measure - you know how you pour the salt into the center of the palm of your hand - yep, dat how me measures da salt - lol!)

This makes 3 servings of Oatmeal, or, Porridge, as we call it : ) 

I have one serving, right away, then pop the other two servings in the fridge - I pour all three bowls of porridge as soon as the porridge is ready, have one now, pop the other two in the fridge to heat in the microwave, and have for breakfast or lunch, the next tow days... and I just heat it for 3:30 minutes - and I have my oatmeal with milk - yum! Me yuvs it!

Directions:

Put the water on to boil, and add the salt.  I use my hand as a measurement, and for one reason or another, I like to put in 3 little bits of salt in the center of my hand (one wee bit at a time), and put that in -- I never use an actual tool for measurement for this! lol!  

You can skip the salt if you prefer fruit or Brown Sugar and Cinnamon in your Oatmeal, but I love the traditional Scottish Porridge... I grew up with it, and it reminds me of my Dad making the porridge every time I make it... is a lovely memory, and I loves me porridge (and my Dad!!)! Sticks to yer ribs, lasts you all day!

Once the water is boiled, pour in 2 cups of oatmeal, using a wooden spoon to quickly stir it into the boiling water so no lumps arrive (it's good to keep lumps of any kind out of your life... I'm thinking here of intensely dull people I might accidentally call lumps... lol!).

Stir the oats into the boiling water, cover and turn off the heat, wait 3 minutes, Done! : ) 

Turn the heat down right away, or your oatmeal will go over the edge of the pot, and keep stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes -- I use a wee pot for the porridge, unless I'm making it for more people... this is enough for two bowls just for you -- one for now and one for tomorrow (just heat it for 3 minutes in the microwave, add milk and enjoy!), or you can split this into three little bowls... depends on the size of the people you're serving! lol!  Really, this is an easy ratio -- 3 parts Water: 2 parts Oatmeal, salt to taste...

I always make, 3 cups of water, 3 tsp. of salt - in my hand, soo, prolly less than a tsp., each time, and 2 cups of Oatmeal - yum! Makes 3 bowls : )

I line up the bowls so I can just pour the oatmeal porridge into each bowl - one for now, cover and refrigerate the other bowls, for the following days - then just pop a bowl in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes, so it's nice and hot with your milk - yum!

Now I'm dividing the Oatmeal Porridge into 4 bowls - but, you'll know how much energy you need to get through your busy day!

Here's the thing, though... if you know me, and if you're in here, chances are high you already know that I clearly believe that More is Better, Bigger is Better, More Oatmeal means I might lose weight even FASTER... hahahaha!  Well, all that really means is that I tend to put extra oatmeal in my porridge, in the hopes that it will counteract all da chocolates me likes to eat!! hahahaha!  I Hope to God my theory that oatmeal makes the pounds fall off is right!! haha! (Yes, it's right... I kid because I just got a great deal on Cadbury Mini Eggs, and plan to have a pack a day forever! lol!) So if you feel like adding in a wee bit more oatmeal into the boiling water, go ahead... what's the worst that can happen??  You'll get too skinny?? hahahaha!  We all wishes!! lol!

You will be amazed at how much weight you lose naturally when you add oatmeal to your diet.  I am very fond of it, and I like my Scottish Porridge with milk... you pour the milk into the edge of the bowl, so your porridge will float around like a wee island... is all just part o' da fun o' porridge!! haha!  Who knew porridge is fun?? I just keep adding milk as I go along... is delicious : )

Dis meee, in Vegas! lol! (Oatmeal + the gym = Healthier Me!!)

I have a whole Scottish Diet that I developed and used to help me lose over 35 pounds... is in the same vein as the whole Oatmeal idea, since oatmeal is sooo useful in losing weight quickly... is da best food, ever!! https://buildyourownhousebodylife.blogspot.ca/2010/10/scottish-diet-it-really-works.html

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Set yourself a nice place setting, put on a funny show - I always watch Jimmy Fallon while I'm having my Oatmeal Porridge - and I use a pretty mat, 'n everything - lol! Just add milk, and you're all set! You'll be so crazy-healthy, is less than a month, but if you can
Take the Oatmeal Challenge, it's just 30 days, one bowl of Oatmeal a day, you'll lose inches off your waist, and everywhere else - and then add in a little exercise and keep going on your Oatmeal Challenge, and you'll be at your ideal weight in no time! Good Luck! Let me know how it goes for you! : )

Your little (and getting littler!) pal, Ailsa!! xoxo

Lose an Inch by the End of Next Week! : ) #WaistTrimmer #LoseWeight #Weightloss #Diet #StandUpStraight : )

You know what my new little secret is for losing weight?  It's to measure your waist on a regular basis, but either with a cloth tape measure , or measuring tape...whichever term you like the best! lol!

,

Or make a cloth tape measure, yourself (which is what I did), with a piece of ribbon.

I like the ribbon the best, because you're not looking at any numbers, since it's that whole business of looking at the numbers, when you are trying to get to a smaller size, or lose a certain amount of weight... that's too hard on your soul, for God's Sake - don't do that to yourself, or let your mate get on you about that, if that is happening in your own house... forget it, that's their problem, don't let it be yours, too... we all love you just the way you are, and when you're ready to make the changes you want to make, you'll do it.  that's always how that works. Numbers on a scale, or numbers on a measuring tape, can sometimes just cause you to get upset, can really do a number, so-to-speak, on your hole day, right? lol!

So, don't let numbers rule your life!  Relax, do what you know is the right thing for your body, be gentle with yourself in thought and how you treat your whole self... really, it's a 'Whole self' matter, ain't it?? lol! 

The goal for your waist is to be under 35", if you are a woman (maybe 36" for a man?? Who knows... sorry, men!! lol!). My goal waist is 28", and now I'm down to 29", so I'm really happy with that...

(Well, I have changed my 'goal waist', after measuring my 15 year old son's waist for this modelling thing... anyway, he's a 27" waist, sooo, how me get back down to that??  that seems a'cwazy, now... I'd be happy with anywhere under 35", now... that seems more reasonable, right?) 

I am NOT a fan of weighing in, every day. To me, that seems like a very bad idea, and that doesn't make anyone feel any better, for the most part... I think it is far too easy to get caught up in how many pounds you have lost (or, dammit, you haven't lost... lol!), and that number can easily influence your whole day, and who needs that, right?  But, the little ribbon makes you feel okay!  No problemo!  It's nice to you, and doesn't say anything but 'keep trying', or 'wow, look at you, you hot thing, you!!" hahaha!  (Clearly, I really like the 'Ribbon Method'... think it might really catch on with the Catholics! hahaha! yuff yuff!) (I'm just amusing myself, now! lol!)

So it's very, very easy to make your own wee piece of ribbon.  As you can see in the very professional pictures, you take a piece of ribbon and a tape measure.  Measure out however many inches you might like, and mark down the inches with a dot of permanent marker for each inch, all the way to your goal 'inch'.  I am, frankly, thrilled with any number hovering around 30"!  I am ecstatic when I hit 29" (it fluctuates, of course), and I can't imagine the sheer number of drinks and/or treats I'll have if I ever get down to a 28" waist!!  WooHoo!  I call that 'a pipe dream'! haha!

Measure yourself in the morning, or whenever you're feeling at your very slimmest(!), and just keep a mental note.  I never write anything down.  You'll remember.  And when you have a morning when you've gone down an inch, you will feel sooo proud of yourself, it'll make it all the more fun to go down another inch, and another inch... it's all very exciting.  It's like a gentle way to lose weight!

Here's what I've been doing, lately, that's really been helping me drop the pounds, and the inches... I am absolutely addicted to the most delicious granola in the world... it's a Chocolate Granola .  Well, I found the Archer Farms Granola link for you, but it's the Chocolate Granola I am addicted to... I have it with a sliced banana every day (oooh, sooo deeelicious) (sometimes, accidentally, twice a day).  Oatmeal and fruit is the way to go when you are trying to lose some weight, inches or pounds...


I still have my Apple Crumble for One, since I will always love that, but, man, this is definitely my new favourite.  Usually I get this Archer Farms Chocolate Granola at Target, and I buy 3 boxes at a time... and I am constantly back at the store to get more bananas, because I only like them when the bananas are nice and firm (and then I make Banana Bread from any bananas that have escaped me for more than a couple of days! lol!) I'll post my favourite recipe for Banana Bread, too, since it's a real crowd please, and is a no-fail recipe, which I love!

We swim a lot, of course (we're in sunny California, and there are 3 lovely pools where we live), and I jog in the pool.   have some exercise equipment in the livingroom, right beside my favourite chair, so I'll pop on that whenever I happen to walk by, even if it's only for a few minutes at a time... every minute of movement helps, so don't wait 'til you have an hour and a half to go to the gym... who has that kind of time??  (I used to, but I'd rather go swimming, now! lol!)  I have a 12 pound weight I keep under my bed, and whenever I feel like it, I'll pick it up with two hands and do some light squats, and some 'side to sides -- hold the weight in both hands, at chest height, and literally, go side to side with the weight... ).  I don't have time for a set schedule for exercising, anymore, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only woman too busy to carve out a huge amount of time to be away from the kids, and everything else, to get that much exercise in (although, it's fantastic if you do!!), and eventually I'll get back to the gym on that level, again, but in the meantime, these few changes in my eating habits and 'tiny' exercises are really working... give it a try, see what you think!

I'll get Cara, my lovely daughter, to take some pictures of me measuring my waist, mostly for a laugh, but you'll see exactly waht to do... should I wear my pink bikini, or me yellow one?? haha!  What's that you say, one of each?? haha! 

The Scottish Diet. Or, as I like to call it, my Apple Crumble Diet....Maybe I'll call it The Oatmeal Diet, since it helps you to lose weight AND lower your Cholesterol... I designed this Apple Crumble Diet after my second child, Aidan, was already 2, and I still had all that baby fat, and much, much more, so I desperately needed to lose at least 30 pounds.... ugh! Stooopid fat! This Diet works, and it cheap and easy (like me! lol!), and I ended up losing 35 pounds in about 6 months, and have kept the weight off of 9 years, now, so I'm living proof that it works! :) http://buildyourownhousebodylife.blogspot.com/2010/10/scottish-diet-it-really-works.html

You know, I didn't used to be such a fan of 'the granola', becasue after I did my training all about Diabetes, and discovered how much sugar (carbohydrates are sugar, so always look for that on the labels of your food) was in granola, I stopped eating it, entirely.  I switched to low-sugar cereals, which I still like like Special K, Chex, anything with a crunch that I could have with my favourite fruit toppings... blueberries, strawberries, bananas...), but here's the thing about the granola I loove so much, now... it stays with you all day.  I'm never hungry.  I drove right past the KFC!! Yahoo!!  (I feel you are proud of me, too! lol!) (Oh, and for the record, it's OKAY to have a piece fo KFC every so often... there are no forbidden foods on this 'diet', because as soo as you 'forbid' anyone to do anything, what is the very first thing they want to do??  That's right, whatever is forbidden!  The proverbial Forbidden Fruit, as it were... lol! So don't do that to yourself, just eat in moderation... move whenever you can... and try that Chocolate Granola with a sliced banana, you'll go ape for it! (I sorry, but can you believe I lasted that long without making ONE banana joke??  And I've got lots of them, too, many of them slightly inappropriate... see how I'm learning to be moderate, too?? hahaha!)lol!

Okay, I'll get those new pics for you asap!! xox!

This prolly isn't gonna be all that helpful for a slimmer waist, but it will make you very happy - lol!  Maybe that's more important, sometimes??  A nice wee treat, in the middle of the day?  Yum! #GoodIdea!

 Oh, and here's a little recipe I was thinking about while I was watching #BigBrotherAfterDark last night - lol! Now I'm trying to figure out how I could make this so it would be like Churros, for my son, who really, really misses all the delicious Churros we used to get in California - no good Mexican restaurants, up here in the North - booo!  Come on up, El Pollo Loco or Chipotle, or both!!  We would looove some delicious Mexican Food up here in Canada! : ) (Pweeease!!)

#BBHaveNots - So, it looks like the BB Have Nots have a lot more options than they used to have, right?  And you know how the HaveNots have Hawaiian Buns, this week?  I wonder if they could slice them, thick slices, fry them in a pan of a little oil, then toss in cinnamon sugar?

Man, that sounds deeelish, right?  Now me wants to try that!

(Cinnamon Sugar, in case you haven't made it, yet, is just a nice mix of , say, a couple of tablespoons of cinnamon, and maybe about a half cup of sugar - you can add more cinnamon, to taste... is a good sprinkle for all sorts of wee things! lol!)

Okay, here's some other stuff me haz been a'thinkin' about, this week - lol! Ailsa : )

And here's where you can get some REAL Hawaiian Buns! lol! By the time you're done laying out on the beach in Hawaii, you'll have some Hawaiian Buns of yer own - bah'hahahaha!



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