(I get a wee something when you go through my links, too, so Thank You so much for that! Win-Win!)
Ailsa's Apple Crumble Diet!Delicious AND Easy! Yum!
Lose 35 Pounds (or as much as you like - that seems to be the magic number for me - lol!) and Still Be Kind and Sweet! You can lose as much weight as you would like to lose, and it's just good to keep you healthy, and maintain your new weight : )
Yay! No more YoYo dieting!
Apple Crumble!
Oatmeal Crumble Mix: (You can use this topping for any fruit you like : )
Ingredients:
4 Cups of Oatmeal
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Bran (Optional) or Bran Flakes
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar (Start with 3/4 cup of Brown Sugar, and gradually use less...or not - make it as delicious as you need it to be : )
2 - 6 tbsp. Cinnamon (to taste, but you can always sprinkle more cinnamon on your Apple Crumble when it comes out the microwave to naturally moderate your Blood Sugar even more)
1 3/4 Cup Butter, Margarine, or Oil, melted or soft
(I always pop the Margarine into the microwave for about 60 seconds to melt it)
Now I go with 3 blocks of Margarine - the more butter or margarine, the crispier your Crumble will be - and the whole goal is to make this Apple Crumble sooo delicious, you'll want it every day, and miss it when you run out - lol!)
You can easily use 1 brick of Margarine, with 1 Cup of Oil - that is delicious, extra-crispy, and way less expensive! Yay!
4 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Cup water, drizzle over the apples before adding the crumble topping
Some Sugar for the Apples
Apples, 1 bag, or about 10 apples, cut up - Leave the peels on, is easier, faster, and much healthier, since it adds to the fiber, and that's a great thing, right? : )
Drizzle about a 1/2 - 1 cup of Water over the apples before you put the Crumble Mixture over the pan of apples : )
Bake at 350 Degrees for about an hour
You want the apples to cook nicely : ) Yum!
You can use any fruit that you like, anything in season, Blueberries, Pears, Peaches, Apricots, Raspberries, Strawberries, Blackberries, Cherries - anything at all, it's all delicious!
Make a mix of
2 Tbps Cornstarch
2 Tbsp Sugar
Sprinkle and mix in with the fruit, for any kind of fruit you're using!
This will make a lovely Fruit Sauce!
The Scottish Diet - Now I'm making the Apple Crumble in a Big 9" X 13" Pan - Yum!
And, try my #1010Diet, too - at the same time - just incorporate all mah' little ideas into your life - they're easy, add them to your lifestyle, rather than thinking about taking things away - Just Take 10 Sips of Water, 10 Times a Day - keep your water handy, you'll be far more likely to drink it, if it's readily available - and you can doctor up your water to make it more palatable, if you're switching over from soda pop (we call it pop in Canada! lol!), or have your 10 sips of water, then a little sip of whatever is your favorite drink... that'll work, too! : ) Good Luck! I hope all your dreams come true - all the good ones! lol! Ailsa! : )
Heart-Healthy, Low Cholesterol, Low Fat (You will soon be Low-Fat, too - and me, too, baby! Yay! So easy!)
I am not a fan of Artificial Sugar (me calls it Fake Sugar), but I'm sure, if you like it, you could easily use it as a substitute... I think a little bit of regular sugar is better for you than anything artificial, but that's just my thinking - you do whatever is right for you, boo! #YouDoYouBoo! lol!)
Now we're making 2 or 3 pans of the Apple Crumble a week, since everyone loves it so much, and you can have it whenever you like - is so delicious, and super-healthy! Perfecto! : )
Yum!! Jam packed full of apples and oatmeal - poifect!! For real, you will lose so much weight with this delicious diet! haha! You' gonna loove it! (Me do! lol!) (I'm just about to go have some, right now - is sooo deeelish!)
That's my other version on my fave #AppleCrumble For One - the Individual Size - but if there's anyone else at home, you will have to share, because it smells delicious, and it tastes even better! lol!
I just use the apple slicer to cut 2 apples (if they're little apples, one if it's a Big Apple - Like New York City - hahaha!) - then I just break each slice of apple in two, toss them in the bowl, cover with the Apple Crumble Mix - pop in the microwave for 3 minutes - since this one has to cook the apples, too - and, then, wait for it to cool (that part is super-hard, but very important - haha!) - and then, ENJOY!! AND, lose weight! Sarsly (think Jimmy Fallon!), does it get any better than that? Now THERE'S a Diet I can get behind - not a big behind - hahaha! : )
See, just cut the apples with your apple slicer, is so much faster and easier, then break each piece in half, toss them in the bowl, cover with the Oatmeal Crumble - Microwave for 3 minutes, wait for it to cool down : ) Yum!
Apple Crumble can help you to lose weight?? You bet it can, Baby, and I'm about to show you how! I lost 35 pounds on my Apple Crumble Diet, and you can lose as much as you want, too. It's delicious, easy to make (try the 'Super Fast' version if you Fast-Forward your diet...), and easy to keep handy at home or at work so you can have it at any time during the day or evening. The key is to have the Apple Crumble when you are hungry, and it will instantly stop the hunger and actively help you lose weight. And here's an added bonus: the Oatmeal will lower your Cholesterol and the Cinnamon will moderate your Blood Sugar... how's that for a practical and healthy treat that will actually make you lose weight??
My Scottish Diet is the easiest diet you'll ever try, and actually want to stick to! It's delicious and can easily become a new part of your Daily Diet. Easy to make, yummy to eat, and you'll love the results!
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| This is the Quickie Version of the Apple Crumble... try them both, see which one is best for you ! |
Super Fast, Easy Recipe: (Keep Reading for the even tastier version!) Pour Unsweetened Applesauce into a bowl. Fill the bowl halfway with applesauce. Pour Quick-Cooking Oatmeal on the applesauce. Cover the Oatmeal with Cinnamon. Microwave to 120 seconds, mix and eat! Yum! You'll be teensy tiny in no time!
I'm Scottish, so it's not a big stretch that I love Oatmeal, like any Good Scot! We grow up eating tons and tons of Porridge, and then anything else with lots of Oatmeal in it. Oatmeal is like Soul Food for the Scots! After my Second Child (Aidan) was about Two, and I still hadn't lost that 'Baby Weight' -- not all of it, since there was a fair bit to lose... Anyway, I knew I had to come up with something that was tasty enough to make me want to eat it, and good enough to replace my delicious Chocolates. And it had to be something I could make quickly and easily, and that I could just incorporate into my regular daily diet. That's when I came up with 'The Scottish Diet', with the Apple Crumble for One Recipe.
And in case you're wondering, 'The Scottish Diet' is not "Eat Sweeties all day, then have Fish and Chips for Dinner" ... although that does sound good! ha,ha! No, no. It's all about the Oatmeal for this Diet. Oatmeal is a food that 'stays' in your system ("sticks to yer ribs", as they say in Scotland...), so it's a great thing to add to your Daily Diet to help you feel satisfied and full and at the same time control your hunger for a few hours. It's very filling, as well as being nice and tasty. Oatmeal is a Natural Whole Grain Product, so it digests slowly, which is good for maintaining your Blood Sugars (important for Diabetics or when you need to control your Food Intake and Cravings...).
Oatmeal helps with Lowering your Cholesterol and, of course, it's good for 'moving things through' your system. Sorry -- had to say it! Actually, if you or someone you know has IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), tell them about this Apple Crumble for One so they can give it a try. And the Bran & Barley in this Recipe are great for that, too. There have been some Studies to indicate that Cinnamon may help with Diabetes, so if you are dealing with that, add an extra Tablespoon or Two of Cinnamon in your Oatmeal Mix, or sprinkle it on each bowl of Apple Crumble.
There's a Full Serving of Fruit in each Bowl of the Apple Crumble for One, so that's very good for your overall health. It's nice and sweet, and you can change the Flavor of the Crumble Dish by adding different types of Fruit, and occasionally sprinkling some Chopped Nuts on top of the Crumble. Chopped Pecans with the Apple Crumble is very, very tasty.
Quick word about the word 'Diet'. Not a big fan of that word, except in the sense of 'what you might eat each day' in a nice, normal kind of way. I'm no' one for denying myself, if you know what I mean! ha,ha,ha! My take on depriving yourself is that it is a surefire way to prevent weight-loss, since then you're mad that you can't have what you really want (and feel you clearly deserve...!), so you go ahead and have a few extras, just because you now feel deprived. I believe that you can still have a treat -- just keep it in moderation, and have your wee treat in the early part of the day. Maybe for a mid-morning snack, or in the middle of the afternoon. It's the Bedtime Cheesecake you want to avoid... If you eat the treats during your busy part of the day, you'll have 'used up' your treat by the time you go to bed.
Anyway, make up a giant batch of the Apple Crumble Oatmeal Mix, keep it in the Fridge with a jar of Apple Sauce, and have it at least once a day. More often if you are wanting to lose a fair bit of weight. I lost well over 30 pounds on this 'Scottish Diet', but some of it snuck back on, so now I'm back at it. Good thing I love it so very much!
If you want to lose 20 pounds or more, have the Apple Crumble for One for Breakfast, Snacks, and Lunch. When you get down to the last Ten Pounds, or to maintain your New Weight, have the Apple Crumble once or twice a day to keep things nice and stable. (And I feel like 'the last ten pounds' are your own personal decision about how much you think you should weigh, or how you want to look -- not some stooopid number in a book... we're all individuals, I'm tired of being told, mostly by the Diet Industry and some doctors reading an ageist and sexist chart, what size and weight we should all be... does not seem right, to me...you know when you look and feel good, so go with your 'gut instinct', so-to-speak, on that one!)
Pop into my Fitness Page to see some easy and very effective exercises you can do at home so you can start to Build Muscle, which is one of the other Big Keys to slimming down and staying in Shape. Remember never to 'Drink your Calories' -- try to drink Water, Tea -- anything that has no Sugar in it. I'm a 'Tea Jenny' (Scottish for someone who drinks a lot of Tea!), and I realized that I was adding a fair bit of extra Fat to my Daily Diet just from the milk in my Tea, so I switched over to Skim Milk Powder, which I love. If you are a coffee drinker (and who isn't?), watch your intake of the Dairy Creamers that can be chock full of fat and sugars -- I switched over to Skim Milk Powder (put into an airtight container and keep beside the sugar, if you use it...). Pop and fance drinks can really add up in sugar and fat, so keep an eye out for that. Even if you wean yourself off of sugary drinks slowly, and replace a cup a day with water, you'll see a big difference in a month.
Oh, and here's my last wee Diet Tip: Eat what you Love. If you aren't enjoying the food tremendously, skip it. Enjoy every bite, or forget it. And Chew Slowly -- the wolf-like eating canny be good for you! ha,ha,ha! Plus, that's never good to look 'beastly' when you're eating, right? So take wee bites, chew well, and eat yer Oatmeal! Soon you'll be even more beautiful than you were before, if that's possible ... Oh, to be Gorgeous!!
Apple Crumble!
So Delicious, You Won't Even KNOW You're on a Diet - hahahaha!
Apple Crumble for One (Or, Make it in a giant pan, a 9" X 13" pan, for yourself, or for sharing! lol!)
Oatmeal Crumble Mix: (You can use this topping for any fruit you like : )
(This can be stored in a Large ZipLock Bag so you can quickly make your Apple Crumble)
Crumble Mix: (You can use this topping for any fruit you like : )
(This can be stored in a Large ZipLock Bag so you can quickly make your Apple Crumble)
Ingredients:
4 Cups of Oatmeal (Quick-cooking Rolled Oats)(Or Steel Cut Oats - Any Oats are Good Oats!)
1 Cup Flour (Regular, Barley or Whole Wheat... I use the Barley Flour all the time, now.)
So, I ran out of flour when I was making the last big batch, so I put the Oatmeal/Bran/Cinnamon/Brown Sugar mix in a large baggie, set it aside, but tonight I thought I'd just add that mix to the other leftover Crumble Mix, that already had the rest of the ingredients in it - anyway, long story short, this last pan of the Apple Crumble had very little Flour in it, maybe a 1/2 a cup of Flour, and maybe a bit more margarine, melted to a liquid... and I just stir almost every bit of baking with a knife, now - so much easier and faster - who knew? lol! So it tuned out to be even BETTER - wow, just when I thought it couldn't possibly be any more delicious... so, cutting back on the Flour is better for you, anyway, and was soo delicious - just add as much margarine or butter as you need to, to make a good Crumble - yum!
It tasted like the best Oatmeal Cookie you've ever had, PLUS, delicious cooked apples - SoGood!!
1 Cup Bran (Optional) or Bran Flakes (I buy Bran in the Bulk Section - just straight up Bran, is very inexpensive) And the Bran is optional - if you can find it, easily, that's fantastic, but if you can't, or you run out of the bran, just go ahead with the rest of the recipe, will be delicious, one way or another! : )
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar (Start with 3/4 cup of Brown Sugar, and gradually use less...or not - make it as delicious as you need it to be : )
2 - 6 tbsp. Cinnamon (to taste, but you can always sprinkle more cinnamon on your Apple Crumble when it comes out the microwave to naturally moderate your Blood Sugar even more)
1 1/2 Cups Butter, Margarine or Oil, melted or soft
(I always pop it into the microwave for about 30 - 75 seconds to melt it.) [And don't worry too much about the butter... its still healthier than any other thing you can eat, and you're only having a little bit of the crumble each time... eventually, you might like to switch to the 'Super Easy' version, but start with this tasty version so you can really love it, first...)
I just figured out that you can easily substitute Oil for some or part of the Margarine - so, 1 Block Margarine, melted, with 1 Cup Oil, works really well, will give you a really crispy Oatmeal Crumble, and is way less expensive, too! Win-Win, Baby-cakes!
Okay, so now I pretty much just use Margarine,
3 blocks of Margarine is equal to 12 oz, or 1 1/2 cup, sooo, 1 and a half blocks, maybe - think I'll go try 2 blocks (4 ounces, each), let you know how that works out... it's easier to make if you don't have to hassle with the math in yer head - haha! (Yeah, do the 3 blocks, was delicious, and if it's delicious, you'll eat more of it, and if you eat more of the Apple Crumble, you'll lose more weight, be even healthier! Yay!)
Now I go with 3 blocks of Margarine (1 1/2 cups of margarine) - the more butter or margarine, the crispier your Crumble will be - and the whole goal is to make this Apple Crumble sooo delicious, you'll want it every day, and miss it when you run out - lol!)
4 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 cup water, drizzle over the apples before adding the crumble topping
Pinch of Sugar for the Apples, tiny bit of sugar - not too tiny! lol! Toss it in with the apples, pour over the water - that will help the apples cook down, and be even more delicious!
Apples, 1 bag, or about 10 apples, cut up - Leave the peels on, is easier, faster, and much healthier, since it adds to the fiber, and that's a great thing, right? : )
Optional: Tiny sprinkle of sugar over the cut apples, mix in with the apples, will help the apples cook down nicely, so they'll be soft and lovely, like in an Apple Pie - yum!
So, I drizzled about a 1/2 cup of Water over the apples before I put the Crumble Mixture over the pan of apples, and it was ah'mazing, so, I would add that in, too - and you can sprinkle a little bit of sugar on the apples, will help them to cook down faster, wil be soo delicious! Yum! You're gonna looove it! And then lose a bunch of weight, OR, just stay healthy - either way, it's delicious, it works, and you'll be super-happy, and that's the most important thing, anyway, right?
Be Happy, Baby! : )
Bake at 350 Degrees for about an hour - you want the apples to cook nicely : )
You can use any fruit that you like, anything in season, Blueberries, Pears, Peaches, Apricots, Raspberries, Strawberries, Blackberries, Cherries - anything at all, it's all delicious!
Well, I forgot to add the Bran, this time around, but I'll go pick some up, today - is an easy way to get more Bran into your system, right? lol! Yum, Bran, I can't even taste it - haha!
And I just went ahead and melted the margarine - we're almost out of butter - you can use either, will be equally as good : )
This was, by far, the easiest way, ever, to make the Apple Crumble, with Apples (the Applesauce one is even easier, but sometimes you want the whole apples - or any other kind of fruit - is amazing with blueberries, peaches, apricots, pears - cherries...anything in season!) Yum!
But I just washed the apples and used the apple slicer - break each apple slice in half, toss it in the pan. I used about a bag of apples for this batch of Apple Crumble, mostly because they weren't as crisp as the Granny Smith Apples usually are, so I thought I would just bake with them : )
Fruit Base:
Apple Sauce Just keep a jar of Unsweetened Apple Sauce in the Fridge -- the 'Fruit Base' goes in a regular Bowl right before you add the Crumble Topping, don't add it into the Apple Crumble Mix(!)...
We mixed our apples together, the other day - 6 Red Spartan, 4 Green Granny Smith Apples, and it was soo good! The Red Apples cook down faster and better than the Granny Smith Apples, so that's good to keep in mind! : ) Yum!
Optional: You can add any other fruit -- Peaches, Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries or any other Fruit Mix are delicious.
This Dish uses at least a Full Serving of Fruit, so it's very good for you, too!
I like to put some chopped Pecans or Walnuts sprinkled on the Apple Crumble, and that's really tasty.
You can mix 'n match so you always have 'new' treats!
Directions for the Crumble Mix:
Blend the Dry Ingredients, then mix in the Butter and Vanilla... this time around, I just melted the margarine in the microwave - is way easier - I'm all about 'how easy is it?', now - haha!
Fast and easy, that's what I like! (Like my dates? hahaha!) lol! : )
I use a Pastry Cutter to mix up a big batch of the Crumble Mixture, but you can use a Spoon and Fork just as well.
And, last night, I just used the spoon - was fine - you would just use the Pastry Cutter if your butter or margarine is soft, but it was soo easy just to melt it, sooo... your choice!
: )
And now I just use a knife - a regular old knife, nothing fancy, make your life as easy as you can! : )
Put it in an Air-Tight Container or a Large 'Zip-up' Freezer Bag and pop it in the Fridge.
I put in a 1/4 or 1/2 cup measuring cup -- those plastic ones -- right in the container so I can easily measure out a 1/4 cup for a small serving of the Apple Crumble Treat, or 1/2 cup of the Crumble mix if it's for your Breakfast or Lunch.
(Add a wee bit more Cinnamon if you are dealing with Diabetes, since there have been some studies to indicate that Cinnamon may help in managing your Blood Sugars.)
You KNOW I love Real Estate!! lol!
How to Make Apple Crumble for One :
Pour about a 1/2 Cup of Applesauce into a Bowl (or Peel and Cut 1 Apple into little pieces and put on a plate)
Sprinkle 1/2 a Cup of the Oatmeal Topping over the Fruit.
Pop it in the Microwave for 1 Minute on High
The Cut Fruit will probably require between 2-5 minutes, depending on how soft the apple is, so the Apple Sauce is much faster and easier.
Voila! You're done and now you have Apple Crumble for One! Good luck with the 'One' bit, though, since it often seems that someone comes into the kitchen just as this comes out of the Microwave who 'just wants a wee bite', then they take at least half of it! ha,ha,ha! But at least they're all eating something tasty and healthy! Now, that's a real treat!
Yum, see all those Apples? And all that Oatmeal? That's all very good for your body, and you will love it - so delicious!
Another name I considered for this Scottish Diet -- "The Chin-Be-Gone Diet"... do you like that?? How about, "Oh, Hey! There's my feet-Diet!"... you'll only get that if you've been through the stage where you look down and really can't see yer feet, then one miraculous day, there they are -- in plain site! And, oh, that's a joyous day, ain't it?? ha,ha!
Okay, so, it was a little bit hard to cut the whole apples with the Apple Slicer, so I designed a new Kitchen Tool to make it easier to cut, slice and core the apples, but that exists only in mah' head, right now, until I can find someone to help me figure out how to get a manufacturer to develop all my Great Inventions - lol! (I really DO have a lot of great inventions I would loove to develop - I know they would sell millions, if not billions, around the world, have one in every house - at least - call me, or email me, if you know how to make that happen - lol! dat me!)
So, since my invention is only in my head, and not in real life, just yet, I came up with another idea, this afternoon, to cut the apples faster, with less pressure on your arms, not so nerve-racking, sine, really, this is usually my son's job - haha! I think it's really important to teach your children to cook good food, so they're all set for when they're adults, right? Right! Sure!
Anyway, seemed a little precarious, the way Aidan was cutting the Apples, and we don't peel the apples, it's best to leave the apple peels on, so, just a rinse and remove the stems, if you like, we always do... then used to cut the top off the apples, since that made a smoother surface for Aidan to get a good grip on the apples with the Apple Slicer, right? But it was still a lot of pressure and a lot of work to push the Apple slicer all the way through the apple, and then try to remove the apple core...
Okay, so, wash the apples - I use about a bag of them - if a few are missing, no big deal...
And, today, I want to try slicing the apple in three, see if that's even better! Always stay adaptable, see what you can figure out to make your own life soo much easier and better! : )
This time, I cut each apple in half - they're so pretty, right? Almost like Art!
Art, Made By God
You're Welcome, says God! : )
They're super pretty - and since they apples are cut in half, I didn't have to cut each segment, separately, which was a fair bit of work - with the halved apples, my son cut the apples with the Apple Slicer, I picked it up and just pulled the apple pieces off the apple core, tossed them right in the pan - so easy!
It was soo much faster, easier, safer - wow! Me a genius! haha!
I love coming up with a solution to a problem, and then it works! Suh'weeet!! lol!
When your Apples are in the pan - just toss them right in, you don't have to grease the pan, or a'nuffin' - super-easy, very doable : )
Today I thought I would cut each apple in Thirds, see if that made it even easier to cut, and it would make the apple pieces a little smaller, and that will be so nice for bite-size pieces!
And we used the whole bag of apples, today, too - you can easily use any amount of apples you happen to have on hand - and depends on the size of your pan, too - whatever works for you, baby! : )
Just sprinkle a little bit of sugar on the apples, mix that about with your hands, so there's a little bit of sugar on the apples, and then pour about a 1/2 cup of water over the apples, then tilt the pan to make sure the water made it under all the apples... cover with the Apple Crumble Mix, pop in the oven at 350 Degrees for about an hour - Yum!
I keep a pan in the fridge, all the time - and I've dropped another 2 dress sizes in the last month - so, yahoo! And if I can finally find a decent gym, here, I'll start going back to the gym, too... do what I can to keep mah'self healthy and happy, right? And me tinks you iz a'plannin' da same thing! Yep! : )
And I already had the extra bag of Apple Crumble Mix, because I always make a Double Batch (well, I discovered that by accident - it just occurred to me I could split the amount between two batches of the Apple Crumble, and that totally worked out for us - yum! Is soo delicious! It smells like a dream, in here, right now - the Apple Crumble is in the oven, cooking, right now : )
And I just pour the Apple Crumble mix in the center of the pan, on top of the apples - and don't forget to add a little bit of sugar - regular sugar, maybe a teaspoon? I just take a pinch of sugar from the sugar bowl, sprinkle it over the apples in the pan, kind of move them around a little, then add the water... about a half cup of water - tonight I added a half a cup of boiling water, since the kettle had juust clicked off, and it seemed even easier - and moved the pan around, to make sure there was a little bit of water all through the bottom of the pan - it helps the apples to cook down nicely, like in an Apple Pie : ) Yum! Apple Pie!
If you want to make this into an Apple Pie, just use my deeelish no-rolling, mix-it-in-the-pan Easy Schmeasy Pie Shell, and maybe a little sprinkle of flour or corn starch on the pie shell, so the fruit will make it's own sauce (you can mix corn starch and sugar, I would say, maybe a 1/4 cup of each, toss with any fruit, and, whammo, you've got yourself a lovely Fruit Sauce - yay! Yum! Hello, Tricks o' the Trade! : )
Bake for a good hour... just go do some other things, your place will smell soo delicious! You can have this delicious Apple Crumble hot, cold, with a li'l Ice Cream or Whipped Cream - anything you like, but if you just add this to your Diet, every day, or whenever you think of it, you will lose weight so easily - it's all that Fiber, Baby! Your Body Loooves Fiber!
Enjoy!! You know me yuvs you!! Good for you for getting all Healthy! Good for Us! : )
This was the only way I could stop the cravings for chocolate - haha! And, really, it's okay to have a little of anything you happen to like - if you enjoy it, have some, move on, don't worry about it - you're here to have a Great Life, and a very large part of that is enjoying your delicious Food! : )
Okay, okay... I was going to try to avoid this, but here you go. I see I didn't bother to retreive the 'really big' pictures from the Digital Camera -- only the ones I must have thought made me look the slimmest! ha,ha! Ah, well. Such is life.
Now, I haven't seen the Black Pumps in the First Picture since the day I saw these photos -- I was so shocked at what I looked like. I was sure I was much slimmer than that, and that it was just the 10 pictures we took that all looked terrible to me... you know how that can be...
Oh, and you can not only see 'the development of meeee', but all these pictures were taken in the Sunroom, so you can see how it has evolved, too!
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| Sooo much better!! lol! |
After : /AilsaNTia2sm.jpg)
- /AilsaSlimmer3sm.jpg)
- /AilsaSlimmer2sm.jpg)
Wow, these are grainy pictures... and how sad is it that I thought I was soo huge?? Very sad. I was told, every day, all the time, how fat I was - and, yes, I'm divorced and very happy, now - yahooo!! Freedom! And I'm very happy with my body - this body made two beautiful children, and keeps me happy and healthy, every day, so there! Thanks, Life!!
Here's how to REALLY love yourself, and that's the real trick to losing weight and having a healthy body, healthy life : )
Photo Trick: Let's say you want to hide a certain portion of your Tummy... My favorite thing is to pick up a Family Pet or small child (hopefully, your own, and under 6 years of age... those teenagers get very, very cranky when you try to pick them up...). Not only will you look 'extra-loving', but you'll look lovely and slim, too! ha,ha,ha!
One More Thing (fer sures, this time!): I've heard a lot about psyllium lately. I hear it's fantastic for weight loss, so that's enough for me to run out and buy two boxes of whatever I can find that might mention 'psyllium' on the Label... Anyway, I found All Bran Cereal with Psyllium at Walmart, and now my favorite breakfast is Special K sprinkled with the All Bran with Psyllium, topped with a lot of Blueberries. Yum! It's sooo crunchy and delicious... really!
And then I've started to occasionally sprinkle the All Bran Cereal (with Psyllium, of course!), onto the Apple Crumble for One, after it's been in the microwave, so the 'Bran Buds' (oooh, that sounds tasty, don't it? Bran Buds??) don't get mushy. Gives the Apple Crumble, which I love, a little crunchy texture.
Dwight Tidbit: One morning I was having this for breakfast, when I said to Dwight (now my ex-husband -- lol!... but he's a good guy, no worries!) that I couldn't see the Psyllium listed as an ingredient when it was written right across the Cereal Box.... well, Dwight looks at me like I'm an idiot and says in a not-very-nice voice, "Psyllium is part of the Bran, Ailsa..." Hmmm. So I says to him, "Mystery Man, don't talk to me like I'm the moron...". I said it mostly to amuse myself, but now you can see how lovely it is around here in the mornings! ha,ha,ha!
Oh, and if you're wondering how I got from 'Dwight' to 'Mystery Man', it's very clear in my own head -- Mister to Mystery plus man.. Mystery Man... seems about right, since there's more than one mystery around here!
The Four Agreements. For one, it's a beautiful wee book that you can read in an afternoon or evening, and it can absolutely change your life. It can change the way you feel about your body (it's great!)(your body, I mean!!), and then you'll really want to treat it well. I think your mind has a whole lot to do with your body (who's that I hear saying, "D'uuuh"?? Some things take me longer to get around to than others! ha,ha,ha!), so it's one of those, "Change your mind, change your body" things. Definitely worth a try. At the very least, you'll just feel good reading this lovely wee book!
Well, now you know how much I love oatmeal, and how great it is for your body, and, in turn, how happy that will make you (it's all connected, baby!!), so you might like to have a wee look at this, too! lol!
Dis make you a'laugh?? hahaha! The perfect ad for a diet page, right? bah'hahahahaha!
Go have yourself all sorts o' fun!! 'til next time!
Ailsa : )
Find out more about Day Trading and making money in the Stock Market... I just wrote about it, today : )
Omg, make your money, go on a great trip!! Or how about investing in your favorite Travel Company, or airline Stock? Who knows where your money will come from, right? There are so many great things to invest in, these days... the skies the limit - sooo, no limits?? lol! Thanks, Universe!!
Holy a'schmoly, I love a great deal! haha! Wow, these are amazing deals, am I right?? Holy schmokes, Batman, what a deal! : )
Well, that made me laugh - lol! I like the no Pre-Payment penalties - look for that phrase any time you borrow any money - on your personal loans, car loans, mortgage loans, home repair loans - anything, since you want to pay those loans back as quickly as possible, making the largest payments you can afford... that's the key, for sures. 
Here we go... let's say you went ahead and made a Double Batch, the last time you made your delicious Apple Crumble...
So, no need to make baking hard on yourself - that's some old-fashioned thinking, and we don't need to follow any of those old rules, we're new and easy, that's waay faster and way betterer! lol!
Pop your margarine right in the bowl, first - 3 blocks for a regular Crumble, and 4 blocks of margarine (or butter! Or a mix!), if you are having company, or you want your Apple Crumble to be more like an Apple Crisp - the extra margarine will make the crumble topping really nice and crispy, and will hold together really nicely, too - it's just preference, and who you might be serving it to - but it's super healthy, one way or another, so, no worries!
Lose the Spoon - start stirring with a knife - it'll be sooo much faster - same thing for cookie batter, cookie dough - anything at all, try switching from a wooden spoon to a regular old table knife (well, a normal knife - lol!), and see how much easier everything is
: )
Here's what the Crumble Topping looks like with 3 blocks of margarine, melted.... so, a good consistency, will be crumbly...
And then with 4 blocks of margarine melted, mixed in... will make your Crumble Topping crispier - is good when you're making this more for a dessert, or for company, than you're usual 'diet' dish - but, you know how I feel about 'diets' - you'll only eat it, regularly, if you really love it, so play around with the recipe, make it different ways, see how you like it, the best... maybe this one is a 'Treat Yourself' version - haha!
We've just discovered this Wholesale Club, like a giant warehouse store, open to the public, and they will sometimes have a whole section of their fruits and vegetables on this Half Price, 50% Off or 30% Off, section - how cool is that? Because your apples don't have to be completely perfect for your Apple Crumble, this is a great option - something to think about, and to look out for, in your own neighborhood!
So we had a 5 pound bag of apples, they were all good, and we never peel them, as you know (!), so, doesn't take very long to wash, cut in 3's, cut with the apple cutter.. then we had sooo many apples, we decided to just make 2 Apple Crumbles - one for us, and one I'll take out to my Parents - it's always nice to share!
Remember to make a little mix of Corn Starch, Sugar and Cinnamon (Please put your hands together, for Cinnamon! lol!)
You can skip this stage, but is an easy way to add a little more substance to the juice from the apples...
So you just sprinkle the corn starch/sugar/cinnamon mix onto the apples, mix it around the apples, pour some water over the apples - or, really, I just run the pan right under the tap - a once over, on each side.... but whatever works for you - is probably about a half cup of water? Hmm... maybe I should measure that! just enough water to help the apples cook well, and create some more juice : )
Start in the center with your Crumble, then push the crumble gently to the sides, to cover the whole thing... is fun, and very pretty! lol!
Then I use the same bowl, mix a little more sugar and cinnamon together, gently sprinkle the top of your Apple Crumble with that, too - you can just sprinkle sugar on top, like you would if you were baking any fruit bread, like a Banana Bread (yum!) - the sugar gives a nice crisp to the topping - you'll love it!
Or, conversely (ooh, so fancy! lol!), you can just skip this stage, too, and just pop your lovely Apple Crumble in the oven, at 350, about an hour... I have a small oven, right now (hopefully not for much longer - Hello, Moving Back Up! lol!), so I spin the Apple Crumble around, about half-way through, or, whenever I happen to think of it - that's how me rolls! ; )
Happy Eating!! And Happy Sharing!!
Your Little Cooking Friend, Ailsa! xoxo : )
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