11:03AMQuote: “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”
12:38 Brunch!
Late night chatting on Facebook led me to be tired and stressed out this morning. Do NOT engage yourself in activities that may lead to or provoke you to either loss precious sleep or stress you out. With this being said, at all costs - stick to your plan and dig in deeper to find your own strengths so that your mind does not become clouded with "sick" thoughts. Sick thoughts lead to a sick body-mind-spirit and will literally make you ill!
So, what's for Brunch? An Egg-beater's Omelet w/ fresh Baby Spinach and Recaito, a bowl of Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal and a can of Del Monte 100 Calorie Sliced Peaches.
A serving of egg - beaters is 1/4 of a cup. This will seem very small if you are a volume eater but if you stick to the package instructions and choose your fillings wisely, you will quickly discover that 1/4 of a cup is satisfactory. 
Choose your cookware wisely. As a child, I suffered from anemia and had to cook in caste iron skillets. When I became an adult, this was later diagnosed to be Thalasemia (an inherited blood disorder) Other names for it are: Beta thalassemia major, also called Cooley's anemia (which is what my maternal grand-mother had) or beta-zero (ß0) thalassemia but I have found as I become older that limiting my iron intake actually is better for me and happily invested in Hard Anodized Aluminum because of its lighter weight and non-conductivity. It is 30% harder than stainless steel.Heart disease caused by iron overload is the main cause of death in people who have thalassemias. (Heart disease includes heart failure, arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats, and heart attack.) Infections are the second...
As you can see, it is important to practice frequent hand washing while cooking. I pre wash my veggies and keep them in the refrigerator in an air tight container. I use the Produce Saver by Rubbermaid (I found mine at the local Walmart). My refrigerator tends to keep things extra cool so this helps to prevent the leaves from burning and getting that nasty, gooey slimy stuff when you leave it in the bag you purchased it in. ~Rule of Thumb: If it's slimy, yellow, or crinkled, don't buy it and for crying out loud, don't eat it!
My personal goal is to maintain a Heart Healthy Diet, lose weight and prevent illness. Here you can see that I used Pam Original Cooking Spray but you may wish to substitute this for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I also used a product called "Recaito". Recaito is a cilantro cooking base seasoning of sauteed cilantros, green peppers, onion, and garlic in olive oil (which is why I didn't use olive oil to prepare this dish). It's advertised as a condiment for rice, beans, chili and stews but when added to the top of the omelet and heated, it helps to satisfy your pallet for cheese... I love cheese but I will tell you this much, I did not miss it one bit![Lack of iron can cause "anaemia" (a condition in which the haemoglobin concentration in the blood is below a defined level, resulting in a reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells) but excessive iron is toxic for me so I try to avoid lots of Black Pepper, citrus fruits (due to the Vitamin C), eating red or organ meats, and must frequently wash my hands and maintain high levels of cleanliness to avoid becoming infected or ill.]
Last year, Jillian Michael's, a weight loss Guru, promoted eating Quaker Oats Weight Control on "The Biggest Loser". 
Today I heated my oatmeal w/the peaches and added a teaspoon of cinnamon. It smelled wonderful and after the morning I had, is a nutritious, low carb comfort food.Here are the Brunch Totals for today:
I am very pleased with these results. Every cell in my body will vibrate with health today. I am on the road to a total - body, mind and spiritual makeover!3:00PM Snack
Jello-O Chocolate Pudding! I couldn't have chocolate for a few weeks due to LPR (Laryngopharyngeal Reflux) so this was a treat! 9:01 PM Dinner and 149 Calories Left!!! (I'm Stuffed!)
Dinner tonight was a 4 OZ Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast, Brown Rice, Broccoli and a Hot Spiced Chai Latte. Waking up late prevented me from having the 5 small meals that I am working myself up to but I feel very satisfied and I loved, loved, loved the Spiced Chai Latte. What a treat!
How I prepared my chicken: The two main ingredients were Sazon con Azafran( Mexican Saffron) and Caldo De Pollo (chicken broth). The Azafran or Mexican Saffron is what gives it the color. I also added a teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper. This was prepared in approximately 2 cups of water.
I thawed 4 chicken breasts and marinated them in a covered container in the refrigerator for approximately 6 hours.
I cooked the Chicken Breasts in the same broth that I marinated them in for approximately 35 minutes. I suggest that you soak them in Milk for an hour. I didn't do this tonight but doing so will "plump-up" the taste...
Also, if you like your chicken browned, as I do, I recommend broiling them in your broiler under high heat until it's browned to your taste. I could have brushed them with oil but opted for a few sprays of Pam Original cooking spray.
I am excited to have enough calories left today to have at least two cups of Hot Spiced Chai Tea but I only had one. (I still haven't finished drinking my water for the day.)
Treat yourself! I had an emotional morning but throughout my day, I focused on positive things and I treated myself like the Queen that I Am! I didn't have to go out and waste money at in a fast food restaurant or step outside of my house to buy anything special for anything I have prepared so far. I used foods that I normally have in my refrigerator and in my pantry. And the added benefit to my approach is that by sticking to the suggested serving sizes, I have more food left over to prepare future meals with and i am losing weight! ~Remember, super sized portions make a super sized you!
