Quinoa most definitely IS a carb- however, it is a carb with a lot of protein (like beans and wheat germ). I am not a big fan of the flavor of quinoa so I havent tried the pasta. There are some really gnarly whole wheat pastas out there-- if you are averse to the taste or texture of whole wheat, two brands I recommend are de cecco and bio naturae. My local grocery recently started carrying both-- before that, I found them at the health food store. In the whole scheme of things, pasta is not the worst thing you can eat-- the key is portion control. I don't know about you all, but pasta is one of the things with which I can easily over indulge. A few healthy tips for pasta: 1. cook it al dente. Overcooking pasta increases its glycemic index-- meaning it is digested faster and spikes your blood sugar which can cause you to overeat. 2. ALWAYS serve a pasta with a protein-- chick peas, chicken, chicken sausage, lean beef, tofu. Protein satisfies your hunger the most effectively and helps you to be satisfied on a modest serving size. 3. Add fiber (and nutrients)-- whole grain pasta, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, beans, etc. all add fiber and nutrients to your pasta. The extra bulk helps fill you up faster and also slows digestion so that your blood sugar doesnt spike. 4. Start with a salad or antipasto-- and use an oil and vinegar dressing. This will keep you from filling up on pasta and the extra fiber and the acid slow down digestion. 5. Be mindful of the serving size -- cereal and pasta are two things we can easily overestimate the serving sizes. 1/2 a cup is a typical serving size but check the box. Restaurants often serve enough pasta for 4 servings. Oy! Serving pasta with a salad and protein really helps to keep the serving size in line. 6. Consider replacing the pasta in some of your meals with a veggie. Some people embrace spaghetti squash-- I really like using zucchini. I make a zucchini torte that is basically my old lasagna recipe substituting zucchini ribbons for the pasta. I prefer it to lasagna and everyone who has tried it has raved about it.

For our big halloween party we usually have 50 to 80 people. I usually make a crockpot of meatballs (amongst other things), but make a Swedish meatball type sauce for it. Just yesterday a friend contacted me for the recipe for the sauce for a party he's having this evening. Bob's "Swedish" Meatball sauce Ingredients: 1 stick of butter 4 medium onions chopped fine with food processor 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup medium dry madiera 3 cups strong beef stock 2 cups half-and-half 1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce Melt butter in large pan over medium low heat, add onions and cook and stir for 15-20 minutes until onoins are nearly caramelized. Add flour and stir until the flour is absorbed into the butter, and cook for another minute or two. Next stir in the Madiera, then the beef stock, and heat to a simmer for a few minutes to thicken the sauce. Next use a stick blender to puree the sauce smooth, and add the half-and-half and Worchestershire sauce. Pour over heated meatballs in crockpot on low.

Maryanntx, I sure hope all is going well for you and that you'll be back on your feet 100% in no time! Whether lurking or posting here & there I enjoy your posts. Best wishes to you and yours. I like pretty much all Stouffers stuff. Boston Market is pretty good too. Frankly there's a lot of things you can put together with minimal fuss too. Some other quickie meals I like is frozen meatballs heated in some canned gravy. Bake some potatoes or use instants to go with it. Warm up a can of veg and some garlic bread. Country style ribs and baby back ribs (braised) are surprisingly easy. I use a small convection oven to lightly brown them for a few minutes, then line a pan with foil. Put the rib inthere, season them how you like, put in some teriyaki sauce (or whatever you like) and have some liquid, whether beer, wine, broth, water, pop, juice or ??? but have a lot of liquid to make them tender. Cook at about 250 for several hours to get them tender. At the low temp it doesn't matter if it goes even an hour over! Generally they'll just get more tender. A bagged salad is fine but cole slaw seems a requirement (deli is fine). Whack-a-tube biscuits go good with it too. And works well in a crock pot or an electric roaster. Oh let's see, Tater Tot Hotdish, Macaroni Hotdish. Even a simple meatloaf isn't all that time consuming to put together, then put in the oven with some potatoes. Boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked up and mixed in with some quick cooking rice is nice too. Another use for frozen meatballs would be meatball subs. Actually, you could make a huge pot of them, simmered in the sauce. Then one meal of meatball subs. Another of Spaghetti & meatballs, and leftovers can be made into a hotdish with some macaroni, onions, kidney beans and top it with cheese. I also enjoy a chef's salad. Get a couple slices of 1/2" ham, turkey, maybe some other meats, some good cheeses you like, bag of salad greens, a couple hard cooked eggs and put together a big tasty salad. I like pepperoni in mine. A turkey breast isn't all that tough either if you can handle it. Or have hubby clean it and you just pop it into the oven. Could use a cooking bag or a roaster. There's some decent canned gravies out there. Stove Top stuffing works for me. Then if you're adventurous, just see what's in the cupboards. I had a package of hamburger I needed to use and didn't know what I felt like. So I cooked it up and started grabbing canned goods. Some canned sliced potatoes, diced tomatoes, a can of BBQ Manwich, some minced onion, can of corn, some pepperoni slices, can of kidney beans, and a can of wild rice along with some seasonings. I just called it the "Slop du-jour" and it was actually pretty tasty. Another vote for a pot roast too. Use cooking bags if you like or a crockpot/electric roaster. And another think I actually enjoy on occasion is simply some crackers or toast with sausage and cheese slices. Occasonally top it with a glass of wine and you have a fru-fru party meal! Right now it's hot and sticky here so I went to the store and picked up some deli ham, turkey, nice bakery buns, coleslaw, steakhouse potato salad and some ice cream sandwiches. That's my menu for the next few days! Gourmet, or Gourmand? Your choice. :) Course I even like a peanut butter sandwich... throw some bacon on it toasted for a real taste treat. Oh yeah, grilled ham & cheese sandwiches too. Sloppy joes.... This isn't the time of year for soups & stews but if you like, hey, why not. Soup and sandwich is a good meal too, maybe a side salad? Hope it gives you some ideas. Health and happiness to all.

@JustDoIt - so glad you have found something that is working and that you ENJOY! @MagdalenaLee - good luck with your new program. And congrats on the 4 pounds. Sounds like you have found success too with the water and the dog walking. @Funkyart - You've probably already gone, but I hope you found some goodies on your shopping trip. Aldi's is a go to for a couple things I like - smaller packages of organic turkey lunch meat and their organic tomato mozzarella chicken sausages. I also like their organic grass fed meatballs in sauce. All three easy options when I'm not in the mood to cook. And can I suggest Thai for 2 :) Add some chicken, veggies, serve over cauliflower rice and I think it's a good 2 or 3 meals with great flavor! @gsciencechick - that mirror story rings true here as well! I had my own mirror type story - I started with a new trainer and she does a 3D body scan and gives you all your measurements and your body fat percentage! WOW! It was pretty shocking at first, but after looking into it, it was actually pretty expected - just not by me when seeing it in black and white like that. She repeats them pretty regularly, so it's good motivation as well. It also shows my poor posture, how I lean, etc. Lots of room for all sorts of improvement moving forward.