Vet time again & Potato Soup in a Jar

My in-laws have that cute schnauzer, Lilly, and it is time for her to get fixed, get her rabies shot and all that good stuff. She has an appointment on January 18th (since I am off work and can watch her). I am so worried about another rabies incident like what Sasha had. It has just made me a bit more cautious about how they react and what we give them.

My poor dogs probably think that they are being abused by all the fresh stuff we give them. They don't even get treats anymore. We give them fresh carrots, avocados, apples, frozen green beans. They will eat just about anything that we give them and it is much healthier for them. They don't get onions or grapes since it is bad for their system. Roxy was weighing almost 85 pounds. We were having issues with ear infections and she was going to the vet every two and a half weeks. I think that we have them under control now (with extra meds at home in case!) but now we started hitting it hard with the weight loss. We cut her food back to one rounded measuring cup in the morning and one at night with carrots and all that yummy stuff in between. She is losing the weight!

It is hard to look at the amounts but when we take into consideration that Roxy is much less active than Sasha she does need less food but it is still hard when you measure it out. Sasha gets a total of two-thirds of a cup a day at 11 pounds and Roxy gets 2 1/4 cups a day and she is now weighing 78 pounds. She has lost 7 pounds so far and it is showing. She is looking good! She goes into the vet for her normal check up in March and they will do her rabies shot then. My goal is to have her down to the 75 pounds that the vet is recommending!

*********

Speaking of losing weight the holidays always get to me and I seem to gain. I love the food and atmosphere of Christmas. Loving this causes me to eat more, which causes me to gain weight. Now I am back to my watching my portions again and cutting some carbs out. I am refusing to cut all carbs out just because I love them. We are just going to start eating healthier. My biggest obstacle will be having two nights a week that I will leave the day job, get on the turnpike and drive, start class at 7:20 and then hit the road some time after 10, thus not getting home until almost midnight. I ate at the cafe on campus some last semester but it got me BAD.... I would go in thinking that I was only going to get a burger, then I would see some fries, or I would see the personal pizzas that were actually more the size of a small pizza and I would lose it and over eat. I am trying to start planning now what I can take. I am a huge potato soup fan and found a recipe that is convenient and tastes good.

Potato Soup Mix in a Jar
1 3/4 cups instant mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups dried milk
2 tablespoons instant chicken bouillon
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Put ingredients in a 1-quart jar. Mix 1/2 cup of mix with 1 cup boiling water and stir until smooth.

This is one of those things that I can keep in the car and mix up a small amount to eat before class or even during class. Any other ideas that could help me with easy to make meals that can be taken to school????

*********

We have had over 14 inches on snow since Christmas Eve and I am enjoying it, I just hope it doesn't snow like this when I am having to drive my hour and a half to and from school. This has been the first year in a long time that I have just really enjoyed the snow and what it looks like around us.

*********

AJ went for a two week check up and she weighs 7 pounds 2 ounces now and is 20.75 inches long. She is growing so much!!! I have been taking care of the hubby who has been sick so I haven't gotten to see her since Christmas!!! I am going through withdrawal. I can't wait until Matt is feeling better so that I can go hold her.