I was wondering that also. If the ingredients label is required to be more specific here, that would account for *some* of the differences.

Stupid, stupid question here... My dds both wear exactly the same size clothes, including the same length pants, and they are the same height/weight. Can I get one bike that would work for both of them?

Huh, interesting! Has anyone eaten both, and do they taste the same?

I think you should do whatever it takes not to have that bitterness. :grouphug: You are not obligated to allow people in your home, unless you have a religious base that encourages hospitality. With that said, I don't have a guest room, and we manage to have guests and enjoy doing so. I have the kids all camp out in one bedroom, and I give the guests the other room. When the weather allows, I let the kids put up tents in the backyard, or sleep under the stars. Obviously that won't work for all situations, and you may not be able to do it. Bottom line, if you don't want to, then don't! ETA: Just noticed that this is a "Part 2", and I may have missed something important from Part 1 that was applicable. If my answer doesn't make sense, ignore it completely!

I'm taking notes, since I also struggle with grocery budgeting. So many good ideas here, we should collaboratively write a book! This may not be something that other people find encouraging, but I sometimes consider this when I'm in the store choking about the prices: http://wsm.wsu.edu/researcher/WSMaug11_billions.pdf http://www.numbeo.com/food-prices/ It doesn't make things cost any less, but it makes me feel strangely better to know that as difficult as it is to fit groceries into my budget, food here is actually less expensive than pretty much anywhere else in the world.

We have weight issues. My dds (teenagers) have mentioned that they'd like bicycles, but in past years the Walmart cheapie bikes haven't lasted well. The terrain where we live is dirt/gravel/rocks, so do they need a mountain bike? Where should I look, and how much do I need to spend? Money is tight, but not impossible, and I'd like to make this a priority.

Unless you are a happy breakfast-skipper, I don't think Personal Trainer Foods will work for you as a diet. I think every breakfast includes eggs, unless you have some other low-carb breakfast alternative that you could pull together on your own.

I dunno about it being no dairy. Some of the breakfast things have cheese.

Yeah, sorry about that! I was on my phone with it's teeny screen, and for some reason it wouldn't let me complete my post.

I was unimpressed with the appearance of the brisket, but it was *so good*. Yum. And yeah, I really like the garlic butter sauce stuff for the veggies. Speaking of the veggies, I am impressed that the mixed veggies that have broccoli in them have some stem pieces, but they're tender and not tough. Yum to the veggies too. I'm not a big fan of the Garlic Herb Chicken. It's good, just not to my personal taste.

The Personal Trainer foods have tasted better than the convenience foods I've bought from Costco, and they are easier to cook because they are packaged in their own little steamer bags. 90 seconds in the micro and it's done. No dried out edges on the chicken, no not-quite-done middles. No covering things so they won't splatter, etc.

Well, let's see...my dh would probably be willing to eat the food, if he didn't see it come out of the freezer (he's used to me cooking from scratch with very little convenience foods). My dh is a BIG guy though, 6'5" and 250 lbs. He would definitely be hungry if he were trying to replace a Big Mac, fries, & a Coke with one of these meals. He'd have to eat two, I think, but he's used to eating a lot of food in a meal, and only two meals per day. Obviously, ymmv!

I received my food two days ago, and I'm trying to decide to what extent I want to follow the plan. I'm not sure it's realistic for me to eat differently than the rest of my family at dinnertime. Honestly, even if I just do the frozen meals at breakfast and lunch I'll probably come out ahead of where I've been in my eating habits lately. One thing I can say is that I've really liked the food so far, and the only problem with it is that I like it so much I could easily overeat on the Personal Trainer Food. That's really very different than other diet meals, which I have tried and then thought after eating one that I didn't really want more anyway, 'cause it wasn't very good. I ordered the plan that includes breakfasts, and when they arrived I was a little dubious. They didn't necessarily look very good to me, but when I tried them, they taste great! I liked but didn't *love* the chicken sticks, though they tasted really good to me--it was a textural issue. I really want to buy more Personal Trainer Food now while there's a Groupon deal, but I'm not sure if I can since I used a voucher (from somewhere else though) already? Next time, I would buy the plan that includes only breakfasts and meats, and then fill it out with frozen or fresh veggies from my regular shopping. I could prepackage them on my own, and I think I'd be happier with just a slightly bigger serving of the vegetables than what's included, though the veggies from them have been pretty good, and super-convenient. I've found it easier to stave off impulsive eating, because even I can wait 1 1/2 minutes for my food to be ready, lol! Before, I'd neglect preparing my food until I was starving, and then I'd eat whatever was immediately available. This really solves that problem for me. Overall, I think it's *totally* worth the money, even if I don't lose any weight, because it's certainly a healthy way to eat, and it frees me from thinking about food so much. The last part of this is mental. I spend most of my life preparing food for other people, either in a professional context, or at home. Rarely does anyone else provide food for *me*. I feel so pampered and cared for because there's yummy food ready for me, that I didn't have to work at, and I didn't have to trouble anyone else to provide. Is that weird? :001_unsure:

I am so surprised! Usually with posts like this I end up being one of the most conservative, but this one--no. I think protectiveness is fine, but this is not protectiveness. Being careful would mean teaching a nearly-adult to be protective *of herself*. She needs to understand how to deal with these things on her own, not because it's wrong for you to do it, but because it's a necessary life skill. Brainstorm the options with her, and give her the skills she needs to carry her through when you're not around. If she needs a course in self-defense, make sure she gets it. If she needs pepper spray, get it. Discuss options with her: Hang out in the locker room with a bottle of water until other women are ready to leave. Ask for help from someone else who's just there watching. Find out if the rink has someone who can walk her out (surely there must be someone there to lock up afterwards?) Use good observation skills to determine if it looks/feels safe enough to proceed with caution, pepper spray handy, and keys handy and positioned as a weapon. Other options I haven't thought of yet... In other words, don't give her a fish, teach her to fish!

I'd mentally picture 8 plates, and then I'd try to imagine whether the food I had there would be enough to roughly fill the plates. If not, I'd bring something more, probably something filling, but cheap.

Well, I guess I failed to subscribe to my own thread, and I didn't realize there had been more responses! I'm glad I took a peek at the board today. I bought the deal thing, but I haven't ordered my food yet because my feezer is too full. For me, I cook a lot professionally, and I cook a lot of food for my family that I'd prefer not to eat. I just can't, at the end of the day, stomach cooking separate meals after I've nurtured everyone else with food all day long. I just want it there when I need it, and yes, I'm looking at it as a luxury "pampering myself" kind of thing, which I just don't do very often. I want to have reasonably healthy food provided for me, where I don't have to think about it, and it's worth the money right now, I think. Actually, I think the prices seem pretty reasonable for real and less-processed food. I'll subscribe to the thread, so if anyone else gives it a try, let us know, ok?

You know, this has been the thread that just keeps on giving! Thank you all so much! Now I have an arsenal of new recipes to try. I'd love it if anyone who tries recipes from this thread would let us know how it turned out. :bigear:

I would absolutely not do it. Not a chance in the world. Even if it's not a circumstance where there's some sort of financial scam going on, I still see red flags. Unless you're planning on opening & inspecting the package thoroughly, you could very well be unknowingly transporting drugs or other contraband through customs, etc. Definitely not a position you want to be in! Then, what if something happens to the "camera" while it's in your possession? Will they expect you to be responsible for replacement should it be lost or damaged along the way? No. No. No. Just NO. Or if you want to say it more politely: "I'm sorry, but due to some personal circumstances I won't be able to do it." If they continued in their request I'd repeat the same thing again. You don't really owe them a reason or an excuse, and an unspecified personal circumstance will probably not be inquired about further.

I guess my short answer about teaching manners would be nagging all the time, every time. -But to me, teaching manners would encompass things like not chewing with your mouth open, making sure to leave the kitchen as clean as you found it, etc. Some of the things you mentioned aren't things I classify as manners. Sibling rivalry, for instance, says something about character. Chewing on a pencil while you do your math does not, kwim? So, for manners stuff, I nag. For character issues, I look for opportunities to connect with that child and help them to understand their feelings and develop better responses to whatever it is that they're working on. When all else fails, I send them all to their rooms and tell them they can come out when they're adults! :D

Okay, y'all don't you love it when you start a thread and then return the next day to find that it is FULL of what you asked for? I'm enjoying the replies so much, and thank all of you who participated! One thing though, I've lost track of who I've sent recipes to, and who still needs recipes to be sent. I'm going to post the links to my recipes here, but only for a little while. Because I use some of my recipes for restaurant use, I don't really want to leave them out there in the wind, kwim? Please get them while they're up! Also, you all can share the pulled pork recipe and the chicken pot pie recipes with whomever you wish, but (this is rare for me), would you mind not sharing the Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie recipe? It's my own, and I really don't want it "out there' until I'm done making money with it, lol! As for me, I'll be copying/pasting recipes from all of you. Thank you so much! Chicken Pot Pie: http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/1360477 This one I adapted from someone else's recipe, so feel free to Google "The Pastry Queen all-sold-out chicken pot pie" if you'd rather see what the original recipe called for. In my opinion, the original recipe is fatally flawed because it has double the flour it needs in the sauce part, and I don't like the red peppers that the original recipe called for, but of course, ymmv! Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie: http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/1360566 Pulled Pork: http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/669430 which I serve with this barbeque sauce: http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/314637

Okay, you've piqued my interest. You never said what the recipe *is* though! The pot pie recipe should be in your pm box.

I'd love to have any of those recipes! You can post them here if you're willing to share with everyone, or just pm them to me if you'd prefer to keep them a little more private. Thanks! (You have recipes pm'ed to you)

Tit for tat, as the saying goes! I'm looking to trade, baby, not give it away for free, lol! Actually, I'm just kidding. :D I'll pm you the link to the pot pie. It's an adaptation of someone else's recipe, and I feel a little bad about posting the whole thing here. Plus, what if I post it here for the world to see, and then nobody agrees with me that it's the best? That'd be embarrassing... :leaving:

If you cook quite a bit and make good food, then I bet you DO have WOW recipes, you just aren't thinking of what they are right at this moment. :-) The comment about the rolls makes me lol! For family gatherings I was always the one to bring scalloped potatoes. Got rave reviews each time. One year one of my sisters-in-law asked me how I make them and if I'd be willing to share my recipe. I told her that, of course, I'd be glad to share how I made them. I proceeded to tell her that I use boxed scalloped potatoes, but add about 4 oz. of cream cheese per box, add extra garlic & minced onions (dried), and sub cream for the milk called for on the box. They didn't ask me to bring scalloped potatoes again for 3 YEARS! It was just unacceptable in their world that boxed could be better than homemade, so from then on for each holiday someone would bring homemade, greasy, curdled cheese/cream scalloped potatoes. After the three years were up, someone quietly asked me to bring them again for Easter, and no one ever mentioned the issue again. Now I have to bring them every single holiday, so I guess that's a mixed blessing--I get a 'lil tired of bringing the same thing every time. ;-) The recipes will be in your pm soon, because not only did you give me a recipe, but you also gave me an entertaining story. :D