Where has the time gone..

I can't believe this is my first post this month!  Which is incredibly sad since this month is almost over  :(

Needless to say I have been incredibly busy and when I get really busy I make lousy food choices.  Tonight's dinner however is going to be pretty healthy.  Tomato soup and toasted cheese sandwiches.  I think total it will be about 300 calories.

I am working from home now so I really don't have a huge excuse to not achieve my goal.  Tomorrow morning starts the 9am cycling hour to Ellen. 

Time to go make dinner.  Talk to you tomorrow!

Fast and Easy Salsa

So over the weekend my parents and brother were in town and we were out of salsa.  I took a look in the pantry and cupboards to see what I had that I could throw together.  This is what I came up with.

1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 can Mexican Style Corn, drained
1 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 a large red onion, chopped

Place all ingredients into a seal able dish and shake to mix.

It was pretty good and considering it cost all of what $3 to make, I can't complain.  It was pretty decent sized and gone the next day.  I made it again last night only I used Ro-Tel tomatoes instead of just diced.  It had more of a kick but I think the next time I will add a can of green chilies.

bad me!

Losing weight is hard.  Staying motivated is hard.  Making the right choices and decisions is hard.  Halloween candy never looked so sweet and neither did birthday cake or anniversary treats.  I have fallen and today I am picking myself back up.  I have 7 months to get rid of this baggage.  I am mad at myself for giving up and giving in.  I'm mad that all the work I did in two months, I probably gained back in 1. 

I wish my body worked the way I want it to.  I'm disgusted that me losing 20lbs is like a normal person losing 5lbs.  I wish I could blame my parents or someone else for me being fat but considering my parents and brother are all pretty slim its me although in my defense I do think I have a chemical imbalance.  I haven't been diagnosed with PCOS by my doctor but a nurse made a snide remark about how it was obvious I have it.  Thanks wench lol. 

I have great intentions but I need to make them hold and withstand.  I need to rid my house of the bad food that has invaded it.  I once babysat for a family where the mom placed photos of skinny, muscular women every where (and I think she even had motivational words with some of them).  Bathroom mirrors, on the fridge, pantry and cupboard doors and at the time I thought it was so weird.  I, now realize why she did it and I praise her for her dedication to achieve her goals.  I haven't seen her in person for 4.5 years but from the pictures I've seen she looks fantastic. 

It's time for me to step up to the plate and make my visual motivation.  Saying things and doing things are two different things.  I've done quite a bit of saying but not enough of doing.

twenty8

twenty8, I am now twenty8.  I think back and wonder huh, how, what and when did this happen.  I don't feel 28.  Not that I feel 18 or anything but holy crap I want some of that time back!

Since my birthday was 10/10/10 I decided to celebrate it.  I had some people over on Saturday so obviously I bought crap food and lots of it!  We are still eating our way out of the leftovers and snacks.  Which isn't very good considering we haven't watched our portion sizes the past week.

I remember one of my final conversations with my gpa before he passed away, I was 13 and didn't think much of the chat at the time but he must have known his fate.  He had asked me my plan for the future, where I wanted to go to college, what I wanted to be, when I wanted to get married and how many children I wanted to have.  At that time in my life I was 100% sure I was going to go to UMD or UWI-Superior for my teaching degree, I assumed I would find the love of my life in college and we would get married after we graduated somewhere between 23-25.  We would then go on to have 3-4 kiddos.  I remember him telling me not to rush into marriage and that 25 would be a great age to get married. 

Bah haha!  What did I know!  I didn't go to either school and I'm not a teacher.  I got married at 26 and 8 days lol.  Pretty close I'd say  :)  I'd like to think the path I'd chosen would still make him proud  :)

Anywho CHEERS to being 28!

Baby, I'm on a roll!

Last night for shits and giggles, I decided to do a little weigh in and I lost 2lbs since Saturday!  I am so happy for those results!  Made my night especially since I have been really snacky lately and haven't been able to resist.  What can I say, Halloween is my 2nd favorite holiday and I love candy  :)

Happy Tuesday!

Oh Michael Kors, how I love you this morning. 

I had purchased this super cute pair of Michael Kors trousers 2-3 years ago.  I had made the mistake of not trying them on at the store and when I got home they were too small.  So as I ventured back to the store to return/exchange them, they didn't have the size I needed and I had misplaced my receipt.  I kept them in my closet along with all of the other clothes I had "out grown" so maybe one day I could fit into them.  Well today is that day! 

I will admit they are a little snug but they look WAY better on then the other pairs of pants I've been wearing.  These pants are 3 sizes smaller then the ones I was wearing prior to my life change.  The weird thing is I have a bunch of pants in sizes in between these and they are way tight.  I don't quite understand that.

20 Down!

I've finally hit the 20lb mark!  40 days after I've started but non less I finally did it.  The hubby thinks I've lost more and to be honest I never weighed myself before I started.  I had a guess at what I weighed from a recent doctors visit but I didn't know the true number.  I am so happy to have seen a change on the scale.  The last two weigh ins were horrible and discouraged me.  This is the kick I need to continue down this path and reach my end goal.

What this also means is that I can finally wear my Santino Marella t-shirt!  You are probably asking yourselves, "who is Santino Marella?"  Santino has made my Monday nights so much better the past 3 years.  Back when we lived at our old house and only had one tv the hubs and I had to share it since we both had shows on that we wanted to watch.  His show happened to be Monday Night RAW and Santino is a wrestler on there.  He's funny and good looking even whilst sporting a uni brow. 



Not the best photo but non less there he his.  :)

blah blah blah

I'm going to weigh in tonight.  I am wishing on the stars, moon and sun that there has been a weight loss.  If not I am going to be in complete shock as I have changed my eating habits drastically.  Although there were probably some days I did go over my allowance but there were also days I was way under.

I'm also sad to report, I only accomplished a handful of my goals from last week.  :(  I am so ready for my life to slow down.  Any tips on how to make that happen?

Time to go back to work.  I'll write more later.

I'm back.....!!

I haven't weighed myself in almost two weeks, partially because I'm scared and because I have been so busy.  When I say I'm scared it's not just of the scale but of the voles that have invaded my basement.  I think we have the problem taken care of none less I still don't want to go down there.  Which has caused the laundry to really pile up and annoyed my hubs because every time I need to go down to the basement he has to accompany me.  He should be flattered that I need him to protect me  :)

Back to what the blog is really about, me and losing weight.  :) Which I think I have done, my face looks thinner, my body looks thinner and my pants are falling down, literally.  For my size I don't really have a butt, so a couple of my pairs of pants are going to have to disappear! 

I haven't been eating as well as when I started but whatever I'm doing appears to be working.  I haven't logged into Spark in quite a few days so I need to get back into my routine with that.  I wake up with the intention of working out but me and waking up at the crack of down don't get along so I sleep some more. 

My goals for the next two days are the following:
1. Log into SparkPeople
2. Track my progress into SparkPeople
3. Plan out next weeks meals on SparkPeople
4. Workout for at least 30 minutes a day
5. Create a budget
6. Create more goodies for my Etsy store
7. Load said goodies onto Etsy store
8. Organize my schedule
9. Continue making healthy and wise food choices
10. Plan my 10/10/10 Birthday Party

Bah

I  have been putting off this blog for days...I have fallin from the diet wagon and crash landed.  I weighed in on Saturday and gained 4.5lbs back.  I am mortified and sad.  It was also really discouraging since I look like I had lost more weight.  Sadly the last couple of days haven't been so great either.  But I've brushed myself off and I'm climbing back on.  I'm not a quitter and I will beat the fat!  :)  It just might take longer and require more then what I've already been putting into it.

Funkadelic Chili Mac from Hungry Girl

Hello Groovy Blog Friends!

I saw these recipes on http://www.hungry-girl.com/ and knew I had to try them out!  They sound fantastic and somewhat quick and easy.  As I am husbandless this week, I will have to wait until the weekend to make these. 

Funkadelic Chili Mac

Ingredients:
1 14.5oz can stewed tomatoes roughly chopped, juice reserved
1 c canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 c frozen ground beef-style soy crumbles (like Boca or Morningstar Farms)(I will be using ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 c portabella mushrooms, chopped
1/3 c tomato paste
1 tsp chili powder, or more to taste
1/2 tsp garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin, or more to taste
5 oz (about 1 1/4 cups) uncooked elbow macaroni with at least 2g fiber per 2oz serving
1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
Cayenne pepper, optional

Directions:
To make the chili, bring a large pot sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove.  Add all ingredients including the reserved tomato juice, EXCEPT macaroni and cheese.  Stir thoroughly.  Cover and cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes, occasionally removing the lid to stir.

Meanwhile, prepare macaroni according to package instructions, in boiling water for about 8 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Once both are cooked, add drained pasta to the pot of chili.  Mix thoroughly.  Season to taste with cayenne pepper and additional spices, if you like.  Evenly top each serving with cheese and enjoy.

Makes 4 servings

Serving Size: 1.75 c
Calories: 297
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 55.5g
Fiber: 9.75g

This almost sounds to good to be true!  I haven't made anything yet that allows us to have that big of a serving especially with that little of calories so I am really excited to try this one out.  I will make a couple of changes ie.. ground turkey instead of the soy crumbles, no mushrooms on my portion and instead of the normal peppers, I will be using these really yummy sweet peppers from Sam's Club.


Mac Daddy (HG's healthy version of Macaroni Salad)

Ingredients:

For Salad:
6oz (about 1.5 c) uncooked elbow macaroni with at least 2g fiber per 2oz serving
2 c dry broccoli cole slaw
1 c celery, chopped
1 c red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c onion, chopped
2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
6 large hard boiled egg whites, chopped

For Dressing:
1/4 c plus 2 tbsp fat free mayo
1/4 c dijon mustard
1.5 tbsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp black pepper, or more to taste
1/8 tsp salt, or more to taste
1 no-calorie sweetner packet (like Splenda)

Directions:
Prepare macaroni according to package instructions.  Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.  Allow to cool completely.

Combine all ingredients for dressing in a medium bowl and mix until blended.  Set aside.

Add all remaining salad ingredients to the bowl with the cooked macaroni.  Add dressing and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until completely chilled.

Makes 8 servings

Serving Size: 1 heaping cup
Calories: 126
Fat: 1g
Carbs: 23g
Fiber: 2g

The only change I foresee myself making to this one is substituting the red peppers for my sweet peppers.  How yummy would this be with some turkey sliders?!

Ohk, time for dessert! 

Double Chocolate Mousse Attack

Ingredients:
1 pk Nabisco 100 Cal. Oreo-Thin Crisps
2 Mousse Temptations by Jell-O snack cups, any chocolate flavor
1 Jell-O Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding snack
1/2 c Fat Free Reddi-Whip

Directions:
Roughly crush cookies and set half aside.  Evenly distribute the other half between to small glasses or dessert bowls.

Spoon a container of mousse into each glass/bowl.  Top each layer of mousse with half of the pudding.  Squirt 1/4 c of Reddi-Whip on top of each pudding layer.  Sprinkle the remaining crushed cookies on top of the two desserts, evenly distributing the cookies between the desserts.

Makes 2 Servings

Serving Size: 1 dessert (1/2 the recipe)
Calories: 150
Fat: 4.75g
Carbs: 28.5
Fiber: 1g

I thought this sounded good and chocolate is the one thing I've avoided since starting this whole thing.  It just might be time for a special treat  :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I so want to reach my goal and I can't let these past two weeks become a trend.  I feel like I've fallen off the horse but I am ready to get back on him and conqueror this for once and for all.  I have so much to look forward to and can't let this extra "baggage" pull me down anymore. 

Also THANK YOU to everyone who reads or who has read my blog, I greatly appreciate your support and kind words. 

Fall is HERE!!

Fall is officially here and I LOVE it!  The changing of the leaves, crisp air, apples (in the form of pie, cider and applesauce of course!) and the impending holidays are enough to make me giddy as can be!  Nothing better then cute fall clothes and wearing comfy pants/hoodies.  Yes, I am a sucker for wearing ill fitting, odd colored and sometimes patterned pants.  In fact I like wearing said pants so much, I'm like a magnet for them at the store and it's a major score when I can find them on clearance at the store.  Now, the older I've gotten, the less I actually do wear these, especially out in public.  In fact recently I have bought a couple pairs that are suitable to wear in public.

Throughout my teens/early 20's, I tended to wear bigger fitting clothing the heavier I was to hide my body.  Which made me look bigger then I was.  Of course my mom told me this in high school, but seriously what does she know!  ;)  Over the course of the past 4 years, I have avoided doing this except while wearing said pants and focused more on the cover up.  I love me, my cover ups; sweaters, hoodies (w/zippers), boleros, shrugs, cardigans, you name it, I have it.  A SparkPeople friend posted a blog about this a week or so ago and it opened my eyes.  I too do the same thing.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't wear one.  It can be 5000 degrees outside and I will have some sort of cover up on.  Now don't get me wrong this isn't entirely bad cause I see "skinny" people wear them too just not as often as I do. 

I am excited to report that most of the clothes I've mentioned are getting quite loose and hopefully soon they will be finding their way to a local consignment shop or Goodwill.  Thankfully my pack rat ways have paid off and I have quite a few items of clothing that I will soon fit into as I keeping inching towards my goal.

My lifestyle tends to be on the go and when I'm not on the go, I'm usually tired or lazy so prior to this journey the hubs and I ate out A LOT!  There would be weeks were we would eat out every day multiple times.  Now this is a trend that carried on for quite a long time and we still have urges to go out to eat.  But we have found a fantastic substitute,  Subway!  You can get a delicious and HUGE salad for about $5 and it has very little calories. 

This is only half of the salad.  I had gobbled the first half up pretty fast  :)  It is so num nummies!  Most of the salads from Subway have less then 300 calories per serving.  Fantastico!

1/6th of the way!

So I am 1/6th of the way to my goal.  I'm heading into my 4th week and I feel somewhat disappointed by this.  I know the past two weeks have been crazy and I know 20lbs in 3.5 weeks is good but I had hoped for more. 

I can't wait for the end result and I need to keep telling myself that it will be worth it in the end.  So worth it.

02 September 10

Poof!  Just like magic, he's gone.  And I am completely gutted.  I shouldn't be and I know it comes with the territory but I am.  I feel mislead and lied to.  Had I known from the get go that it would have been so short term it probably would have been different.  Probably.  I wish him nothing but the best because he so deserves it and there will forever be a place in my heart for him.

I am not a religious person but I do believe things happen for a reason.  Maybe he was our shining star leading us to all the good things to come.

Despite my traumatic Wednesday, Thursdays weigh in went splendid.  I was once again afraid of jumping on the scale but I needed something to distract myself from the quietness that has once again invaded my home.  I have lost 4.5 lbs since last week.  I was sure I had gained everything back over the course of the past week.

I do have a bunch of recipes to try so look for those recipes within the next couple of days.

30 August 2010

Despite the crazy past week, I still managed to lose 2.5lbs.  I was pretty upset by this low number especially since the first week I kicked some major butt.  It all started last Sunday.  Cravings for crap food crept in and I did pretty good although I did manage to fit a fruit snack into my calories for the day.  Monday and Tuesday were filled with healthy choices however on Tuesday I went over my calories.  I was so upset with myself.  There were even tears.  Those who know me know I can cry over ridiculous stuff so this is nothing new.  Wednesday I had dinner with friends at Granite City.  I had a yummy southwestern salad with chicken.  GC doesn't have fat free or low fat salad dressing of ANY kind, who would have thought that? 

Thursday...Thursday is a day that will change my hubs and I in so many ways with the arrival of little man and our splurge on pizza for dinner.  It seemed as though we had broken the ice on eating crap food and we were free do it the rest of the weekend.  So Friday I met up with hubs and little man at Wendy's.  I could have had a salad but instead I chose chicken nuggets and french fries.  In my defense I did share both things with hubs and little man.  I had leftover pizza for dinner and then for lunch on Saturday. 

Yesterday was little man's 3rd birthday so we threw him a party filled with pizza, cake, ice cream and balloons.  He looked so happy and was so excited the whole time.  We are so grateful for our family's generosity.  He made out like a bandit, which is surprising because I said no gifts...   :)

08/27/10

Tonight is the big weigh in and I am scared to do so.  The last couple of days have been tough.  We have a special little visitor staying with us for the foreseeable future and yesterday was his first day with us.  We decided to celebrate and order pizza.  Thankfully I stayed with my calories!  Today we also decided to eat out in between his appointments and had Wendy's.  Instead of a somewhat healthy salad, I had chicken nuggets and some french fries.  Ironically I feel nauseous, I think my body was adjusting to the healthy food trend and this crap food is making me not feel good.

I have received my 20lb reward although I can't have/wear it until I reach my goal.  Hopefully that will be tonight or soon. 

I am so excited to have little man with us and can't wait for all the fun we are going to have.  We might have to pick up a stroller so we can take him and the dog for walks after dinner.  It's weird having this little soul around, I like it.  His laughter is contagious and I love how his little voice fills up the silence.  I wonder if running around chasing a toddler will count on Spark People as exercise... haha

Garlic and Herb Pasta with Bacon and Green Peppers aka yum yum!

Bacon and Onion Frittatas = Easy and Delicious

Bacon and Onion Frittata

Ingredients:
6 eggs (or equivalent)
1/2 c bacon (crumbled)
1/2 c reduced fat cheese (shredded)
1/2 c onion
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Line or lightly spray muffin pan.

In a bowl mix eggs until fluffy.  Once fluffy add remaining ingredients and mix.

Pour mixture evenly into muffin pan slots.  Bake for 18-20 minutes. 

Makes 12 normal cupcakes or 6 large cupcakes.

Serving size is 2 normal cupcakes or 1 large cupcake

Nutritional Info:
Fat: 6.8g
Carbs: 1.6g
Calories: 119.1
Protein: 12.4g

24 Aug 10

Yesterday while at Target, I spotted some Hungry Girl cookbooks.  I proceeded to flip through the pages and fell in love with what I saw so I bought 2 of the 3 books.  There are so many wonderful recipes in there!  Oh and easy recipes like things to make in mugs.  I can not wait to start testing them out.

I have a somewhat important problem.  I am way under my calories every day.  The last couple of days I had been averaging 1000 calories which is 200-550 calories less then I should be eating every day.  I know that eating so little calories can't be good yet, I'm not hungry.  So do I make myself eat something when I'm not hungry or do I leave everything as is?  The last couple of nights I've made myself eat something when I wasn't hungry.  They have been healthy snacks (fruits and veggies) at least. 

Sunday nights Garlic and Herb Pasta with Bacon and Asparagus ie.. Green Peppers was fantastic!  It definitely makes the keep pile.  I also made Bacon and Onion Frittatas for breakfast.  They were so yummy and easy to make too.  The hubs even liked them and he isn't a quiche/frittata fan. 

I'm two days from the next weigh in and I have high hopes this week is as great as last week.  I'm ready for my next reward  :)

Recipes from the past couple of days

Red Beans and Rice with Sausage

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound fully cooked smoked sausage, cut bite size pieces
1/2 large onion
1/2 c red bell pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cans of red kidney beans
1 c low salt, 99% fat free chicken broth
1 tsp creole seasoning


Directions:
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage, onion, pepper, and garlic and saute until onion is brown; about 15 minutes. Mix in kidney beans with their juices, broth and Creole seasoning. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until flavors are blended and mixture is very thick, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Spoon mixture over cooked rice or for a lower carb option, eat as is.

Makes 8 servings of 3/4 cup each.

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 295.2  (plus about 140 calories for the brown rice)Calories: 213.4
Fat: 5.1 g

Fat: 18.8 g
Carbs: 21.6 g
Protein: 13.5 g

I made some changes to this because we were missing a couple of ingredients and needed to use some other things up.  I used a chicken sausage from Target (can't remember the flavor), one can of black beans (rinsed) and one can of kidney beans, sugar snap peas instead of the peppers and Italian seasoning instead of the creole seasoning.  It was fantastic!  Probably one of the best things I've ever made/had.  It tasted just as wonderful as seconds too.


Garlic and Herb Pasta with Bacon and Asparagus

Ingredients:

3 slices bacon, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
8 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
6 oz. dried wheat pasta of your choice (I used Penne Rigate)
3 wedges Laughing Cow Light Garlic Herb cheese
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:
Start a pot of water for your pasta.  In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until it crisps up, about 5-7 minutes.  Transfer to paper towel lined plate and set aside.  Reserve 2 tsp of pan drippings.  Once your pasta water starts boiling, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.  Put cut asparagus into a microwave safe bowl with 1-2 teaspoons of water, and microwave for about 2 minutes.  Set aside.  Meanwhile, in the same skillet you cooked the bacon in, add 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Stir in garlic and shallots.  Cook just until softened about 3 minutes.  Stir in asparagus, cook 1 minute.  Stir in cooked pasta. Stir in herb and garlic cheese.  As the cheese melts, stir to lightly coat the pasta.  Stir in bacon.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Top with some shredded parmesan and serve!

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info:

Carbs: 33.7 g
Protein: 8.6 g

Haven't made this yet as it's tonights dinner but I can't wait!  It sounds so yummy.  I will be making on change straight off the bat, I'm not a fan of asparagus so I am going to use green pepper or broccoli instead.

22 August 2010

I made my first weight loss milestone.  I lost 11lbs in a week!!  I am over the moon and I can't wait to keep it going.  It has given me so much motivation to keep moving forward.  If only every week here on out would be this easy  :) 

I did cheat a little last night and I had a package of fruit snacks.  However I feel this allowed since I avoided having cupcakes at my father-in-laws birthday party and I was still under all my allowances for the day.

It's a little odd but the first place I've noticed the weight loss is in my fingers.  They are starting to look skinnier which is funny because that is the last place I was expecting to see smaller.  Hopefully everything else follows suit!

20 August 2010

Sweet, sweet Friday, so far you have proven to be a great day!  Life is changing all around me and I welcome it with open arms.  I've finally (after a month of nail biting!) been approved and excepted as an agent for the top company in my field.  Since I've started in the industry this has always been my main goal and it's finally here! 

Now if only I can get to my other goal(s)..I'm starting to think this whole losing weight thing is going to be a walk in the park although, I do know I have some major challenges ahead.

Last night I made probably one of the most delicious things I've ever had.  I seriously could have eaten the whole pan.  It was called Red Beans and Rice with Sausage.  It consisted of a handful of ingredients and yet turned out so yummy.  I can't wait to have it again for supper tonight! 

I'm planning on doing a weigh in tonight to see if I've lost anything.  I'm hoping and praying the number on the scale is smaller.  I've been putting this off since I am terrified of the scale.  I'm ashamed of what I've become and done to my body.  I've always been bigger, taller, etc.. but that is no excuse for the out of controlness that has come over me. 

But today is a day of celebration and I want to end on a happy note which came from my husband.  He told me how proud of me he is, which I have never heard him say before but made me feel amazing and I too am proud of myself.  :)

Day 6 Recipes

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:
1 c bananas, mashed (roughly 2.5 medium bananas)
1 large egg
1/2 c applesauce
1 tbsp stevia or 1/2 c splenda
1 c whole wheat flour
1 cup regular flower
1/4 c milk (skim or 1 %)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp semi-sweet mini chocolate chips*

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Fill 16 muffin tins or papers about halfway. 
Bake @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Makes 16 servings.

Nutritional Info:
Fat: 0.6g
Carbs: 16.1g
Calories: 92.2
Protein: 2.4g

**These have an interesting consistency and would almost taste better with other fruits mixed in instead of the chocolate chips.  They are pretty decent although next time I will change a couple of things up a bit.


Asian Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
2 c cook chicken, w/out skin, cut/tore into bite size pieces
4 c shredded cabbage
1 c mushrooms, sliced
1 c carrots, shredded
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 mandarin orange, divided into sections
1/2 c Asian salad dressing
Black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large bowl combine chicken, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, cilantro, cucumber and dressing.  Toss well.  Top with green onions and mandarin oranges.  Pepper to taste.

Serves 4

Nutritional Info:
Fat: 0.9g
Carbs: 19.8g
Calories: 126.6
Protein: 10.9g

Overall this was very yummy dish that we will have again.  I cheated and used coleslaw mix and added about 1/2 c of carrots.  I also used canned mandarin oranges (drained of course).  Next time I will add some slivered almonds as well.


Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:
4 tsp brown sugar
12 oz chicken breast
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt the butter in a frying pan.  Brown the garlic in the butter.  Add chicken breasts to garlic/butter and cook thoroughly, adding salt and pepper to taste.  When chicken is fully cooked, put brown sugar on top of each breast.  Allow the brown sugar to melt in to the chicken (about 5 minutes).

Serves 4

Nutritional Info:
Fat: 6.8g
Carbs: 3.2g
Calories: 156.9
Protein: 19.7g

SOOOO Yummy!  I used two cloves of garlic because we love garlic and Splenda brown sugar instead of regular brown sugar. 


Wonderful Stuffed Potatoes

Ingredients:
4 medium baking potatoes
3/4 c low fat cottage cheese
1/4 c skim milk
2 tbsp sodt margarine
1 tsp dill weed
3/4 tsp herb seasoning
4-6 drops hot sauce
2 tsp grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Prick potatoes with fork and bake at 425 degrees for 60 minutes or until fork is easily inserted.  Cut potatoes in half length wise.  Carefully scoop out potato leaving 1/2 inch of pulp inside shell.  Mash pulp in a large bowl.  Mix in by hand remaining ingredients except parmesan cheese.  Spoon mixture in to potato shells.  Sprinkle each with 1/4 tsp parmesan cheese.  Place on a baking sheet and return to oven.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

Serving size: 1/2 potato each, 8 servings

Nutritional Info:
Fat: 2.0g
Carbs: 15.4g
Calories: 109.7
Protein: 9.3g

So mine didn't turn out so I made them into mashed potatoes.  They were pretty yummy and I'd have them again in either form  :)

19 August 2010

It's been a WEEK!  I haven't weighed myself yet but I can tell the difference in my pants.  The pairs that were starting to feel a little tight are now fitting just right or even a little looser.  As strange as it sounds, I honestly think my body is responding to the change and maybe that's because my head is into this time.  Things that normally wouldn't upset my stomach are starting too.  I'm eating smaller portions and feeling full before my meal is finished.  I had a diet pepsi the other day (after 3 days of only drinking water) and I thought I was going to get sick however I had a diet coke the last two days and didn't have a problem. 

Yesterday I felt like I ate a ton of food however I was way under on my calories.  I will post the recipes separately but here is what I had to eat yesterday.  Yogurt (Aldi special, light of course), a Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin, 27 almonds, Asian Chicken Salad, 1 oz Jack Links Teriyaki Beef Jerky, Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (super yummy!), Wonderfully Stuffed Potatoes (didn't quite turn out stuffed so I made them into mashed) and Orange Dreamsicle Delight.  All of this was roughly 1000 calories which is 200-550 less then I am suppose to have.  The portions on some of it were HUGE too. 

I've noticed I haven't been drinking as much water as I was a couple of days ago so I need to keep working on that but seriously the stuff is gross.  I haven't done too much working out but now that I'm starting week 2 that will be my focus more so then the food.  If I sit and figure things out in advance it will be easier to resist the temptations. 

I've made the announcement on FB so I can't back out now lol.  Besides have you seen my rewards!!  If that isn't enough to motivate me along with the other benefits of losing weight, there really isn't any hope for me lol.  I also have to get in beach body shape for our trip to Jamaica next year.  Last time we went I was one of the bigger people there and this time I'd like to be the opposite.  I guess the biggest motivation of all is being able to have babies. 

Stay tuned for recipes, I'll post those soon.

16 August 2010

Happy Monday!  Surprisingly the weekend went much better then I expected.  Friday we had dinner at Olive Garden with four other couples (and their children) from our PS-MAPP (adoption/foster care course).  This was our first big challenge and we did amazingly!  I did some research before we got there so when it came time to order I knew exactly what I was having.  I had the Grilled Chicken Spiedini with grilled veggies and steamed broccoli.  I even allowed myself a tiny little salad with their peppercorn and parmesan ranch dressing.  It was fantastic!

Saturday's breakfast was my standard Fiber One cereal with a mid morning snack consisting of Arbor Farm's Caramel Apple yogurt and a serving of almonds.  For lunch I made brown rice and sauteed veggies for a little stir fry.  I added some cumin and garlic & herb seasoning to the veggies with splash of soy sauce to the rice.  We had some grape salad too. My husband HATES brown rice and stir fry in general and liked it enough to have it again.  Come dinner time I was exhausted so I had cereal again.  Bad choice, I was still hungry an hour later so I had some baked beans. 

Sunday proved to be another wonderful day.  Breakfast once again was some Fiber One cereal with a mid morning Yoplait Light yogurt.  For lunch I had some brown rice, white sweet corn and black beans seasoned with garlic and cumin. I topped that off with tablespoon of fat free sour cream and pinch of low fat mozzarella cheese.  For dinner I made a grilled pb&j with some grape salad.  The pb&j was so yummy. 

All in all a good weekend.  Didn't even come close to going over my allowed limit of calories.  I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of myself  :)

Day 1 Dinner Recipe

So for dinner last night I wanted something quick and easy as well as low calorie and low fat.  I found this recipes of the SparkPeople website for Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwich.  The hubs was actually on board with my choice and even helped make it as I made Hutto Grape Salad.

Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwich

Ingredients
2 slices mixed grain bread
2 tbsps marinara sauce
1/4 c mozzarella cheese (low moisture, part skim)
1 tsp shredded parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Spread 1 tbsp of the marinara sauce on each piece of bread.  Spread mozzarella cheese evenly on side with sauce on first piece of bread.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese over mozzarella.  Top with second piece of bread sauce side down.  Place in a heated pan and cook until cheese inside is melted and bread is golden brown.  Makes one (1) serving

Nutrition Information
Servings per recipe: 1
Calories: 234.0
Total Fat: 8.0g
Cholesterol: 16.1mg
Sodium: 607.4mg
Total Carbs: 27.7g
Dietary Fiber: 3.8g
Protein: 13.2g

Hutto Grape Salad

Ingredients
1 pkg green grapes
1 pkg red grapes (seedless)
1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese (I used fat free)
1 c sour cream (I used fat free here as well)
1/2 c sugar
1 sm pkg chopped pecans
Cinnamon
Brown Sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl mix cream cheese, sour cream and sugar together until well blend.  While that is mixing spread pecans on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over pecans.  Put in oven and toast (I had mine in there for 7 minutes).  Once cream cheese/sour cream mixture is well blended add grapes.  Hand mix grapes into mixture.  Add more grapes if there is an abundance of mixture coating the grapes. 

Sprinkle mixture/grapes with the toasted pecan mixture.  Serve and enjoy! 

Serving size 10

Nutrition Information
Still working on this!

Over all dinner was super yummy!  We plan on making and eating both things quite often. 

Motivation

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

by the incomparable Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!

Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

12 August 2010

Day 1


This not so skinny girl is ready for the biggest adventure of her life.  And like everything else in her world there is guaranteed to be bumps along the way.  I could say that the goal is to lose a massive amount of weight but that is start of all the good things that should come my way.  I've never been skinny or thin and coming from a family of thin model like people has been more discouraging then encouraging.  It's easy to tell someone to diet, cut back, etc.. but to actually do it is another. 


I was somewhat active growing up and didn't really eat bad foods until I moved out of my parent's house yet I was always bigger then everyone else.  Once I moved out of my parent's house I lost quite a it of weight.  I'll credit it to being in a new relationship and the fun we had.  ;)  Sadly as our relationship progressed so did my waistline and every other line of my body for that matter. 


I'm the heaviest I have ever been and/or hope to be.  The ironic thing is I have fluctuated between this clothing size and another size for the past 3 years but I am significantly heavier then I was 3 years ago.  Which baffles me.


I love food just not the right foods.  I gag when I have to drink water for purposes other then when I'm doing something physical.  I also don't really care for fruit.  The taste and texture of some fruits just aren't good to me.  I also think it's partly because I'm lazy and it's easier to grab a bag of chips, a cookie, etc.., cut up an orange or strawberries. 


But all this is about to change!  Nobody says it better then Dr. Seuss...