Lose the Boredom!

Turrón!!!!

2012-01-03T14:34:00.003-05:00

Ok, so, before I start food journaling, I just have to say that I am extremely ashamed and angry to admit that I have eaten 4 pieces of turrón between yesterday and today. The pieces are about the size of two KitKat bars, and I have been eating really well except for the turrón... so tomorrow, no turrón. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

In other news, yesterday I finished up my day with a "chilli salad" (homemade chili on a salad with cheese and sour cream) and half of a baked potato with some yogurt dressing. For a snack, I had some cut up turkey, a few cubes of cheese and some.. turrón... For dinner, I had a chicken breast, a banana and the other half of the baked potato... and some turrón. Grrr

Today, I woke up late and didn't feel like breakfast. So I had some tea. The rest of my day went like this:

Lunch: Chicken breast and roasted veggies (green beans, potato, turnip, carrot, zucchini and tomato! delicious!)... and half a piece of turrón...
Dinner: Salad with lettuce, pulled chicken breast, tomatoes and feta cheese with yogurt dressing.... and some turrón.

Do you see a developing theme? Yes, that's why tomorrow is NO MORE TURRÓN day! I hope that I have more self discipline than I have over the past two days.

And I've reached the end of a meal plan, so it's time to make another one. I will work on that tonight!

How did your first few days of 2012 go??

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T04:12:00.003-05:00

Happy 2012 to all!!! :)

The new year always seems to be a time of new beginnings, and this was the first year in a while where I was sad to say goodbye and welcome in a new one. I had so much to be thankful for in 2011 - passing my PhD exams, starting my dissertation, getting an awesome fellowship and moving to Spain, losing 29 pounds and keeping them off, being able to spend time with my family before hopping over the ocean, visiting Africa... the list goes on and on. It is hard to believe that 2012 will be just as amazing, although I am determined to make it so.

Some of the things that I am looking forward to in 2012 include:

finishing a draft of my dissertation for editing in the early part of 2013
going back to the US in June to be able to spend time with friends and loved ones
getting to meet my friend Jenny's baby!!, who will be joining us on January 5 (good luck, Jenny!)
continuing to eat right - and incorporating more exercise - so that I can see more weight loss... I am hoping for 20 pounds, but I'm not comfortable committing to a number quite yet
visiting Italy for the first time in May!!! :) :) (and hopefully Istanbul in April, if my friends and I can work it out!)
showing my parents around during their first trip to Spain in February!!! (This will also include me seeing Seville and Córdoba for the first time, which I have always dreamed of!)
being reunited with my Cori cat, who is temporarily living with - and terrorizing! - my parents while I am away
applying for academic jobs for 2013
beginning my own portrait photography business

So, I have a lot to look forward to in 2012 as well! What are you most excited about? Least excited about?

Ok, now back to the boring food journal stuff. I took yesterday "off", although my eating habits were still pretty good.

Saturday:

breakfast - eggs
lunch - half of a store-bought pizza (they usually have thin crust and pretty healthy toppings here; I'd say that size-wise, it equated to about a slice and a half of your average American take out pizza); I also had about 10 gummy candies
dinner - while celebrating the New Year with my friends, I had: some corn nuts, a chicken breast, FOUR grilled veggie skewers, a few chips, a glass of wine and the traditional champagne and twelve grapes.. not too bad for New Years

Sunday:

breakfast - a piece of bread with jam and butter and a cereal bar
lunch - yogurt and pineapple and a cereal bar
dinner - baked potato topped with my own "quick-chili" (ground beef and pork, canned tomatoes, hot pepper and a small can of sliced green olives) and cheese and sour cream... and a cereal bar later that night

So, my eating efforts weren't exactly great this weekend, but considering it was "cheating", it was still not too shabby!

Today, I am back to the grind. Here is what my meal plan looks like:

breakfast - yogurt with fruit and one Wheetabix; tea
AM snack - olives
lunch - salad
PM snack - yogurt
dinner - chicken breast with rice and fruit

I just had breakfast while typing this entry. While infinite varieties of yogurt are available (everything from kefir to Greek to yogurt drinks to straciatella yogurt), I am kind of picky about the yogurt here. Some of it has a funny texture, and not all of it is delicious (particularly the Raisin-flavored yogurt with added fiber... blech!). I either get natural Greek yogurt or the 0% fat berry-flavored yogurt available from one of the supermarkets.

I like to add fruit to my yogurt, and usually cereal or granola. Since it's winter, and any fruit other than mandarins costs an arm and a leg, I tried to go with canned fruit... what a mistake!! Three cans of pineapple (each has 4 rings) cost 3€ (about $4.15!). I also bought one can of mixed fruit for 1.99€. It seems expensive, but I figured I would spoil myself this week! I'm going to see if any other stores sell it cheaper.

There's also no such thing as Kashi here... there's Special K, but it usually has chocolate in it. :) So I tried Wheetabix. Although my roommate warned me, "To most, it takes like cardboard", I find the taste pretty similar to Kashi. It doesn't mix well with liquids, and even yogurt can turn it into a sloppy mess (think Shredded Wheat left to sit for about 15 minutes), so I usually eat it alongside my yogurt. It's pretty good, and each biscuit has about 65 calories.

Here's a picture of my breakfast:

For many, today will be the first day of a new meal plan or a life change, so I want to wish you the best of luck! Be sure to document it, celebrate your achievements, and correct your moments of weakness! If you would like someone to read along and encourage your efforts, please leave a comment with your blog address below. Happy New Year!!

Oops...

2011-12-31T05:39:00.003-05:00

So, I forgot to write yesterday. Oops.

Yesterday, I got up early (well, for Spain) and headed to the grocery store. Since I stuck with my meal plan all week, I shopped at the precocious "Corte Inglés" - yay!

I did a lot of writing, working on my dissertation! The first chapter (which I'm currently working on) just keeps growing and growing...

Then, I took Watson to the park with my friend Lula and her dog Metraya ... metraya means "shrapnel"; an interesting name for a pooch ... and then I went downtown to meet some friends.

Puerta del Sol, the Madrid equivalent to Times Square, is THE place to be on New Years Eve, where they ring the bells at midnight - 1 for each month of the year - and you eat one grape every time the bell rings. Well, it turns out that they have a "practice run" the night before NYE, so my friends and I went and had a few glasses of wine and then pushed like linebackers until we were in the plaza and watched it all go down. There were SO MANY people pushing to get in - in fact, at one point I realized that if someone fell down, they might very well get trampled and die just trying to get to Puerta del Sol!! - but once you got into the plaza, it was much more comfortable.

Here are a few photos of the evening!

Maria enjoying and contemplating a glass of white wine.

Max and Zonia looking happy!

The very large metal and light Christmas tree in Puerta del Sol taken about 2 hours before the festivities began!

A shot of the craziness!!

Ok, so here is my food journal for yesterday:

Breakfast - 1 egg, 2 sausages, banana, tea
Snack - yogurt and olives, tea
Lunch - salad with ham, cheese, lots of tomatoes, caesar dressing; and Fanta Zero (like Coke zero, only Fanta flavored - yum!) ... oh, and I had a piece of bread while coming back from the supermarket
Snack / Dinner / ?? - olives, some ham bits, some cheese bits, a small piece of bread, 3 pineapple rings and some Greek yogurt... it started out as the yogurt, pineapple and bread, but I was still starving, so I made an impromptu meat and cheese tray.
With friends - 3 glasses of red wine, a few bites of: patatas bravas (potatoes with spicy sauce), ham, tortilla española, croqueta, bread. We ordered a tapas sampler, and since I literally had 1-2 bites of everything, I didn't feel so bad. And it was almost delicious; well, as delicious as an appetizer sampler of everything "Spanish" can be when you're so close to the tourist traps.

Today (Saturday), is the last day of the year. That's kind of awesome for two reasons: 1) it's less than 2 weeks until I get to go back to the States for a visit, and 2) I feel like I'm already sticking with a New Years Resolution, and it isn't even time! Yay!

Tonight, we're having a barbecue the terrace of a friend of mine (so Spanish!), so I can't really meal plan for that. But, my meal plan looks something like:

Breakfast: eggs and yogurt
Snack: fruit
Lunch: salad
Snack: yogurt and fruit
Dinner: ???

I hope that everyone has a very happy and safe New Years Eve and a prosperous 2012!!

The day is almost over...

2011-12-29T15:09:00.003-05:00

Hello! In an effort to stop the Christmas Cookie Catastrophe(s), I decided that I am not eating anything sweet today. At all.

This was all well and good until I went to the park with my dog and Lula, a really nice girl whom I've befriended (and is really super amazing!), brought me a chocolate turrón. Yes, I said it. Chocolate. Turrón. Behold:

This was such a generous gift - and gave me the perfect excuse to take a mulligan on my "no sweet promise" - but I'm not going to do it. I'm going to save this for another day... it might be tomorrow, it might be the next time a bout of homesickness leaves me weak, or it might be back in the States (where I am headed on January 13 for a visit). Either way, it's getting packed away tonight.

Aren't you proud?? I am!

So, on to food journaling:

Breakfast: 1 egg, 2 pieces of sausage, and 2 small bits of bread with butter; tea to drink
Lunch: ham, egg and cheese omelette on a whole grain baguette and a mini can of stuffed olives; tea to drink
Dinner: I'm going to go downstairs to the café and buy a salad with chicken, feta, and olives. I might add some tomatoes here at home. Nom nom nom!

So that's that ... I am really happy that I (almost!) made it through my no-sweets day. What helped? Sleeping in late, having a relaxing day with very little work, and talking to lots of friends. Also, going to teach class was fun and distracted me!

Yay for me! (And if I break down over the next 3 hours, please punish me!)

Update: Ok, so I had a salad with lettuce, pulled chicken breast, feta cheese and sliced olives. It was SO delicious. And as soon as I had the last bite, my brain said "Ok, what's for dessert?" I panicked! Instead of tearing into the turrón, I made a glass of tea with milk and ate a banana. Sure, it's not "sweet", but it was sweet to me. I think I may have made it... 12:00am can't come quick enough!

Christmas Cookies are the Devil's Food of Choice

2011-12-28T08:21:00.004-05:00

Good morning!! (Or good afternoon to all my Spain-side friends!)

So, it happened again. I was just finished with dinner (a yummy and healthy salad) when my friends canceled on the Scrabble night we had planned... and I realized I either had to crumple into a pile of goo or eat a few Christmas cookies. A few turned into 4, but the good news is that I am out of Christmas cookies... so that won't be happening again. Boo for me.

Day 3 of "crash course healthy eating habits" is going better than yesterday or Monday. I'm not dying of hunger like before, but I am craving carbs. Not even the super sugary deliciousness of Christmas cookies, but rather a piece of bread or a cracker or some pasta. Since I haven't eaten anything like that since Monday night, when I had some pasta with dinner, my body is probably saying "Feed me some carbs, woman! Can't you tell I need zem for ze brain powerz?!" Since I don't have any bread.. or crackers.. and pasta takes so long to cook, I had a cereal bar with breakfast. So here's the plan for today:

breakfast - eggs and meat
AM snack - yogurt and tea
lunch - salad
PM snack - olives and fruit
dinner - meat and tomato salad

So far I have been right on track. I made some sausages for the meat (longaniza ibérica, which is a pork sausage that is super delicious) and had some eggs and tea for breakfast. Oh, and a cereal bar. I didn't have a snack, but for lunch I had a big salad and a yogurt. See below:

My salad had: iceberg lettuce, chopped ham bits, half of a mini can of sliced olives, one tomato, and about 10 cubes of "Mediterranean cheese". I used the caesar dressing. Delicious!!

Then, I had two pieces of turrón (you can read about that here). Turrón is kind of on the list of foods that profess: "You'd do better to glue a stick of butter to your thighs than to eat me", but I figured that it had LOTS of almonds - 60% is almonds, to be exact - and helped me reign in my sweet tooth. Plus, it's hard (like peanut brittle) so it's hard to over indulge!

Besides writing my dissertation, I also teach English classes to four children (two different families). I am "on vacation" until January 9 with the first family, but I will see the second family this afternoon. I love playing games with the 2 and 5 year old children, and I am hoping that we will get to play with some Christmas presents today!! However, that means that my afternoon snack probably won't happen. So maybe I'll have an extra big dinner.

... And an extra big dinner I had! I was starving by the time I got home from walking my dog, so I had: a salad with three types of tomatoes (cherry, roma, and some green type of tomato that's red on the inside that they sell here in Spain) and some sliced olives; and an omelette with some leftover sausage, eggs, cheese and cayenne pepper. I put the omelette on some whole grain bread that I picked up from the store today. It was so delicious!!! Check it out:

Of course, I had some more turrón after dinner. My goal for tomorrow is not to have any sweets after or between meals. I have definitely cut down from what I will now refer to as the Christmas Cookie Catastrophe, but I'm still craving sweets. Let's see if I can kick the habit tomorrow! What bad habit are you trying to kick?

Day 2 of Food Journaling

2011-12-27T08:22:00.004-05:00

Hello! So last night's 3 Christmas cookies must go on the books... le sigh. I am hoping that today gets easier!

So here is my meal plan for today:

Breakfast: eggs and fruit
AM snack: olives and tomatoes
Lunch: meat and green beans with vinegar
PM Snack: yogurt and fruit
Dinner: salad

Well, I didn't wake up very hungry, so I waited until 11am to eat breakfast. I had two eggs, a banana, one Christmas cookie (doggone it!!!) and some tea. I am eating lunch now, and it's olives, sardines, and green beans with vinegar.

Remember how I told you that I like sardines? Well, I had never tried them, and to be honest they creep me out a little bit. However, I started eating them because they're supposed to be good for you (right?) and they are so cheap, quick and easy. I started out with the cans packed in tomato sauce, but today I tried lemon and sunflower oil, and they are still pretty good. Do you like sardines? Have any good recipes ideas?

I also made a dish that one of my roommates here in Spain has made a few times: green beans with vinegar. You dice up a half of an onion and put it in a pan with a bit of olive oil. Then, you cut up your green beans (the kind I use here are "flat" green beans - they're pretty good and look like really long snow peas!) and add them to the pan. I let them cook for about 15 minutes, adding a bit of water when they would start to stick to the pan. Then add salt and pepper to your taste. When they are tender enough, add about 1-2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar and then remove to a plate. They have a bit of a tang, are very healthy and low calorie, and contain vinegar (which helps digestion and weight loss!) Here's a picture of my plate:

Hope that everyone else is having a great day and that I can survive the rest of the day without a cookie attack!!

Hello from Spain!!

2011-12-26T07:18:00.006-05:00

Hello, everyone! Long time, no blog! I've been living in Madrid, Spain since September 2011, and I pretty much stopped blogging - and meal planning, and journaling, and tracking points - when I moved here.

Why, you ask? Well, for anyone who has ever lived in a foreign country, you will be able to empathize with these hard facts of life: it is really hard to a) meal plan when you can't find basic items that you are used to finding in a hundred stores at home (like 100 calorie pop corn, fennel, Pam - oh, Pam! how I miss you!, and feta cheese), b) you are getting used to a new eating schedule (yes, I eat lunch at 3pm.. sometimes 4pm), and c) you are pretty much too busy enjoying life and work to worry about silly things like weight loss!

How has that worked out for me, you might wonder? Well, I have lost about 6 pounds living here, which brings my grand total to 28 pounds!! There have been a few weeks where I was down another 2 or 3 pounds, but I tend to revolve around my current weight with little to no effort. Plus, I gained about 2 pounds thanks to Christmas (which is why I have to tell you that I've lost 6 instead of 8! Argh!).

Even though I am very proud that I have been losing or maintaining weight loss for 11 months (yay me!), I have decided that it's time to kick things up a notch and start working on the next 28 pounds. It's time to put away the Christmas cookies and Nutella and start back on my healthy eating habits.

I spent a few days thinking about a realistic way of going about continuing to lose weight. Unfortunately, a lot of things got crossed off the list quickly. I decided not to dive in head first to the Dukan diet (very popular right now in Europe, but the thought of eating ONLY protein and oat bran for two weeks didn't sound very healthy)... I crossed off the Weight Watchers idea, since nutrition labels here generally give you the values per 100g of the product instead of per serving, and I am not a math wizard. Furthermore, even though I have an awesome new smartphone, the Weight Watchers apps aren't available in Spain. So I figured it was time to go back to the basics:

Meal plan, while realizing that my meal plans will often be "wish lists" (see also: "I can't find fennel so the tomato and fennel salad is out of the question")
Food journal, which was a very important key to my success when I was actively losing weight, and for which my blog will serve
Pray that I will still have support from my briends ("blog friends") even though I've essentially ditched them for the past 5 months!! Puh-weasssse??! :)
Cut out diet soda and desserts and breads for 1 week to give my body time to get over the "sugar crave" stage. Have you ever gone through this? It's like the more trash I put into my body, the more it wants!

I started with a meal plan, which went something like this:

Monday: Breakfast - eggs and apple; AM snack - yogurt and tea; Lunch - Salad and Ricotta cheese; PM Snack - fruit and yogurt; Dinner - meat and veggies

You'll notice that I am pretty vague on my plans until I get back from the supermarket, because I never know quite what I will find. One glorious trip had me toting a bunch of kaki, or persimmons, while others have left me wondering how I'm going to get excited to eat my food for the next week.

So today, I went to Carrefour (one of the local supermarkets) and the fruit shop and picked up my food for the week. Behold!

What are some of the more interesting items?

"Pavo de jamón" - which translates to "turkey of ham"... imagine it something like the love child of Spam and turkey breast. Despite that introduction, it really is quite delicious. I love to cut it into cubes when I get back from the store, and I eat it on everything from salads to by itself for a protein-filled snack. It has about 25 calories per 40g (oh, did I also mention that everything here is measured in metric? I have no idea how much 40g is, but I know that since the package is 400g, that means about 1/10 of the package).
Honey mustard dressing, or shall I say "Salsa miel y mostaza". This is one of my luxury items, but it turns an everyday salad into something AMAZING! I use it on almost all of my salads, although I did pick up a bottle of caesar dressing this week to see how that goes. Gone are the days of fat-free and low-calorie salad dressings, I'm afraid.
I <3 Zero popitas, or the Spanish equivalent of low-calorie popcorn. I long for the days when I could buy 10 bags of 100 calorie popcorn for about $3.00, but now I buy 2 bags for 2€ (about $2.60) and treat them like my first born.
Salad ingredients: chopped ham, chopped turkey, lettuce, "Mediterranean white cheese cubes" (or, as my roommate calls them, "a distant second cousin on the mother's side of Feta cheese), veggies, sliced olives and dressing. Yum!
Canned sardines. Ok, I realize that this one is a little gross, but I was surprised at how amazing canned sardines packed in tomato sauce can be! I learned how to cut them open and extract the spinal column (blech!), and I eat them instead of frying up a chicken breast when I am feeling lazy. I am trying sardines packed in lemon this week, and I'll let you know how it goes.
My biggest guilty pleasure: mini cans of manzanilla olives stuffed with anchovies. About three weeks ago, I became an olive whore. I couldn't get enough. I dreamed of olives, ate them twice a day, and ignored the woman from the posh supermarket who smugly informed me that "three olives have as much fat as a veal chop". Screw her; they're delicious. Each mini can has about 15 olives, which contain about 70 calories and 2 Points Plus. (I needed a calculator to figure that one out!) However, they make an amazing snack because they contain fiber, protein and fats, with no carbs. I eat them with a piece of fruit or a cup of tea - nom nom nom!
Various fruits and veggies!

So now you have an idea of what trips to the grocery store are like in Spain. Prepared foods and ethnic foods are hard to come by, but my weight loss with relatively little effort attests to the fact that it can be a healthy way of eating.

Now on to food journaling for today! I had a fat free yogurt (1PP) for breakfast, a glass of water and some ham bits (1PP). While writing this blog, I had a glass of tea with some milk and a can of olives (2PP). For lunch, I had a salad with lettuce, turkey, cheese, olives and caesar dressing. It was good! I was so hungry this afternoon that I had: a yogurt, an apple, a banana and a cereal bar (over a stretch of 4 hours). For dinner, I made some pasta shells and chicken breast (with cayenne pepper) and put on top: tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and a little bit of olive oil. Check out the picture below; it was delicious! And yes, I did have one Christmas cookie for dessert... :(

If I successfully food journal until Friday, I am allowing myself to shop at the posh supermarket (El Corte Inglés) for my next grocery trip. Hopefully that will keep me motivated!!

Slow and steady wins the race...

2011-07-10T09:21:00.002-04:00

Hi, guys! So at my WW meeting yesterday, I finally hit my 10% goal. FINALLY! After only 6 months!!! (haha)... I have lost a total of 22.2 pounds (a bit over my 10% goal, so yay!), and I have noticed a lot of other changes:

I sleep about 8 hours now and then I wake up... sure, I can go back to sleep, but I don't have to in order to feel human!
I am using my "hunger monitor" a lot more nowadays. If I'm not hungry for dinner, I don't eat dinner. (This is important because I usually eat a really big lunch when I get home from school and sometimes I'm just not hungry for a big dinner.)
I have gone down a size in shirts (I look more in the L sizes than the XL sizes now!, which feels great after last summer's brief foray into the Women's sizes department), my pants are fitting better (and I bought a pair of size 14 designer jeans!!!), and I bought a size L dress for the first time in my adult life. Score! Some of my super cute things that I plan to take to Spain are getting a little loose (like my adorable yellow A-line sun dress with pockets, and my super cute floral print smocked bodice dress [oh, please don't get too big, my favorite favorite dress!], and my black cotton shrug that I'm not even bothering to take to Spain because it hangs off me!), but I suppose that's why Spain has tailors, right?
I have food hangovers. Yep, that's right. If I eat something bad (ice cream, fast food, pizza, etc.), it makes me crave more of it the next day. Are we sure there aren't drugs in food? haha When that happens, I start my morning off with oatmeal, coffee and fruit, because it fills me up and I don't want to think about food. Usually after a workout or a busy morning, the hangover is gone.

If I could sum up the 10% loss in a word it would be: process. I didn't track every week. I had a 5 pound gain while I was working on my PhD exams. I overindulged after a bad day (or ten). I stayed between -18 and -21 pounds for about 6 weeks... I'd go up a little, and then I'd go down a little. But I got there! (and you can, too!!!)

One major change that I've made since starting WW is that I just don't cook very much. As you have seen on my blog, I love to cook, but it's simply inconvenient to whip up recipes for one person, especially if I am not hungry enough to eat a 10PP dinner four nights in a row.

Now, I just try to meal plan for smaller meals and remixable ingredients. For example:

For meals this week, I plan to have Hungry Girl's BBQ Chicken Salad once or twice.
Then, I'll use the leftover ingredients to make Danica's and TJ's sweet potato nachos. Maybe with a pack of tuna on the side for 2PP because I don't plan to use all the nachos ingredients.
Then, I'll use the leftover tomatoes (not a huge tomato fan, so I use them sparingly) to make some pasta with tomatoes, basil and cheese.

And there you have it, a week of meals for one without buying out the produce section!! How do you meal plan? Do you concentrate on your proteins and build meals around them (one night for seafood, poultry, lean beef and vegetarian), or do you just go with what looks good? I'm dying to know. :)

Also, I need more advice... I am getting ready to spend two weeks packing up my apartment into a storage unit, then moving back to my folks house (3 states away) for a month before leaving for Spain. For about 2 weeks, I won't have cooking equipment, plates, cutlery, or perhaps even a microwave. I will have a stovetop, an oven and a fridge. How would you cook quick and healthy meals so as not to spend each night going through a drive thru?

So that's pretty much it, folks! I know that this blog has fallen into horrible disrepair, but when I felt pressured to keep producing recipes, I had to ask myself whether or not it was more important to add to the interminable dross of low GI or healthy recipes on the net or to focus on cooking just what I want to eat and nothing more. It seems that you guys have survived my choice. :)

On the subject of blogging, however.... my friend Eric just finished a person challenge: he posted a "Song of the day" to his Facebook and Twitter every day for one year to try to establish the soundtrack of his daily life. Well, I'm no music buff, but he suggested that I adapt his challenge to my new life in Spain: blog everyday about what I'm doing, what I'm seeing, what I'm experiencing, and maybe what I'm eating. I am thinking about accepting the challenge and will keep you posted if I do decide to blog my life in Spain.

Foto Friday Again

2011-07-08T16:53:00.002-04:00

Hey, guys! I am super psyched about tomorrow's weigh in... I have the feeling that I am going to hit my 10% lost goal! :) :) :) FINALLY!

With the upcoming move to Spain, and teaching for 2 hours 5 days a week, I haven't been cooking very much. However, my blog (and weight loss) is still on my mind, and I am enjoying reading your blogs, too!

So here's another set of comparison shots for fun:

September 2010

April 2011

July 2011!

Couscous Salad for 6PP

2011-05-30T12:33:00.004-04:00

Hey guys! Here is a really great couscous salad that I modified from one of the WeightWatchers Weekly recipes. Oh, and it's vegetarian!

Couscous Salad
Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 couscous
3/4 c water PLUS 1/2 c water
2 heads broccoli, washed and chopped (I used three, so whatever you want!)
15oz kidney beans (I used the white variety, but the red would be good - actually, throw in whatever you have!!)
2 scallions, washed and chopped
romaine lettuce - enough for 4 salad servings
1 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp EVOO
1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese

To prepare:
In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 c water to a boil. Pour over couscous in a small bowl and immediately cover. Allow to sit 10 minutes and then fluff with fork.
Steam your broccoli in the same small saucepan and put in a big bowl to cool.
Meanwhile, chop your scallions and rinse and drain your beans. Add both to big bowl with broccoli.
Finally, in a small bowl, combine hot sauce, 1/2 c water, cumin and oil. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Once everything is cool (room temperature), toss the couscous and the sauce in the big bowl. Combine and serve over a bed of romaine lettuce. Top with a tiny bit of parmesan cheese.

6PP per serving (beans = 3, couscous = 2, cheese and oil = 1)

Lunch!

2011-05-11T16:11:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! Today is day five of tracking everything! I did have half a croissant with cream cheese today - NSV for splitting it with someone instead of eating the whole thing - and I haven't figured out the points yet, but I will do so tonight.

Did I mention what my reward is for tracking everything for one week (with the exception of drinks on Friday night since I will either be celebrating or lamenting my oral defense of my exams)? It's a new camera lens! Yep, there it is in writing, so you guys have to keep me accountable.

Check out what I had for lunch today... it was delicious!

The soup was a Weight Watchers recipe for creamy tomato and basil soup, and it was WAY TOO DIFFICULT to make... but I never made a soup from scratch - including chopping tomatoes, boiling, food processor-ing, and straining. It was worth it, but man Campbell's soup sounded so good after all that work!

The salad had: grilled chicken (3PP), lots of romaine (0), cucumber (0), pita chips (1PP), a tiny bit of Parmesan cheese and Italian dressing (2PP) and some apples. It was so yummy!

What did you have for lunch today?

Sinful French Apple Tart

2011-05-10T22:03:00.004-04:00

Hi guys!!! I'm alive!!! :D

It has been a really, really long month here in Ohio, and a lot of things have happened. I'll try to keep it brief, but I swear that my lack of posting is for a good reason:

1. I've had the tri-cold... you know, the one that makes you sick, you get better, and then it returns. So I haven't been running, but I'm feeling a lot better now and will get back to it soon!

2. I finished the written portion of my PhD exams, and I have the oral defense on Friday (yeah, what a great date to schedule hahaha!). After that, things will really calm down. I'll update you, but please keep your fingers crossed for me on Friday!

3. I found out that I got a Fulbright grant to go to Spain!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, you read that correctly! I'll be leaving in September and will live in Madrid for 9 months! You might remember that I went to Spain last September to do some research in preparation for the grant (and in hopes that I would get it!), and it has all paid off. I can't wait to write about Spanish cooking from across the ocean. :)

4. I had a really rough go at tracking all of my food while I was doing exams, but this is day four of tracking and I am doing well. I ended up gaining about 5 pounds during exams (for shame), but I think I have lost 2 of them and am going back to my WW meeting this Saturday to keep working at it! I think that cooking at home more will really help a lot!

So now that the business is out of the way, I have also been taking a lot of photographs - you can check them out on my other photo blog. I've found that it is a really relaxing hobby and I absolutely love it. Since I don't have a plethora of models, I decided to bake a tart and take pictures of it. They were beautiful, and the tart is delicious! You will never guess that it is so healthy or that it is so easy to make! So here goes, the first recipe that I made in a month:

French Apple Tart:
Serves: 12

Preparation Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes

This recipe can be found on pages 294 and 295 of the Weight Watchers PointsPlus Cookbook, directed by Nancy Gagliardi.

Ingredients:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3 oz package - find it by the frozen desserts)
6 tbsp sugar
1 tsp whole grain pastry flour
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp rosemary
3 Golden Delicious apples

To prepare:
Thaw puff pastry in refrigerator for between 4 hours or up to 2 days.
Preheat oven to 400˚
Peel, halve, core and slice all apples to produce 1/4-inch slices. You may want to do this as the last step because the apples will brown if you have them sliced for a long time (toss in a tiny bit of lemon juice to avoid this if you want to slice your apples ahead of time).
Flour a large surface and unfold pastry. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the puff pastry out to about 10" X 14".
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer (carefully!) puff pastry to baking sheet. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 tbsp sugar and flour. In a medium bowl, stir together the other 5 tbsp of sugar, lemon zest and rosemary.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pastry (stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge). Line apples in three rows. Sprinkle apples with sugar and lemon mixture.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until apples are soft.
Cool completely before slicing.

Nutritional Information, per serving:

WW PointsPlus: 2
Calories: 73
Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 17mg
Carbs: 17g
Sugars: 3g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 1g

Foto Friday

2011-04-08T15:39:00.004-04:00

Hey, guys! My PhD exams start in 6 days, and I am feeling a little stressed about my weight loss. I find myself unable to focus on tracking, running (I didn't run yesterday because I have the sniffles) and eating perfectly. I guess that this is all part of the process, right?

I am trying to make good decisions. I've filled my kitchen with lots of fresh fruit and (yes, for shame) frozen meals that I can munch on quickly while writing about Cervantes's theory of the novel for days on end. However, I can only do so much. That's right: I'm mortal, imperfect, make errors... but today, I am grateful for the many changes that I have made. I have succeeded. I'm not finished, but I am on the way.

I really wanted to thank you guys for your enormous amounts of support and contributions to my weight loss. I'd also like to thank my sister, Jennifer, for listening to me piss and moan about last week's weigh-in; Jeanette, for going along the journey with me; and to my friends at school who don't roll their eyes when I talk about losing weight (again).

I wanted to share some before and current photos with you guys today, and I could not resist showing off my incredibly adorable Hunter yellow rain boots. I got them upon suggestion of Fashionable Academics (and several months of saving); they were my reward for hitting 5% total weight loss, and here they are:

Madrid, Spain - September 2010

My office - Today (Thanks to the ever-amazing Nick McRae for taking this photo!)

Quick Meal #1

2011-04-04T12:19:00.002-04:00

Last night, I was hungry. I didn't have time to go grocery shopping, and I didn't want to eat out. I go to the pantry, and I pull out pasta, tomato sauce, and canned tuna.

Gee whiz.

But, it made a pretty awesome quick meal with some magic.

I made a serving of the pasta. While it was cooking, I put 1/2 chopped onion (I keep them in my freezer for next time when I don't use a whole onion), some garlic, oregano, a can of tuna, 3 kalamata olives, and a squeeze of lemon juice in a sauce pan. Then I poured some no-added-sugar tomato sauce on top and heated it all up.

I topped the pasta with the tuna mixture, threw some feta cheese on top, and called it a quick dinner. Guess what - it was pretty awesome. :)

Just goes to show you that cooking, like life (pause for dramatic effect), can still be good and healthy even without a plan.

No Fools Here!

2011-04-01T15:47:00.005-04:00

Hi guys! I know that it has been a while since I posted (and so sweet of you, Wendy, to comment and ask me where I've been!), but I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm here and fine.

I haven't been cooking very much lately for lack of time. I am starting my PhD exams in less than two weeks, so I have been reading, reading and more reading!!!

In terms of weight loss, I am still on track with Weight Watchers (although I have been struggling over the past two weeks, probably due to an increase with work). I have lost a total of 17 pounds, and I am anxious to keep it going!

I have been able to keep up pretty well with my other blog (Autodidact: Exposed) while I have been on sabbatical from cooking [there's very little involvement in posting pictures!!!]. Once my exams are over (May 13!!!), I will be so excited to go back to cooking lots of delicious recipes! For now, I survive on lots of fresh fruit, simple go-to meals (perhaps I should blog about them?) and whatever quick cooking foods I can find.

Another great accomplishment that I'd like to share with you all is that I have been running 3 days a week. Yes, me. Running. Got that? I started out running in place with the Wii Fit, progressed to running for 20 minutes around my apartment, and then I took it outside. I can do a 20-25 minute run around my neighborhood (in fact, yesterday I ran with my puppy for the first time!). However, I really want to increase my endurance, so I've started the Couch 2 5k program and really like it! Have you done it? What did you think?

Since you all were so sweet to ask about my lack of posting, here is the ONLY recipe that I have come up with in the past 28 days. It was super delicious, easy to make, and low points!

I'll call it the Asian Poor-(Wo)Man's Dinner
Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 2 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

4 small heads bok choy, chopped and stems discarded
1 package of Tofu Shirataki (spaghetti or angel hair style) pasta - Check this stuff out! Amazing!
16 snow peas or other green vegetable of your choice
1/2 white onion, chopped
12 mini shrimp dumplings (I found these frozen at an asian supermarket, but you could also substitute 6 potstickers)
reduced-sodium soy sauce, to taste

To prepare:
In a large skillet, add onion and bok choy. Cook over med-high heat until wilted. Add snow peas and cook 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook dumplings according to package instructions. (I heated mine in the microwave for 90 seconds, covered with a wet paper towel).
Add the tofu noodles to the vegetables and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes, or until noodles are hot.
Remove to two plates, top with cooked dumplings, and garnish with soy sauce. Enjoy!

Points Plus per half of recipe: 6

Very easy potroast and Activity Points

2011-03-02T08:14:00.005-05:00

Most people (myself included) don't really know how to account for exercise when they are paying attention to what they are eating - do we subtract the calories we burned? Or maybe only subtract some of them? And how do we know how many calories we burned in the first place?

Well, since the new PointsPlus program on Weight Watchers doesn't have anything to do with calories (and it would take me a while to figure out how many calories I eat per day), it makes sense that I shouldn't just deduct the calories I burn while working out.

WW has this great table in their Pocket Guide (pp. 135-137) that helps you figure out how many Activity Points you are earning based on your weight and how intense your workout is: can you talk? sing? are you sweating after 3 minutes? after 10 minutes? I usually earn 3-4 AP for a 30-minute workout on the Wii Fit, and I earn 5 AP for every 20 minutes of jogging.

Now here's the real question: do you replace those points (or calories, or whatever system you would like to use) with food, or just let them stockpile?

I usually tick them off if I go over my daily allowance (like Saturday night, when I went to Johnny Rockets and had a BLT on rye, mayo on the side, a side salad and a kid size chocolate milkshake!). However, I haven't had to use any Weekly Points for like 3 weeks. For the week ending last night, I still had 10 AP remaining - 28 total for the week!!! :)

I suppose that the best way to think about exercise and replacing calories is to eat when you're hungry and try not to eat when you aren't. Of course, this is like saying "I think that the best way to get a PhD is to spend every day in the library and clean your professors' amazing chalets on the weekend" - sometimes, we need a little help!

So what do you do about exercise and nutrition? I would love to hear from some readers who are marathon runners, swimmers, and gym goers! Thanks!

Tonight is weigh in, and I am hoping to have lost at least 0.5 pounds to hit my 5% total weight loss goal! I will keep you posted. :) (Please, Activity Points, help me!!!)

And for a great, healthy, easy, and inexpensive pot roast meal, I tweaked a recipe from the Weight Watchers Points Plus Cookbook (page 124).

This is one serving!!! ONE serving! So big :)
(By the way, I threw in about 1 serving of leftover veggies that I had just made for dinner. That's why you see peas and baby corn!)

This recipe was very, very easy!

In a large pot sprayed with Pam, brown 1lb lean bottom round (I used top round because the lovely grocery didn't have bottom round), sprinkled with salt and pepper, for 3 minutes on each side.

Remove the beef and add 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken stock and scrape the brown bits from the beef off the pan. Return beef to pan and add 1.5 more cups chicken stock and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add: a bunch of carrots that have been sliced (or 1/2 c baby carrots), 2 turnips (peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes), 1/2 lb red potatoes (cut into 1" chunks) and 1 tsp dried thyme.

Cut a medium cabbage head into 8 equal wedges, and lay the wedges on top of the pot roast mixture. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.

Remove the beef to a plate, let it rest for 10 minutes, and then cut into 6-8 slices.

According to the book, each serving (2 slices beef, 1 cup veggies, plus 1 tbsp sauce that I didn't make) is 8PP, but I think it's closer to 6PP based on this recipe.

Enjoy!

Is it breakfast or dessert?

2011-02-28T07:30:00.001-05:00

This morning, I was really craving carb-heavy, delicious, fluffy, sugary baked or fried goods. Yes, I think I covered all my bases there.

I think that this was an example of what I call "hangover carbing" - when I eat a lot of carbs or drink a diet soda the day before and wake up craving sugar or carbs the next day. After dinner at Chipotle (complete with diet coke, my fourth this month!), I woke up ready to gnaw through pancakes, donuts and muffins.

I figured out that the best way to get through these hangovers is to give my body a little of what it wants, but not to go overboard. Check out how I challenged this craving today:

Looks delicious, right? Well, after working out and running some errands (and missing breakfast, ahem), I went for a little brunch activity. I put blackberries on the bottom of my bowl, 1/2 cup fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt, strawberries and one frozen whole wheat waffle, which I toasted until pretty crisp. It was SO delicious, especially for 4 PP (2PP for waffle and 2PP for frozen yogurt). I had some regular yogurt on the side to beef up the protein factor - no pun intended - and to get in one of my dairy servings for the day. It turns out that frozen yogurt doesn't contain 25% of your daily calcium requirements. Boo.

I also love these new little bowls from Sur La Table that I picked up for 5.99 on clearance (after a very embarrassing situation where I knocked a bunch of bowls off the shelf and a pack of 5 hit the floor and went EVERYWHERE! ... thankfully, only Tim and the cashier saw how red my face was!). Each bowl has 2 different measurements, ranging from 1/8 cup to 2 cups. They're great, and they really help with portion control --- notice how my "dess-fast" looks like it's about to spill out over the bowl, but is only 4PP? That's a win-win, babies!

Oh, here's a link to these bowls at Sur La Table.com in case you want to pick up your own set of Prep Bowls while they're on clearance!!!

My only dilemma is whether this meal is breakfast or dessert... oh, well, it was like a french vanilla orgasm in my mouth --- and who really cares at that point, anyway?!

Puppy Photo Blog

2011-02-25T13:07:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! My miniature schnauzer, Watson, just got back from the groomer. He looked so cute that I had to do a little impromptu photo shoot. I thought I would share - I hope these pics brighten your day!

"Look, Mom, I can roll around on the floor!!!"

"Mom, me no likey the photo shoot!!!"

"Just give me the cookie you promised!!!"

Yummy Asian-inspired soup

2011-02-25T11:12:00.001-05:00

Hello! Today I have two very yummy Asian-inspired soups for you.

I discovered the first about two weeks ago when I was feeling really sick and had no appetite for anything other than wonton soup. It is so simple:

Put 4-5 frozen potstickers in 1.5 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth. Add a frozen vegetable of your choice (I use French-cut green beans). Add 1-2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce and bring to a boil until potstickers cook. It is sooooo tasty and filling, and low points (about 6).

I got this recipe for Asian Shrimp and Tofu soup out of "The Low GI Diet Cookbook" (p. 87) by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller (et al) and tweaked it a bit! In fact, I think I would leave the tofu out next time, because it's quite delicious without it.

Soba Noodle Soup with Shrimp and Tofu
Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 bundle of soba noodles (about 1.75 oz)
2 c stock (I used chicken, but vegetable would be nice, too)
1/2 tsp ginger powder, or 1 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tbsp lite (reduced-sugar) rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
12 large shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined, with tails
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 c baby spinach leaves, chopped
4 oz firm tofu, cut into small cubes - like I said, I'd leave this out next time! It didn't add much and made the price of the recipe go up

Instructions:
Cook soba for 3 minutes in boiling water. Remove, drain, and rinse with cold water.
Divide evenly among 2 bowls and top with tofu, if using.
In a small pot, combine stock, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add cleaned shrimp, celery, and spinach for 3 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and cooked.
Pour broth over the noodles.
Enjoy!

Nutritional Information, per serving:

WW PP: 5
Calories: 290
Fat: 6g
Sodium: 1160mg, if you don't use reduced-sodium stock and soy sauce! trust me, use it!
Carbs: 23g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 38g

Please see the bottom of this post for a note about nutritional information and WW points.

Weekly Weigh-in

2011-02-24T07:39:00.008-05:00

Hello, everyone! Last week, I worked out 6 out of 7 days, and I had some pretty awesome fitness NSVs to report (like running around my apartment for 20 minutes straight!!!). Despite a huge (33 points) splurge on Saturday, I was at or under my daily points target 6 days last week. And, I managed to finish my Good Health Guidelines every single day!

Did it pay off? You bet your pretty little face it did! I lost 1.4 pounds. Even though I was hoping to lose 1.9 pounds (to meet my 5% weight loss goal), I am kind of glad that I didn't hit it, because it gives me something to work for next week!

Besides, I had more important things to celebrate, like losing 10 pounds on the money!!! That's right, lovelies! I've lost 10 pounds in 4 weeks. Here is the ribbon that I got during my meeting (everyone clapped for me, but I think that they were secretly snarling under their breath!):

I put it on the fridge so that I would see it every time I felt like mindlessly snacking!

How have I been able to lose 10 pounds in 4 weeks with Insulin Resistance? Well, here are the changes that I have made:

I track everything. Even if I eat ice cream and fast food, I track it. Even if I am ashamed. Besides, it went into my body whether or not I tracked it, so why not track it?
I think about my day in terms of what I need to eat, instead of what I cannot eat. For example, I know that I have to have 2 healthy oils and 5 fruits and veggies, so I approach each meal asking how I can fit those in. Usually, I am not hungry enough to want what I need and the bad stuff.
I realized that I really don't need as much food as I thought. I used to eat a bowl of soup and a salad and maybe some crackers or bread. Now, I eat a bowl of soup. If I want a few crackers, I have them. But the soup fills me up! Granted, this means that I eat when I get hungry instead of at meal times. If I am not hungry at noon, I will wait until 2pm to eat lunch. If I am hungry at 4pm, I eat a snack.
I have limited the amount of carbs and the type of carbs that I am eating. This comes naturally with the new Weight Watchers Points Plus program, because they encourage whole grains and fewer carbs. I think it has made a huge difference!
I work out - some. I try to aim to do 30 minutes on the Wii Fit everyday, but I don't always get to it. I average 4 days a week, and some weeks are better than others.
Please share your most successful habit with the readers (and with me!) - what have you changed that has made a difference to your waistline?

I also want to take a moment to congratulate my friend and WW buddy, Jeanette. Even though she felt she didn't have a very good week, she still weighed in and just didn't look at the total! I was really proud of her. :)

On a slightly related note, I absolutely love Japanese food. There is an amazing Asian grocery and bookstore and restaurant place in the plaza across the street from my WW meetings, and this week I decided to stop in and get some sushi to celebrate what I knew would be an awesome weigh in. Plus, this article inspired me to keep eating sushi on WW.

Here is a picture of my "victory plate". I chose california roll (this was the only time I had seen them at their traditional 1" X 1" size - make sure you account for the size of the sushi piece if you are adding up points!) and some squid salad stuff (3PP) that my friend George (or JoJi :) ) introduced me to a while back. Thanks for sharing it with me, George! Of course, Watson shared in the victory, but not in the food. The points total for the whole meal, including Pocky dessert (2) and a glass of milk (2), was 14! Delicious!

Look at the mountain of puppy toys in the background - does anyone else think that my dog is spoiled?!

Ok, my final thought involves this weekend. Jeanette and I are trying the Saturday morning meeting at WW, because our meeting leader is a little repetitive (if I had a nickel for every time she talked about the difference between grapes and raisins, I could pay my meeting fee for a week!), and she doesn't always spend much time on the weekly topic.

We also decided to go out for brunch instead of having dinner together last night. We are thinking about going to MiMi's Cafe, because I read that they have fairly healthy food for a restaurant. Who has eaten there, and what did you have? Thanks for sharing! :)

I hope that everyone is having a great week! Tootles!

How to get gourmet for less (Points)

2011-02-23T10:19:00.005-05:00

One of the things that frustrates me on Weight Watchers is eating out. I used to eat out a lot, which probably explains the extra spare tire around my waistline. Now that I'm eating right (or righter), I usually only eat out once a week, but those are definitely trigger situations, meaning that once I start, it's hard to stop!

Take last Saturday night for instance. Before an awesome hockey game, Tim and I grabbed some grub. He is very supportive of WW and will not suggest a restaurant if he thinks it might be a poor choice for me, but I finally told him that I look at going out to eat as a treat, and I have weekly points and activity points to make up for any flubs.

So we ended up at Gooeyz, this incredibly delicious gourmet grilled cheese shop, where I proceeded to eat my words. I ordered a half Gyro Gooey (and asked them to leave off the cheddar cheese and put the tzatziki on the side for portion control). I mooched off of Tim's fries, stealing about 10.

But then... Coldstone was right across the street. And I haven't had it for sooooo longggggg. So I had a small (yes, small!) oatmeal cookie batter with fresh fruit and chocolate chips. And a dipped waffle bowl. For shame.

Yes, my indulgent night out cost me 33 PP - thirty three!!!!!! That's a whole day's worth of points for me! (I can't believe I'm admitting it out loud). But, I used activity points to make up for the 12 that I "over-spent".

(Brag moment: Yes, I earned 28 activity points last week. Take that, suckas!)

It got me wondering why I let myself eat such unhealthy food outside of my house but not inside of my house. Duh! The "gourmet" food calls me! ("Scuttleboose... I'm so gourmet. Eat me. Love me. Nom nom nom")

So I've spent a little extra time creating "gourmet" food this week for less Points. This really isn't hard to do - just think of what you want and how you can achieve that with the healthy ingredients already in your home. Think in terms of flavor and choose smaller amounts of that flavor:

1/2 oz very flavorful cheese on top of your dish will make you savor it much more than 1/2 cup mixed into the dish
one of my recipes called for 1 c crispy soy noodles. Hello, a jicama would work just as great, be crunchy and sweet and savory, for 0 PP!
use herbs to enhance the flavor of any dish for 0 PP

(Note: This probably won't work if you've been harboring a craving for a long time due to stress. Check out this article.)

Check out this breakfast that I "fake gourmeted" this morning:

In a small skillet, I cooked 1-1/2 c baby spinach with 2 tsp olive oil until wilted. Then, I poured over 1/2 c egg beaters and cooked the omelet. I topped it with around 1 oz goat cheese, which melted as I was eating it.
Some blueberries and a glass of milk, and I had a 7 PP breakfast AND I got one diary, two fruits & veggies, 1 liquid, and 2 healthy oils finished on my Good Health Guidelines!

I also made a play on bruschetta with the leftovers from Tonyne's Caramelized Onion and White Bean Pizza:

This lunch was so filling that I didn't even eat the popcorn!

I didn't snap a picture, but I enjoyed 1/2 c whole grain oats, cooked (ahem, oatmeal) with 1 c strawberries and about 1/4 c fat free frozen yogurt. Sounds just like strawberries and cream, right?!

So try it tonight! Take an extra 2 minutes and 25 brain cells working to think of how to make your boring salad into something gourmet, or how to reduce your points intake while not sacrificing flavor!

Snack Attack and How I kicked my diet soda habit

2011-02-19T11:35:00.006-05:00

Good morning, Saturday! Oh, and blog friends! :)

I saw this little "fortune" on my tea tag today and wanted to share it with you. :) It really hit me, because I realized that I love myself enough to give to myself - give time, give effort, and give support!

After savoring every bite of Tonyne's recipe for delicious caramelized onion and white (or, in my case, navy) bean pizza last night, I settled down to watch some TV and had my first snack attack in a long time! I ate a few cups of homemade popcorn sans oil, and I followed that up a half-batch of homemade gummy candy. (Update to the recipe: I now use 2 packets of gelatin and one packet of sugar-free jello per recipe. It makes about 13 big gummies).

Here's the deal: I knew that I wasn't hungry, but I was just craving what I'll call the "chew factor" - something to put in my mouth and chew. It was probably a mixture of stress and boredom what provoked the snack attack, but I finished the gummies and said to myself, "I'm going to drink a cup of tea and that is it." And that's what I did. VICTORY!

Now how bad was my snack attack? Not so bad. In fact, I was only over 2 PP for the day, and that was after a real sandwich, like from a restaurant, with real bread AND frozen yogurt with my friends. Luckily, I earned 4 activity points yesterday, so that made up for it!

The tea ended my snacking, and it really got me thinking how much I love tea. No, seriously, I love it. Just check out my tea supply:

(I think I proved my point, hahaha.)

So why do I love tea so much?

Well, I don't like to drink coffee every morning, but I will always indulge in a cup of tea.
I love the flavors - some are fruity, some are bold, some are just plain delicious.
I can *always* discover a new variety of tea. Not all of them work out (Pomegranate Pizazz was just about the worst thing I've ever put in my mouth. Just about.)
It helps get me in the habit to work - I always brew a cup of tea before I sit down for a long reading session. It's sort of my mind's way of getting ready to think!
It helped clear me of my diet soda addiction.

Yes, I said addiction. I love diet soda. Diet Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper, Sprite Zero, I love them all! However, I know that these aren't great liquids to put in my body. I wrote about this topic here and here, and you may remember that one of my New Years Resolutions was to stop drinking diet soda.

In fact, at my Weight Watchers meeting this week, my leader Ann told us that "we can never have enough of what we don't need", and I saw an awesome blogger repeat the same mantra on her weekly update post. It really got me thinking: my body doesn't crave the things that it doesn't need unless I consume them. Why do we do this? Why did I keep putting diet soda and cake and Coldstone ice cream into my body ad nauseum even when I really didn't need them? And then it made me realize that now, I don't even crave diet soda. Because I don't need it, and because I don't consume it.

So yes, folks, I finally kicked my diet soda addiction! Woohooo!!!!!!

(For the lawyers: "kicked" means that I don't buy diet soda at the grocery store. I don't bring it into my house, aka "my haven". Sometimes, I will order a diet soda if I am out at a restaurant, because it's part of the fun!)

I don't think that diet soda is the devil. My sister drinks diet soda everyday, because it's like her coffee. It's her "one vice" (that's a quote from her, thank you), and that's fine. But my dentist told me that diet soda contains citric acid, which is not good for my already weak teeth (Jennifer was blessed with teeth from the other side of the family!). And guess what: I had a much better dentist visit last week than the visit 2 years ago when I was chugging diet soda like there was no tomorrow!

Now, whenever I would have reached for a diet soda, I either brew a cup of tea or drink sparkling water. No citric acid, no horrible chemicals, no addiction.

My new favorite tea is Licorice Root tea, specifically the Yogi brand, because it has a very sweet aftertaste. If you think you need to add sugar to tea, try this tea! I like drinking it after dinner to avoid eating sweets. Plus, it reminds me of the taste of Australian licorice, which is my favorite candy!

What is your favorite tea and when do you most like to drink it?

I never thought I would do it!

2011-02-17T11:04:00.004-05:00

Today started out like any other day...

... wake up and let the dog out.
... feed and walk the dog.
... feed myself.
... turn to the Wii Fit for some exercise.

But that's where the "any other day" stopped and it became a very special day!

Inspired by Tim's amazing workout of 1.97 miles in 25:00 on the elliptical (Congratulations!), I knew I had to do something super amazing, too. Well, at least amazing enough to beat him, right? ;)

AND I DID!!!

I ran for 10 minutes straight.

Did you hear that?

Me! 10 minutes! Running!

This is such a monumental victory because, up until today, I have never been able to run for 10 minutes. I could run for 2 or walk for 10, but I would always end up with severe pain due to Compartment Syndrome (read about it here). Since my surgery last June, I ran a bit off and on for very short times, but (finally!) the other shoe dropped (pardon the horrible pun).

I don't talk a lot about exercise on my blog, mainly because I am ashamed of my lack of effort in that department, but today I just had to brag about my monumental accomplishment and my 6 Activity Points! (Yep, who knew that Rhythm Boxing, Island Cycling and Free Run could add up to 6 points?!)

What have you done lately to surprise yourself? Brag about it here! (Please, brag! Don't make me feel like a braggart all by my lonesome!) :)

Another use for my fave snack!

2011-02-15T09:37:00.002-05:00

Sorry that half of my breakfast is already gone! I was starving and it was tasty!

One of my favorite breakfasts is yogurt and fruit, especially Greek yogurt, which is so creamy and filling! If you haven't tried it, you definitely should! It has a nice texture and lots more protein than non-Greek yogurt. It also doesn't have any added sugars or sweeteners if you get the Fage 0%.

You can check out the nutritional info on Fage 0% here.

Yesterday, I wrote about my new favorite snack, and I have found an awesome use for it! I crushed some up and put it on my yogurt in lieu of granola. Granola is 4PP per 1/2 cup, so I thought that this would be a great way to get a tasty and sweet crunch with minimal points.

I cut a banana up and put it under my yogurt (I always think of my grandma when I do this because I learned how to cut bananas with a butter knife and without a cutting board from her). Then, I scooped out my yogurt, put one pack of Stevia natural sweetener on top, and a small handful of blueberries. I crushed up three rice cakes with my hands and sprinkled them on top.

It worked! My breakfast was creamy, sweet, crunchy, and fruity, all for 4PP. (Greek yogurt = 3, and I counted 1PP for the "granola" and the milk in my coffee. Technically, the Quaker cakes are 0PP for 3 of them, but I like estimating high.)

What is your favorite use for Greek yogurt? Dips, sauces, desserts? Tell us about it!

Museum Food, New Fave Snack, Casserole, and Results!

2011-02-14T10:58:00.008-05:00

I love museums, and I can't believe that I didn't realize that the National US Airforce Museum is practically in my backyard. Tim suggested that we go there for Valentine's Day, and I quickly agreed - after all, jet fuel is so intoxicatingly romantic.

We saw lots of planes, trains and automobiles, and I thought that the whole day was so awesome. It's been a long time since I have taken a day trip, but this was completely worth the drive.

Since we wanted to hit the road quickly, I took a yogurt with me for breakfast. I also packed some of these awesome little rice cakes in case I was starving. Have you tried them yet? 13 for 3PP and so delicious! I also love that the first ingredient is whole grain oats, not refined rice or flour.

So the next culinary question was what to eat for lunch. Since we didn't think ahead to pack lunch (and it's fun to eat at the museum!), we found ourselves looking at the poorly stocked sandwich cart. The salad looked questionable, and the soup was nonexistent. But I was really proud to find a way to feel like I was treating myself without eating chips, fries, and hot dogs. I had a chicken sandwich with some mayo (for shame), lots of lettuce and pickles and onions, and a yogurt. I also had a popsicle! It was amazing, and I still managed to stay on plan for the day.

What do you do for healthy edibles when you go to a museum?

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the museum. Some of these are mine, and some are from Tim's camera. (Thanks, Tim, for sharing your pics with my blog readers!)

The Presidential Wing

I don't know why, but this is probably one of my fave pics of Tim.

The underbelly of my favorite plane in the museum.

I can't decide if it looks more like the Air Force or a toy store.

We nicknamed this plane the Barbiemobile. And I wanted it.

Flying my fighter jet! Yes!

The cockpit of The Independence.

My fave shot that Tim snagged.

Another thing that I noticed this weekend is that I am starting to see results from weight loss. They are the sorts of things that the scale doesn't point out, like tightening your belt another notch, pants becoming a little more loose, jeans fitting just right, and feeling thinner overall. This picture was the first one that made me realize that I am on the right track:

Please forgive the Tricky Dick pose - it wasn't my idea!

Other than day tripping and risking a narcissistic spell, I took some time this morning to cook up a casserole for a few days this week. Meaty casseroles are hit and miss for me, but this one just came out of the oven and it smells delicious. It's a Weight Watchers recipe that you can find here, and here are a few shots of my version (extra onions and making a cheese topping instead of mixing the cheddar with the cottage cheese):

Bubbly layers of beef with onions, garlic and tomato sauce; roasted zucchini and tomatoes, and cheesy sauce with herbs. Yum!

I can't wait to dig into this bad boy for lunch!

I hope that you guys are having a great day!!! Thanks for reading! :)