Okay, so I am terrible and haven't blogged for months. My job takes a great deal of time now and when I get home all my devotion is to my family. That aside I am happy to tell you that the "Cook Yourself Thin" theory really works. I have dropped a dress size in the 6 weeks time and although I have not stayed on the diet in the past couple of months, I haven't gained anything back either.
I haven't reached my 120 pounds yet, right now I am at 125 - but I did got down from a 6 to 8 to a size 4! So that is really awesome. I have also been able to buy size small again too. So even though I still have my 5 pounds to go, I am really happy what I have accomplished. Oh and I did buy a swimsuit! LOL
I will start the diet back up again to tackle those other 5 pounds, and who knows maybe I will drop more than that!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Getting ready for week 4
So I am down to 126 pounds. My scale tried to taunt me with 125, but then changed it to 126. Well that is fine!
I got a new cookbook this weekend on the recommendation of my friend Val. It is Rocco DiSpirito's Now Eat This. He takes recipes that are really popular and re-invents them into reasonable calories. It is amazing how much he can take them down too. Plus there are recipes that I wouldn't think I could ever have when calorie counting; like Creme Brulee! He took it from the original 562 calories to just 116! The one that really got me was the Shrimp Pad Thai (one of my most favorite dishes) from the original of 2,090 calories down to 291 calories!! Yes you read that right! This Friday night we are making his Burgers. He took the idea of a Big Mac and changed it around (which is fine by me), but what I find most intriguing is that he puts Baba Ghanoush on it! How fabulous does that sound! I can't wait!
I will let you know how they turn out!
I got a new cookbook this weekend on the recommendation of my friend Val. It is Rocco DiSpirito's Now Eat This. He takes recipes that are really popular and re-invents them into reasonable calories. It is amazing how much he can take them down too. Plus there are recipes that I wouldn't think I could ever have when calorie counting; like Creme Brulee! He took it from the original 562 calories to just 116! The one that really got me was the Shrimp Pad Thai (one of my most favorite dishes) from the original of 2,090 calories down to 291 calories!! Yes you read that right! This Friday night we are making his Burgers. He took the idea of a Big Mac and changed it around (which is fine by me), but what I find most intriguing is that he puts Baba Ghanoush on it! How fabulous does that sound! I can't wait!
I will let you know how they turn out!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Trying to get life back on track
Man being sick and being the main chef in the house - just doesn't go well. I didn't deviate from the calorie count and diet, but I didn't hold real true to my menu for the week either. Thank goodness the Sloppy Joes made some good leftovers!
Last night we made the White Roasted Mushroom Pizza from Cook Yourself Thin Faster and it was okay. The flavor was really rather bland and we sat there thinking up ways to enhance it! LOL Tonight will be the Spring Rolls and Noodle Salad again. I love those Spring Rolls! And the sauce is killer!
I have most of the menu ready for next week, but haven't shopped for it yet, so that messes up tomorrow a little bit. I better get in the kitchen and start working on dinner.
Last night we made the White Roasted Mushroom Pizza from Cook Yourself Thin Faster and it was okay. The flavor was really rather bland and we sat there thinking up ways to enhance it! LOL Tonight will be the Spring Rolls and Noodle Salad again. I love those Spring Rolls! And the sauce is killer!
I have most of the menu ready for next week, but haven't shopped for it yet, so that messes up tomorrow a little bit. I better get in the kitchen and start working on dinner.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Feeling a bit better
Today I feel a little better, I think. Mostly just can't spend the time in bed although that is what I would rather be doing! No soup today, so that is good. I don't have a full appetite, but my stomach does keep growling at me. I made some good use of my time though by prepping breakfast for tomorrow; since the French Toast Bread Pudding has to soak overnight anyway. Man I love that recipe. So easy and so yummy!
For dinner we are going to have the Sloppy Joes from Ellie Krieger. Those are a favorite of ours for some time now. Since I had ground turkey in the freezer, I just used it instead of getting ground beef. I actually made it this afternoon and then put it in the crock-pot to keep it warm. I have one of those programmable kind, so it works out perfectly. That way it is all ready for us when we get back tonight and we wont have to scramble to make dinner.
For dessert we will be having strawberry shortcakes. I am going to use the leftover Lady Fingers from the Tiramasu from last week. This was the recommendation from the recipe book, so why not huh.
I will post the sloppy joe recipe later on or maybe tomorrow. It is really good and I think you all will like it. One sandwich is only 265 calories. Pretty awesome huh!
For dinner we are going to have the Sloppy Joes from Ellie Krieger. Those are a favorite of ours for some time now. Since I had ground turkey in the freezer, I just used it instead of getting ground beef. I actually made it this afternoon and then put it in the crock-pot to keep it warm. I have one of those programmable kind, so it works out perfectly. That way it is all ready for us when we get back tonight and we wont have to scramble to make dinner.
For dessert we will be having strawberry shortcakes. I am going to use the leftover Lady Fingers from the Tiramasu from last week. This was the recommendation from the recipe book, so why not huh.
I will post the sloppy joe recipe later on or maybe tomorrow. It is really good and I think you all will like it. One sandwich is only 265 calories. Pretty awesome huh!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Down for the Count
Well I am officially admitting I am sick! Dang Nabbit! I hate being sick and I don't have time for it. As a result I am not cooking today. I know I know, but to be honest I am not really eating either - to sick to. So I won't screw up my calorie intake today that is for sure.
Sunday was good. We did leftovers for lunch, which was good. Made more room in the fridge for the groceries we got on Monday. For dinner I did make Buffalo Chicken Salad from Cook Yourself Thin and it was really good. My daughter thought the chicken was too "zippy" though. The Blue Cheese dressing was very light and not at all heavy like normal blue cheese. Personally I would have wanted more dressing as I am a sauce fiend, but I know that is one of the worst contributors to high caloric foods.
Monday was shopping day and it took a lot out of me, being sick that is. So we just hit Costco and the grocery store as Sunday was Trader Joes day (man I hate their parking lot). For lunch we had Cheddar Melts minus the soup this time and dinner was Pork Medallions in Cherry Sauce by Ellie Krieger. With the pork I also made Sweet Potato Gratin from the Cook Yourself Thin Faster cookbook. It was so good!!!!! The two together was only 483 calories!
So today was chicken noodle soup for lunch and for dinner there is a can of Cream of Celery with my name on it. Lame I know, but I just don't feel good and can't handle anything more than soup. Hopefully this will pass soon!
PS: Not only am I down for the count due to illness, but I am down in weight too. When I left WA to move here, I was 137 pounds. I dropped a couple here in sunny CA as we are more active, but I am happy to say after weighing myself this morning I am down 10 pounds from August. Not too shabby - eh!!
Sunday was good. We did leftovers for lunch, which was good. Made more room in the fridge for the groceries we got on Monday. For dinner I did make Buffalo Chicken Salad from Cook Yourself Thin and it was really good. My daughter thought the chicken was too "zippy" though. The Blue Cheese dressing was very light and not at all heavy like normal blue cheese. Personally I would have wanted more dressing as I am a sauce fiend, but I know that is one of the worst contributors to high caloric foods.
Monday was shopping day and it took a lot out of me, being sick that is. So we just hit Costco and the grocery store as Sunday was Trader Joes day (man I hate their parking lot). For lunch we had Cheddar Melts minus the soup this time and dinner was Pork Medallions in Cherry Sauce by Ellie Krieger. With the pork I also made Sweet Potato Gratin from the Cook Yourself Thin Faster cookbook. It was so good!!!!! The two together was only 483 calories!
So today was chicken noodle soup for lunch and for dinner there is a can of Cream of Celery with my name on it. Lame I know, but I just don't feel good and can't handle anything more than soup. Hopefully this will pass soon!
PS: Not only am I down for the count due to illness, but I am down in weight too. When I left WA to move here, I was 137 pounds. I dropped a couple here in sunny CA as we are more active, but I am happy to say after weighing myself this morning I am down 10 pounds from August. Not too shabby - eh!!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Slow Sunday Morning
So I am not quite on the ball here. I think it is this darn cold that is slowing me down. I am just now working on my menu for this coming week. But it was made a little easier by Hubby going through the cookbook and picking out some dinners. Now I just need to do the breakfasts and lunches.
I have to be honest, one of the biggest challenges with this is breakfast. I am not a breakfast person. Give me a cup of tea and call it good. But I get that the 3 meals a day is the only way to loose weight. But like most of us moms, trying to get the kid ready for school and all that jazz - the last thing I want to do is stand in there and prepare a stinkin omelet! Not to mention that I really don't like eggs. The best for me was the Bread Pudding that soaked in the fridge overnight and then all I had to do was throw it in the oven the next morning. Now that rocked!
I think today we might head up to the Flea Market and Farmers Market. Not super sunny today as it has been, but still a nice day! Not sure about lunch, but for dinner we are going to try the Buffalo Chicken Salad!
I have to be honest, one of the biggest challenges with this is breakfast. I am not a breakfast person. Give me a cup of tea and call it good. But I get that the 3 meals a day is the only way to loose weight. But like most of us moms, trying to get the kid ready for school and all that jazz - the last thing I want to do is stand in there and prepare a stinkin omelet! Not to mention that I really don't like eggs. The best for me was the Bread Pudding that soaked in the fridge overnight and then all I had to do was throw it in the oven the next morning. Now that rocked!
I think today we might head up to the Flea Market and Farmers Market. Not super sunny today as it has been, but still a nice day! Not sure about lunch, but for dinner we are going to try the Buffalo Chicken Salad!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Saturday Night
Well I survived my first big test today. My husband said that we should just go by In-N-Out and get lunch today. Then my daughter said we should go out to eat for dinner. Both had the idea of making it easier on me so that I wouldn't have to cook. I told them both they were sweet for the thought, but that I needed to stick to this!
I can tell you the lunch I made was awesome. No it wasn't In-N-Out and it is hard to compete with that, but I did pretty darn good. I made Oven Baked Chicken Tenders with Coleslaw. Now I have done the oven baked chicken plenty of times - and all have used the corn flakes and a buttermilk marinade, but what I liked about the Cook Yourself Thin version is that to the buttermilk they added a bay leaf, dried thyme, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Great flavor! http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/cook-yourself-thin/recipes/oven-baked-crispy-chicken-tenders-with-coleslaw Give them a try - they are delicious. I didn't make the tartar sauce as I just didn't want to bother and wasn't up for the extra calories. I will say that, for me, the sauce on the coleslaw was a little dry, so I added a little more of the vinegar and little more buttermilk.
Dinner was super easy. I had taken out a serving of the Mini-Meatloaves that were in freezer and made those. I didn't have the veggies to go with it, but steamed up some broccoli instead. Hence the extra calories I have leftover for a small dessert. Not enough for the pie that I made yesterday though, bummer.
Oh I didn't tell you that yesterday did I, sorry! I spent about 3 hours in the kitchen, but from it I made a Banana Cream Pie from Ellie Krieger (218 calories a slice), Mocha Chip Meringues from Everyday Food Light Magazine (28 calories), and Homemade Granola from Cook Yourself Thin (270 calories in 1/2 cup). Not too shabby use of my time!
I can tell you the lunch I made was awesome. No it wasn't In-N-Out and it is hard to compete with that, but I did pretty darn good. I made Oven Baked Chicken Tenders with Coleslaw. Now I have done the oven baked chicken plenty of times - and all have used the corn flakes and a buttermilk marinade, but what I liked about the Cook Yourself Thin version is that to the buttermilk they added a bay leaf, dried thyme, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Great flavor! http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/cook-yourself-thin/recipes/oven-baked-crispy-chicken-tenders-with-coleslaw Give them a try - they are delicious. I didn't make the tartar sauce as I just didn't want to bother and wasn't up for the extra calories. I will say that, for me, the sauce on the coleslaw was a little dry, so I added a little more of the vinegar and little more buttermilk.
Dinner was super easy. I had taken out a serving of the Mini-Meatloaves that were in freezer and made those. I didn't have the veggies to go with it, but steamed up some broccoli instead. Hence the extra calories I have leftover for a small dessert. Not enough for the pie that I made yesterday though, bummer.
Oh I didn't tell you that yesterday did I, sorry! I spent about 3 hours in the kitchen, but from it I made a Banana Cream Pie from Ellie Krieger (218 calories a slice), Mocha Chip Meringues from Everyday Food Light Magazine (28 calories), and Homemade Granola from Cook Yourself Thin (270 calories in 1/2 cup). Not too shabby use of my time!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Posted Recipes
I added some links to recipes that I made this week - one's we really liked and were a big hit with the family. Hope you give them a try!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
A day behind
So yesterday's meals were really good too. Leftovers for breakfast of the French Toast Bread Pudding and lunch was leftover Creamy Corn Chowder - so that made some room in the fridge! Ha Ha!
Dinner was really good, the only complaint I have was the length of time on them. I didn't read all the way through the recipe - which I usually try to be really good about. The sauce for the Spring Rolls has to sit 30 minutes and the Noodles an hour! So that kind of back-fired on me. Other than that they were both really awesome. The sauce for the Spring rolls is delicious!! I didn't bother with the Lemongrass it called for, and honestly I doubt we really missed it. I am sure it wouldn't have added to the taste, but it wasn't worth the extra effort trying to find them. As it was I went to 4 stores just to find the rice wrappers (must find an Asian Market).
For dessert I made Tiramisu. You make them in small individual ramekins - and they were just right to meet the sweet tooth. Did I mention they are only 145 calories!!
So for today we had the remainder of the Overnight Oatmeal for breakfast. But lunch I made Hubby's and Little Miss's favorite Chili Chicken Wraps from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. Those are so awesome! My daughter ate 4 rolls - so that should tell you something. They are light and fresh. I will put the recipe on my recipe page.
Dinner was just okay. I made the Cook Yourself Thin Sweet and Sour Pork Chops. You cut the pork up though in 1" cubes like normal sweet and sour pork. But it was lacking in real flavor. I was concerned when the sauce that you make up for it was only about 1/4 cup, but I tried it. My husband said it was okay, but that it just needed more flavor. To be honest, I probably won't bother with that one again. I will poke around in Ellie Krieger's book and see if she has a recipe for it.
Tomorrow is more leftovers (gotta clear out that fridge - seriously people it is stuffed full). Sesame noodles with Edamame for lunch and the rest of the Enchiladas for dinner. But Friday .......... oh yeah baby! Now that will be Chicken Burritos with Pineapple Salsa, but I am going to just use the Mango salsa I made and canned. I can't wait!! I will let you know how they turn out.
Oh, did I mention that I weighed myself this morning? 129 pounds! 2 pounds down!! Pretty cool huh!
Dinner was really good, the only complaint I have was the length of time on them. I didn't read all the way through the recipe - which I usually try to be really good about. The sauce for the Spring Rolls has to sit 30 minutes and the Noodles an hour! So that kind of back-fired on me. Other than that they were both really awesome. The sauce for the Spring rolls is delicious!! I didn't bother with the Lemongrass it called for, and honestly I doubt we really missed it. I am sure it wouldn't have added to the taste, but it wasn't worth the extra effort trying to find them. As it was I went to 4 stores just to find the rice wrappers (must find an Asian Market).
For dessert I made Tiramisu. You make them in small individual ramekins - and they were just right to meet the sweet tooth. Did I mention they are only 145 calories!!
So for today we had the remainder of the Overnight Oatmeal for breakfast. But lunch I made Hubby's and Little Miss's favorite Chili Chicken Wraps from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. Those are so awesome! My daughter ate 4 rolls - so that should tell you something. They are light and fresh. I will put the recipe on my recipe page.
Dinner was just okay. I made the Cook Yourself Thin Sweet and Sour Pork Chops. You cut the pork up though in 1" cubes like normal sweet and sour pork. But it was lacking in real flavor. I was concerned when the sauce that you make up for it was only about 1/4 cup, but I tried it. My husband said it was okay, but that it just needed more flavor. To be honest, I probably won't bother with that one again. I will poke around in Ellie Krieger's book and see if she has a recipe for it.
Tomorrow is more leftovers (gotta clear out that fridge - seriously people it is stuffed full). Sesame noodles with Edamame for lunch and the rest of the Enchiladas for dinner. But Friday .......... oh yeah baby! Now that will be Chicken Burritos with Pineapple Salsa, but I am going to just use the Mango salsa I made and canned. I can't wait!! I will let you know how they turn out.
Oh, did I mention that I weighed myself this morning? 129 pounds! 2 pounds down!! Pretty cool huh!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Surprising good
So yesterday I made two recipes that I have admit I was rather skeptical about. The Tuna Rolls and the Baked Enchiladas. Well I happy to report that I loved them both!!
The Tuna Rolls had you mix tuna just with olive oil and salt and pepper. Which was okay, but rather bland and super "fishy" tasting - where the old method of a ton of mayo calmed that down. But when you layered the tuna on the Boston lettuce along with the sprouts, red pepper and scallions and then dipped them in the sauce - they were awesome. Not to mention how crisp and light they were and frankly the plate was very beautiful.
The same with the Enchiladas. Now Poblanos tend to be rather mild so I also added a jalapeno to the sauce for flavor. And let me tell you there was some off stuff in that sauce - I mean a salsa verde with chicken stock? But it was really good. The only bummer was by adding the jalapeno it made it too spicy for my daughter. She gave it her best effort, but it was too "zippy" as she calls it. So next time I will have to calm it back down (darn it). Seriously though these are delicious and very filling. I didn't miss the 10 gallons of cheese either. The recipe only calls for 12 corn tortillias and they are layered in like a lasagna - killing off tons of calories.
I highly recommend both recipes! They are both in the Cook Yourself Thin book. If you follow the Lifetime link on my links page there are episodes where they make both recipes too.
The Tuna Rolls had you mix tuna just with olive oil and salt and pepper. Which was okay, but rather bland and super "fishy" tasting - where the old method of a ton of mayo calmed that down. But when you layered the tuna on the Boston lettuce along with the sprouts, red pepper and scallions and then dipped them in the sauce - they were awesome. Not to mention how crisp and light they were and frankly the plate was very beautiful.
The same with the Enchiladas. Now Poblanos tend to be rather mild so I also added a jalapeno to the sauce for flavor. And let me tell you there was some off stuff in that sauce - I mean a salsa verde with chicken stock? But it was really good. The only bummer was by adding the jalapeno it made it too spicy for my daughter. She gave it her best effort, but it was too "zippy" as she calls it. So next time I will have to calm it back down (darn it). Seriously though these are delicious and very filling. I didn't miss the 10 gallons of cheese either. The recipe only calls for 12 corn tortillias and they are layered in like a lasagna - killing off tons of calories.
I highly recommend both recipes! They are both in the Cook Yourself Thin book. If you follow the Lifetime link on my links page there are episodes where they make both recipes too.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Tomorrow
So for tomorrow we have planned: Overnight oatmeal for breakfast, Tuna Salad Rolls with dipping sauce, Cucumber Salad and Edamame for lunch, and for dinner will be Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas. All 3 for a total calorie count of 1041! I will probably make the Tiramasu for dessert too since I have extra calories available - and I don't want the Lady Fingers to go bad.
Tonight I put the Irish oats on to soak overnight, then in the morning it will only take about 5 minutes to finish off. Add in 2 Tablespoons of dried blueberries and cherries and some light brown sugar and call it YUM!
I'll tell ya tomorrow how it all goes.
Tonight I put the Irish oats on to soak overnight, then in the morning it will only take about 5 minutes to finish off. Add in 2 Tablespoons of dried blueberries and cherries and some light brown sugar and call it YUM!
I'll tell ya tomorrow how it all goes.
On Today's Menu We Have.....
So for our first day of our "Cook Yourself Thin" Challenge we started off with
Breakfast: French Toast Bread Pudding and Violet Morning Smoothies. For the smoothies I didn't have just blueberries, I have the berry mix combo from Costco that has blueberries, cherries, pomegranate seeds and blackberries and I also didn't have any Pomegranate juice, so I substituted orange juice. I segmented the orange I had jested for the French Toast custard and served that with breakfast too. It was delicious! The bananas in the custard were just great and gave it a sweetness that made it so you didn't mind that it was drenched in syrup.
Lunch: My daughter and I worked together on the Creamy Corn Chowder soup and we paired it with the Cheddar Melts that are made with low-fat cheddar and apples. Hubby got to have a whole sandwich since he can have more calories (256 in a whole sandwich), and my daughter and I split the other. Very good and the soup has great flavor and you don't even miss it not being made with cream!
Dinner: Tonight I will be making Pork with Apples. Now there is cream in this one, but only 2 tablespoons to give it some richness. Along with that we will have a nice green salad with a Ranch Dressing by Ellie Kreiger.
Total Calories: 1014 for all 3 meals!! Along with that I had 4oz of Orange Banana Pineapple juice for 60 calories and 2 Brown Sugar Kiss meringue cookies at 11 calories each.
So I am still under for the day and have some left for a snack, but right now I am not even hungry. I feel full and satisfied by lunch and feel great!
**All the recipes from today are in the Cook Yourself Thin Faster book - even the cookies!
Breakfast: French Toast Bread Pudding and Violet Morning Smoothies. For the smoothies I didn't have just blueberries, I have the berry mix combo from Costco that has blueberries, cherries, pomegranate seeds and blackberries and I also didn't have any Pomegranate juice, so I substituted orange juice. I segmented the orange I had jested for the French Toast custard and served that with breakfast too. It was delicious! The bananas in the custard were just great and gave it a sweetness that made it so you didn't mind that it was drenched in syrup.
Lunch: My daughter and I worked together on the Creamy Corn Chowder soup and we paired it with the Cheddar Melts that are made with low-fat cheddar and apples. Hubby got to have a whole sandwich since he can have more calories (256 in a whole sandwich), and my daughter and I split the other. Very good and the soup has great flavor and you don't even miss it not being made with cream!
Dinner: Tonight I will be making Pork with Apples. Now there is cream in this one, but only 2 tablespoons to give it some richness. Along with that we will have a nice green salad with a Ranch Dressing by Ellie Kreiger.
Total Calories: 1014 for all 3 meals!! Along with that I had 4oz of Orange Banana Pineapple juice for 60 calories and 2 Brown Sugar Kiss meringue cookies at 11 calories each.
So I am still under for the day and have some left for a snack, but right now I am not even hungry. I feel full and satisfied by lunch and feel great!
**All the recipes from today are in the Cook Yourself Thin Faster book - even the cookies!
Starting Today
So I decided to go ahead and start the challenge today instead of tomorrow. Yesterday I went out shopping for the weeks menu. It did not go well. I went to 2 stores and didn't find a lot of the stuff I need, so I get to go out again today! Ugh!
Any who, I added a new page called Stats. That is where I will post my weight and measurements each week. I weighed myself this morning and as usual I think my scale is off. When I go in for doctor visits I always weigh 4-5 pounds more than at home - so that should tell you that my home scale isn't real accurate. But I will make due with what I have.
As for my husband he gets to have 550 more calories than I do, but with him being laid up in bed and not up to eating a bunch, he is eating what I eat and then also adding in saltines and jello to soothe his stomach.
Any who, I added a new page called Stats. That is where I will post my weight and measurements each week. I weighed myself this morning and as usual I think my scale is off. When I go in for doctor visits I always weigh 4-5 pounds more than at home - so that should tell you that my home scale isn't real accurate. But I will make due with what I have.
As for my husband he gets to have 550 more calories than I do, but with him being laid up in bed and not up to eating a bunch, he is eating what I eat and then also adding in saltines and jello to soothe his stomach.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Surgery Success
For you follow my blog.... My husband had his surgery yesterday and it went very well. In fact he may get to come home today!
Turkey Meatloaves
Just now I whipped up a batch of Cook Yourself Thin's Turkey Mini-Meatloaves. Now these have actually been a staple in our house ever since I bought the cookbook, and we love them. They are portioned out by using a measuring cup and they are only 227 calories! Add in the roasted root veggies that they suggest (at 121 calories) and you have a dinner for only 348 calories. And let me tell you these little suckers are yummy! The nice part about these too is that you can play around with the veggies you add to them. Today I added a red pepper along with the onion and spinach.
This picture is of them still raw - so they don't look quite as yummy yet. What I am doing with these is flash freezing them and then will move them into ziploc bags in dinner portions for the 3 of us. When we are ready to cook them, that is when I will make the glaze topping.
Try these, you will really like them. I will type out the recipe later and put it on the recipe page. But I also put the link to the show where they make them for you too. See my links page.
Try these, you will really like them. I will type out the recipe later and put it on the recipe page. But I also put the link to the show where they make them for you too. See my links page.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Tomatillo Salsa
Last night I was the BBQ master. Most of you who know me, know that I let my husband be the BBQ'er and I am the indoor chef. Well I took the reins last night and roasted all my tomatillo ingredients myself. Doing this gives the salsa such depth of flavor with the smokey element from the bbq.
First I slice the onion in 1/2" or so rings. Then husk and wash the tomatillos, and wash 2 jalapenos. All veggies get a brushing of oil to keep them from sticking to the grill. With the bbq on high heat, everything gets all lined up. Close the lid and let the heat do the work. Keep turning your tomatillos and peppers so that they are getting cooked and charred on all sides. I don't time anything, I just go by look and feel. I use tongs and when the tomatillos are good and dull green in color and squish a little with a squeeze of the tongs - they are done. The peppers skin will char a bit (not burn) and will split open.
It is an awesome and different way of making salsa verde. Because the ingredients are all hot, you could can this as well. I put the recipe on the recipe page - give it a try!!
First I slice the onion in 1/2" or so rings. Then husk and wash the tomatillos, and wash 2 jalapenos. All veggies get a brushing of oil to keep them from sticking to the grill. With the bbq on high heat, everything gets all lined up. Close the lid and let the heat do the work. Keep turning your tomatillos and peppers so that they are getting cooked and charred on all sides. I don't time anything, I just go by look and feel. I use tongs and when the tomatillos are good and dull green in color and squish a little with a squeeze of the tongs - they are done. The peppers skin will char a bit (not burn) and will split open.
It is an awesome and different way of making salsa verde. Because the ingredients are all hot, you could can this as well. I put the recipe on the recipe page - give it a try!!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Mango Salsa
This is the mango salsa I made and canned earlier this week. I put them in pint jars as I don't bother wasting my time with those little half pint jars. The color from the camera is not giving it is true justice as it is really a beautiful yellow with red and orange from the roasted peppers and the green from the fresh cilantro. I can tell you that it tastes even better than it looks!
Tomorrow I will be making Roasted Salsa Verde. I roast the tomatillos, onion, and pepper all on the bbq until softened and browned. This gives it a delicious smokey flavor and also a bit of sweetness to the tomatillos and onion. It is awesome!!
House Smells Awesome!
Okay, doing more food prep today! Just poached chicken and also roasted some chicken breasts too. Why poached do you ask. Well it is a lean alternative to roasting. When you roast your chicken with the skin on, all the fat from the skin is absorbed into the meat. The other great thing about poaching it is that if you add some vegetables and herbs you will also make your own chicken stock. Homemade chicken stock is the best way to insure you know what is in it and that you can control the amount of salt. In fact you can poach the chicken without even adding salt to the stock. That way you are ensuring that you are not over salting future recipes.
So once the chicken is cooled, I will shred it off the bone and store it in ziploc bags and put it in the freezer. Now it will be ready on hand for when I want to make chicken salad sandwiches, bbq chicken pizzas, enchiladas and so on. I will also freeze the stock for use in rices, soups and whatever else. Pretty cool huh.
Now I did roast about 4 of the breasts today for the Barefoot Contessa's Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich wraps. A big favorite of ours. Hard part is even though I don't know the calorie count, I can guess it is super high. I mean a cup of roasted cashews for crying out loud - that is 680 calories right there (for the entire recipe that serves 6 ). What I did do though is replaced her 1.5 cups of mayo for 1 cup Greek yogurt and only .5 cup of mayo, so that should help a little!
Since the diet doesn't officially start yet, we are going to enjoy these Curry sandwiches without the quilt darn it! It is such a beautiful day that I am going to pack them up for a picnic dinner at the beach with my family. It is going to be awesome!
So once the chicken is cooled, I will shred it off the bone and store it in ziploc bags and put it in the freezer. Now it will be ready on hand for when I want to make chicken salad sandwiches, bbq chicken pizzas, enchiladas and so on. I will also freeze the stock for use in rices, soups and whatever else. Pretty cool huh.
Now I did roast about 4 of the breasts today for the Barefoot Contessa's Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich wraps. A big favorite of ours. Hard part is even though I don't know the calorie count, I can guess it is super high. I mean a cup of roasted cashews for crying out loud - that is 680 calories right there (for the entire recipe that serves 6 ). What I did do though is replaced her 1.5 cups of mayo for 1 cup Greek yogurt and only .5 cup of mayo, so that should help a little!
Since the diet doesn't officially start yet, we are going to enjoy these Curry sandwiches without the quilt darn it! It is such a beautiful day that I am going to pack them up for a picnic dinner at the beach with my family. It is going to be awesome!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Official Start Date Decided
Okay, so we have discussed when would be a good day to officially start our 6 week adventure. We are going to go for Monday the 24th. Reason being as hubby will be in the hospital following surgery for at least 4 days. This way when he gets home he can lay in bed, drugged up for a couple of extra days. I too can have a chance to get the menus set, shopping done and food prepped, all at the same time pulling double parent duty.
So on that Monday I will post my weight and measurements. I am not sure he will be up for it, but we will try. If all else I will use his weight before his surgery.
Sad part is I just realized today that this scheme means no In-N-Out for 6 weeks! Now that is going to be a struggle!! LOL
So on that Monday I will post my weight and measurements. I am not sure he will be up for it, but we will try. If all else I will use his weight before his surgery.
Sad part is I just realized today that this scheme means no In-N-Out for 6 weeks! Now that is going to be a struggle!! LOL
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Working on Menu
So I am working on my menu for the first week. Man this is a lot of work upfront. Hopefully it will make it easier come execution time.
What I do is use Excel and break it down per meal for each day. I have it total up the calories for me and then let me know what the leftover calories are so that those can be used for snacks, beverages or desserts. And let me tell ya they have some good desserts. Yesterday I made their Deep dark chocolate cake and it is only 222 calories!
Here is what one of the days looks like. It deleted my nice lines from Excel, but you get the picture.
What I do is use Excel and break it down per meal for each day. I have it total up the calories for me and then let me know what the leftover calories are so that those can be used for snacks, beverages or desserts. And let me tell ya they have some good desserts. Yesterday I made their Deep dark chocolate cake and it is only 222 calories!
Here is what one of the days looks like. It deleted my nice lines from Excel, but you get the picture.
| TUESDAY |
| French Toast Bread Pudding |
| 230 |
| Cook Yourself Thin Faster - pg 27 |
| Healthy Potato Skins (2) |
| 420 |
| Cook Yourself Thin - pg 115 |
| Sesame Peanut Noodles - 308 |
| Spring rolls w/ lemongrass dipping sauce (2 rolls) - 167 |
| 475 |
| Cook Yourself Thin-pgs 133&131 |
| 1125 |
| 1200 |
| 75 |
1st Blog
Well this is my first attempt at Blogging. I am not sure how it is going to go exactly, but I will give it my best effort!
So why Blogging you ask. Well it is part of my goal in some weight loss and eating better. So my thought is, if I blog about it I will stick to it better. My thoughts don’t always go my way, but it is a start.
I have owned and cooked from quite often, the “Cook Yourself Thin” cookbooks. I have them both and have used them both a lot. In fact some of our favorite and common dinners have come from these books. I also like Ellie Krieger a lot too.
The “Cook Yourself Thin” philosophy is that once you set your goal weight (goal weight multiplied by 10 will give you the total calories you should intake each day) and stick to it for 6 weeks you will drop a dress size.
Since my husband will be having surgery next week and will be out of work for at least a month, I thought this is a perfect time to take this on. Not to mention we live in the Sunshine State now and I want to be able to wear a swimsuit and feel confident about it!
Now the kicker is, if you calculate my BMI I am exactly where I should be for my height. I am 5’4″ and currently weigh 134 pounds. According to the BMI calculator I should weigh anywhere from 111-140 pounds. I can bounce anywhere from 137 to 132 pounds depending on what we eat and how much activity we have going on.
So why weight loss than you ask??? Well because the darn BMI calculator doesn’t see my belly fat or gut if you will and my big booty – aka Junk in the Trunk! And if I don’t cover up the gut and butt with a good pair of jeans and a long T-shirt, you can forget it. There is no way in heck I would be caught dead in a tucked in shirt, a sheath cut dress and don’t even get me started on a swimsuit!
I used to be really good about planning out our meals and shopping accordingly. I have allowed the move, getting settled, and life get in the way and getting way from this practice. The plan now is to get back into the planning and shopping accordingly.
So here is the plan. For the 6 weeks recommended by “Cook Yourself Thin” I will do the following:
1. Plan out meals for each day using the recommended calorie allowance. Me 1200 calories My husband 1850 calories
2. Eliminate all processed foods.
3. Prepare snacks ready to eat to keep us on track. Such as carrots, fruits, salad fixings, etc.
4. Get out and get some exercise in the form of walking and jogging. I hate running, but hope that the beautiful weather will make it easier!
5. Blog each week as to where I am on my goals, with posting weight, gut and butt measurements, calorie intakes, and calories burned through exercise.
What do I hope to gain? Well I hope to drop down a size, lose some of my gut and butt, feel better, have more energy and last but not least……….buy a swimsuit that doesn’t look like something my mother would wear!!
Wish me luck!
So why Blogging you ask. Well it is part of my goal in some weight loss and eating better. So my thought is, if I blog about it I will stick to it better. My thoughts don’t always go my way, but it is a start.
I have owned and cooked from quite often, the “Cook Yourself Thin” cookbooks. I have them both and have used them both a lot. In fact some of our favorite and common dinners have come from these books. I also like Ellie Krieger a lot too.
The “Cook Yourself Thin” philosophy is that once you set your goal weight (goal weight multiplied by 10 will give you the total calories you should intake each day) and stick to it for 6 weeks you will drop a dress size.
Since my husband will be having surgery next week and will be out of work for at least a month, I thought this is a perfect time to take this on. Not to mention we live in the Sunshine State now and I want to be able to wear a swimsuit and feel confident about it!
Now the kicker is, if you calculate my BMI I am exactly where I should be for my height. I am 5’4″ and currently weigh 134 pounds. According to the BMI calculator I should weigh anywhere from 111-140 pounds. I can bounce anywhere from 137 to 132 pounds depending on what we eat and how much activity we have going on.
So why weight loss than you ask??? Well because the darn BMI calculator doesn’t see my belly fat or gut if you will and my big booty – aka Junk in the Trunk! And if I don’t cover up the gut and butt with a good pair of jeans and a long T-shirt, you can forget it. There is no way in heck I would be caught dead in a tucked in shirt, a sheath cut dress and don’t even get me started on a swimsuit!
I used to be really good about planning out our meals and shopping accordingly. I have allowed the move, getting settled, and life get in the way and getting way from this practice. The plan now is to get back into the planning and shopping accordingly.
So here is the plan. For the 6 weeks recommended by “Cook Yourself Thin” I will do the following:
1. Plan out meals for each day using the recommended calorie allowance. Me 1200 calories My husband 1850 calories
2. Eliminate all processed foods.
3. Prepare snacks ready to eat to keep us on track. Such as carrots, fruits, salad fixings, etc.
4. Get out and get some exercise in the form of walking and jogging. I hate running, but hope that the beautiful weather will make it easier!
5. Blog each week as to where I am on my goals, with posting weight, gut and butt measurements, calorie intakes, and calories burned through exercise.
What do I hope to gain? Well I hope to drop down a size, lose some of my gut and butt, feel better, have more energy and last but not least……….buy a swimsuit that doesn’t look like something my mother would wear!!
Wish me luck!
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