Cajun Kick Tuna Burgers

Last night for dinner I made quite possibly the world's best tuna burgers. Oh yeah. They are absolutely yummy. I modified the recipe from StarKist, they have a lot of great recipes on their site. Here is my recipe:

Cajun Kick Tuna Burgers

1 (3.5oz) pouch of Tuna packed in water

1/4 cup bread crumbs, divided

1/4 cup fat free shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup reduced fat Sargento Mexican Cheese Blend

1/4 cup non-fat ranch salad dressing

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced green pepper

1/4 cup egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)

1 tbsp. Cajun Seasoning Blend

1 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:
Combine Tuna, 1/2 of bread crumbs, cheese, salad dressing, onion, pepper, Cajun seasoning and egg substitute in medium bowl; mix well. Form into four patties; coat each side with remaining 1/2 bread crumbs. Heat oil in non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook patties 3 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

I ate mine on an Arnold's Sandwich Thin with a side of sauteed squash. Absolutely amazing dinner! I put the point value at right about 3 ww points per patty if you make 4 or 4 ww points per patty if you make 3. I made 3, but after seeing them finished, I could have made 4.

It was quick, easy and delicious. My favorite kind of recipe to have on hand for the crazy weeks!

*Photo courtesy of StarKist website, they do look similar. :)

The Serenity Prayer...for us.

So, I've been thinking a lot lately about how hard this journey is. It's a journey I will be on for the rest of my life. Every single day I make a choice to eat right, or not, exercise, or not. This will never come easy for me. I'm not saying it will never be EASIER, but it will always be something that lingers in the background. I have a problem with food. No matter how badly I want to be the kind of person that can sit on the couch eating bonbons, watching TV and never gaining a pound, I will never be that kind of person.

So, thinking about all of that...it gets a bit, for lack of a better word, heavy. So, since I need to find humor in everything, I started thinking about meetings "Hi, My Name is Tonyne and I'm an Emotional eater" and then I came up with the idea to write a Serenity Prayer...for us. For the people like me, the emotional eaters, the binge eaters and the just plain old over eaters. So, here it is:

God grant me the serenity To refuse those things I should not eat;
Energy to be active, even when tired
And the ability to abide by both daily.

Counting one calorie at a time;
Walking one mile at a time;
Learning not to comfort emotions with food;
Turning away the cravings of sinful desserts
As tempting as I may find them
Trusting that my hard work will pay off
If I just stick to my plan
So that I may be healthy & happy in this life
and find a pair of jeans that fit
in any store I choose to shop in.

I didn't disappoint!

Well, I certainly didn't disappoint my gym clothes yesterday. We ran/walked 5miles yesterday on the treadmill!




It felt great! After a week off I was like a pent up bull let out of a cage at a Rodeo! My music was blaring in my ears, I was singing to myself, I was pouring sweat, I kept a great pace...I was sad to see it come to an end. In fact, I wanted to keep going...but my hips were starting to hurt a little bit, and I hadn't done 5 miles in a long time. So it was probably enough for the day.

I came home, felt great, had a good lunch, sat down for a bit, watched some TV. Then I stood up.

GOOD GOD!

The pain was insane. The pain is still insane. I stretched; I did what I was supposed to do! It's such a weird area to have pain in. It's like where the tops of your thighs connect to your pelvic bone? I guess that's the best way to describe it. It hurts all the way around to the sides too, almost too my butt. It hurts to stand, walk and even sit. I used heat and ice, still hurting.

I didn't let it discourage me though, I knew walking/running or elliptical (which I think would have hurt the worst based on that movement) would really hurt it worse. So this morning I got up and did a FitTV stability ball and upper body strength work out that I had DVR'ed. I am proud. Last week this would have totally been an excuse to bail.

So, this is me, braggin' on myself just a little bit...

An apology

I know I've let you down. Every morning you stare at me and I know I've failed you. I haven't made you a priority this week and I should have. I had the best intentions, that's why I put you out on a shelf. I promise tomorrow will be different. I know I've promised you before, but I mean it this time. I will give you the time you deserve. It will be just you and me, for at least 1 solid hour, I promise.

I know you feel as if I've been unfaithful to you and in a way I have been. It's not what you think though. I've just been so tired. It's broken my heart to see you sitting there every morning, just ready and waiting for me.

So, Gym Clothes...tomorrow we start anew. I will explain things to Bed Sheets and they will just have to understand that 6am, that's our time. You will understand though, if tomorrow, my day off, we aim for 10am, right? Give me and Bed Sheets just one last good morning...ok? I knew you would. You're so understanding. Thank you. I'll never leave you sitting alone for a week on the shelf again.

Hello? The Old Me? We need to have a chat.

Dear The Old Me,

Hi! It's been so much fun having you visit sporadically these past few weeks. I have enjoyed our binge eating of low fat foods and our "well, I've already blown today, let's eat what we want anyway" nights, but you have overstayed your welcome just a little bit. While I feel that I can manage the poor eating and keep that in check while you're around the real problem I have is the way you force me to stay in bed in the mornings when I need to be at the gym. I like that time and frankly you laying on top of me like a child saying "five more minutes, just five more minutes" of sleep is really disappointing and you weight a lot more than me, so it's hard to push you off.

I'm glad that you love the taste of my new lower fat ice cream and sweet treats. However these are supposed to be enjoyed in moderation. Just because I make a tray of No Pudge brownies does not mean that you must eat 3 or 4 of them at a time. 1 will suffice and you know if you push me hard enough I will eat 3 or 4. That's not nice. Stop that!

Work is difficult, yes, I know. This does not give me the right to eat an endless amount of cookies no matter how hard you try and convince me it does. I know recently I have given into you on this, but I'm here to tell you, I don't want it to happen again.

We like beer...we like beer a lot. That doesn't mean we have to drink 7 or 8 of them every single time we go out. You are a pusher and you always have been. The other night, you weren't around, I only had 4 beers and I had a great time! Put that in your pipe and smoke that! And speaking of smoking, I quit, remember? I did so well. Drinking is not an excuse to smoke because that merely leads to me drinking so that I can smoke, which leads to no good at all. Remember? We've covered all this before?! When will you get it through your thick skull?

Anyway, thanks for visiting and that 1/2lb bag of gummie bears yesterday was fun...but pack up your 43lbs and get out. Don't let the door hit ya, where the good Lord split ya! (That would be your giant ass, by the way....in case you didn't know...)

Love,
The new, improved, 43lbs lighter Me.