Fish Tacos for Friday

 

This week has been a mixed bag. I want to start off with my high/lows.

Highs

• I cooked some good food, had some good work outs.

• I got my husband to walk on the beach with me, at night for the first time ever. He’s been promising me he would since before our very first date! It only lasted for 5 minutes, but it happened!Terrible picture of the moment:

• I managed to spend some time on the blog and made some time to catch up on blog reading.
• I enjoyed a great day on the beach Sunday, even though I was on-call for work.
• I have maintained my weight for 3 weeks. It’s not a loss, but at least it’s not a gain.

Lows

• I have allowed work to stress me out tremendously and I’ve been bringing it home with me.
• Also, because of my job, I am missing my sister’s birthday celebration at the lake (about 5 hours away) with all of my family and some of my friends. This has me VERY down in the dumps.
• I still am having a hard time keeping my stress eating in check. I’ve not been tracking my food very well at all. 
• I am absolutely exhausted 99% of the time.

All in all, an OK week. This weekend will be tough knowing my family is having a blast and I can’t be there, and the husband will be working, but I am planning a special date night for myself after work on Saturday. I am going to watch a movie, maybe make a pizza and give myself a pedicure. It’s all about the little things after all.

Ok, onto the Fish Tacos with Peach & Mango Rice!

Fish Tacos – Tilapia Filet pan seared with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Break apart into pieces. 1 filet=2 tacos=1 serving. Easy. I top mine with a little fat free yogurt mixed with a little chili powder and lettuce.

Peach & Mango Rice (this is really complicated, are you ready?)

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

3 Tbsp Store bought Peach & Mango Salsa

1/4 cup frozen sweet corn, cooked

Mix all together and serve.

An easy, healthy meal is always just minutes away and it doesn’t have to be boring! This meal is full of flavor and spice, used little ingredients and took literally 10 minutes to throw together. This makes 1 serving, it’s easily doubled or tripled.

That’s all I have for today. I hope all had great weeks and have fun weekend plans! I have a 5 mile run scheduled for Sunday, I changed up training schedule a bit to allow for more time with the husband on our day off Thursday…but more on that Monday. :)

What's your high and low for the week?

Ratatouille and Our Amazingness

 

Last night for dinner I made another recipe from Better Homes and Garden’s Slow Cooker Favorites Made Healthy. It was super easy, and pretty tasty.

I didn’t use the bread they suggested, instead I used just light wheat bread and it it into triangles. It’s 5 ww points per serving. For me, it was a perfect lunch portion today, but last night for dinner I was left a little hungry. I wish I would have beefed it up with a little pasta or rice.

So far this week, I feel great. I’ve been eating well. I’ve exercised. Work has been exhausting, but I am officially over the summer hump (as we call it) and have less than 50 days until Labor Day and my life turns back into something, somewhat, resembling normal.

I’ve had a few questions in comments lately about how my knees are holding up during training. They are doing pretty well. I just have to be sure to stretch them out and ice them at the beginning of any soreness. They are holding up better than I thought they would! Especially the one that was hurt awhile back.

There is so much stuff going on in the blog world these days:

Ryan of No More Bacon is celebrating his 1 year “healthiversary”!

Caitlin of Healthy Tipping Point and Operation Beautiful got some very exciting news!

Seth of Fit with a Purpose is hosting another challenge!

Lindsay at Healthy Stride completed her first cycling event!

I know I’ve said it before, but I am so happy to be a part of the blogging community. I get really excited for all of you when you achieve something amazing. It motivates me to get out there and do more!

We are all amazing.

For the first time in my life, I feel comfortable saying “We” instead of “You”. We are all amazing. We are proof that healthy living is achievable and fun. We didn’t go to a fancy ranch, we aren’t popping pills or crash dieting. We are just doing it.

Good for us! Let’s give us all a round of applause! Own your amazingness. I am finally owning mine and it feels pretty good.

Leave me a comment and tell me something AMAZING that you have done. It could be something as simple as cooking a healthy dinner to running a marathon. I know you have all done something…let’s hear about it. Let’s celebrate our amazingness together! :)

I’ll start: I ran a 10k when even at the starting line I was doubting my ability to finish. I ran it, had a great time running it and was very proud of myself at the end.

Watch me cook up some time!

 

This time of year, my every free moment is savored. I live for each one. It’s hard for me to sit down in front of a computer when that is what I do all day every very long summer day. However, this blog is important to me. You guys are important to me. I care about your stories, your comments, your blogs…all very much. I need to make time for this. This is why my Unlikely Success Story is exactly that. Without this blog and without the wonderful blogging community I’m pretty sure the name of this blog would be “Watch Tonyne Booze and Eat herself into coma” or something equally as lame. So, that being said, while I may not have the amount of time to spend here as I do Fall-Spring, I will do my best to set aside blog time during the week where I can write and read until my little heart is content. That way I can hopefully stay an Unlikely Success Story and maybe I can give you a few hints, tips or tricks on how you can become one too.

I made another trip to the library for another cookbook, oh a whim I got  Slow Cooker Favorites made Healthy by Better Homes and Gardens. I happen to  think that the crock pot is the most underused kitchen appliance I own. It’s ridiculous. I mean, really. Do basic prep work like chopping, etc. before bed, go to sleep, wake up, dump said stuff with some more stuff in crock pot, turn it on, have dinner ready when you get home.  This is yet another way I can make time. For blogging, for running, for whatever! Be on the lookout for an increase of crock pot recipes. I’m going to search the internets for recipes like Jacques Cousteau searched for sea life because honestly, who couldn’t use more time? Think about having an hour saved because dinner cooked itself? Why do we under utilize this genius crockery so much? Also, by using the crock pot I’m not heating up my house with the oven making the A/C work twice as hard. Always a bonus.

I used the crock pot on Monday to make sesame chicken lettuce wrap.  Tonight, I made Lentil Taco Salad. A meatless wonder of a meal, chocked full of protein, vegetables and yumminess. Sorry to post a picture of the recipe, but my not retyping it…guess what I saved? TIME! :) If you click on it, it will get big and you can read it, I promise. I did take the time to punch the ingredients into WW Recipe builder to find out that if you serve this as 6 servings (that’s what I did, it says 8, but you know I like big portions) it’s 3 points per serving, without taco chips, sour cream, etc. Not bad at all! Tomorrow I plan to wrap it in a sandwich wrap like a burrito! Very tasty and all I had to do was chop and dump. Love it!

Don’t be scared to try lentils if you haven’t before. They are a wonderful meat substitute or they go great with meat! You can cook them in stews or soups, make burgers with them, anything. They are so versatile. They are also very inexpensive and go a long way, saving you a buck or two! In a meal like tacos, they work great because they have a meaty texture and consistency. They hold flavor well too, so the chili powder and garlic really stand out.

What is your favorite slow cooker/crock pot recipe?

Curried Eggplant with Tomatoes and Basil

 

I have a summer cold. They are the worst. I am exhausted. I am constantly switching between insanely cold and insanely hot. I have had to work too. So I’m miserable. I did make an awesome dinner that I wanted to share. I got it out of an old Real Simple Magazine. It’s a recipe I’ve had forever, but hadn’t tried yet.

Curried Eggplant with Tomatoes and Basil (4 servings, 6pts per serving)

Ingredients

1 cup cooked brown rice

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

1 eggplant (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup fat free sour cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, eggplant, curry powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the eggplant is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and cook just until heated through, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Serve over the rice with sour cream, if using.

Recipe mostly courtesy of Real Simple Magazine

Recipe was cooked almost exactly as published with just a few changes based upon what I had on hand. I made it based on a wing and a prayer. I couldn’t remember if I even liked curry! I knew I’ve had it before, but I couldn’t remember what it tasted like. I’m glad I tried it, because I DO like curry. :)

I hope to be back up to my old tricks soon! But for now, cooking dinner and writing this post took all I had left for the day. Time for my couch and a movie.

I miss you guys! I hope you all had great holiday weekends!

Polenta Triangles with Black Bean Salad

 

I have to tell you, I never imagined I would have so much fun cooking vegetarian food, but I’m not missing anything. You won’t either if you cook this recipe. I put this as 2 large servings, but this could easily be 3 regular size servings. I was just STARVING. :)

Polenta Triangles (2 servings, 2pts per serving)

Ingredients

2 cups water  
1/2 cup yellow corn meal stone ground

Instructions

1. Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil.

2. Gradually add corn meal to water, whisking constantly until it's the consistency of mashed potatoes. Add whatever seasonings you would like to add at this point. Parmesan cheese and butter is a personal favorite. Takes about 4-5 minutes.

3. Pour polenta into small casserole dish and allow to chill in fridge overnight, or until firm. (I completed up to point last night while my peppers were baking. I feel an overnight chill works best)

4. Place a cutting board on top of casserole dish and turn upside down allowing polenta to fall out of dish. You may need to run an knife around the edges of the dish before flipping so it will fall out. Cut into desired shapes. I chose triangles.

5. Sauté over medium-high heat in a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray until golden. 

Creole Seasoned Black Bean Salad (2 servings, 5pts per serving)

Ingredients

1 tsp Creole seasoning  
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped  
1 cup frozen corn kernels  
15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained  
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar  
1/3 cup tomato, chopped  
3/4 cups green beans, fresh, cut into thirds and steamed in microwave  

Instructions

1. Sauté onions in a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray until tender.

2. Add beans, steamed green beans, corn and Creole seasoning and vinegar. Stir in tomatoes when corn thaws completely. Cook until warmed. Serve over polenta squares

I topped mine with a little fat free sour cream and dove right in. It is amazing! This is definitely one I will make again and again. I think, if I could, I would marry polenta. I love it. A lot.

So far, I’m having a good week. I feel so much better. My husband’s schedule changed again, so now we will have even less time together. This summer is going to be a tough one. On a good note, I think we are going to the driving range on Thursday and I am so excited! I haven’t been in a few weeks! That is, of course, if we can stand the heat. It’s been unbearable here! Highs in the upper 90s and Heat Indexes in the 110’ish area. HOT. Needless to say, my butt has been running in the gym on the treadmill.

How do you beat the heat? What’s your favorite summer activity?

Caribbean Jerk Chickpea Burgers with Mango Slaw. Amazing.

 

So, the weekend, yadda, yadda…bad food choices, laziness. However, on Friday I made this lovely dinner and it’s the star of today’s show.

Mango Slaw (4 servings, 0 points per serving)

Ingredients

1/2 a bag Broccoli Cloeslaw Mix  
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped  
1/2 medium mango, peeled and chopped  
2 Tbsp SPLENDA® SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener  
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar  

Instructions

In a bowl combine broccoli coleslaw mix, onion and mangos.

In a cup dissolve Splenda in vinegar, add to cabbage and toss. Serve cold.

Caribbean Jerk Chickpea Burgers (4 servings, 4 points per serving)

Ingredients

15 oz canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup parsley, fresh
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped  
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped  
2/3 cup Panko crispy bread crumbs - plain  
1 egg, lightly beaten     
1/4 cup Lawry's Caribbean Jerk Marinade  

Instructions

In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas and parsley until finely chopped.

Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, onion and cucumber. Stir the egg and Jerk marinade into the mixture and form into 4 patties.

Cook the patties in a large skillet or grill pan for 4 minutes per side until done. Serve with 1/3 of a cup Mango Slaw on top.

You know I love the Lawry’s Marinades. They are affordable and great in moderation. This is the one to look for.

The burgers fall apart a little, so try not to move them much when cooking. I used my Foreman grill.

I enjoyed eating vegetarian dinners so much, that I’m going to go for week 2…well, I will probably opt for pepperoni on Tuesday, but mostly vegetarian! ;)

Meatless Monday – Black Bean Cakes with Avocado Salsa

Tuesday – Pepperoni Polenta Pizza

Wednesday – Grilled Vegetable Panini 

Thursday – Greek Chickpea Burgers

Friday – Leftovers

I overslept this morning so I’m not kicking the week off with a work out and that bums me out. However, I am going to making the choice right now to make this a good week.

I hope you all had great weekends and are ready to have a great week!

Eggplant Parmesan and Usual Friday Hubbub

 

I love eggplant parmesan. It’s one of my favorite dishes. Some people like to layer it and bake it, some fry it, there are a million ways to make it, here’s how I make mine!

Eggplant Parmesan (6 points per serving, 2 servings)

Ingredients

1 medium raw eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces lengthwise  
2 egg whites  
1 Tbsp water  
1/2 cup Panko crispy bread crumbs - plain (seasoned with your favorite spices
8 oz canned tomato sauce
1 cup chopped frozen spinach  
1/2 cup Kraft Reduced fat Italian style shredded cheese blend  

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a cooking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Whisk together egg whites and 1 tbsp of water. Dip eggplant slices into egg mixtures and then bread crumbs coating lightly and place on baking sheet. Cook for 22 minutes flipping once, until golden brown.

While eggplant cooks, heat tomato sauce with frozen spinach on the stove top over medium- high heat. Add any spices you desire (I like S&P, Italian Seasoning and Crushed Red Pepper flakes) and allow to heat on low until eggplant finishes.

When eggplant is removed from oven, top each slice with cheese and place under broiler until melted. Serve with sauce poured on top.

I like my eggplant to be crispy when I eat it, that’s why I don’t layer and bake, although it is good that way too!

If you’re not very familiar with cooking (or eating for that matter) eggplant, it may be beneficial to salt the eggplant first. Eggplant can sometimes taste a little bitter. So if you cut the eggplant into slices, lay it in a colander in your sink, sprinkle some salt on it and allow it to sit for 30 minutes, turning once. Then, rinse the excess salt off and pat the eggplant dry, then start making the recipe. This will remove some of the bitterness from the eggplant and also remove excess moisture.

Weigh In

Weight Last Week: 157

Weight This Week: 155.9

Difference of: –1.1

This makes my total loss since January 2009 right at 54lbs.

High/Lows

Highs

• I have LOVED eating vegetarian meals this week. I have had some great food and haven’t felt deprived of anything.
• I ran! For the first time in 4 weeks and it was awesome!
• I was more active this week.
• I was able to help some friends this week. I think it’s always a high point to help others!
• Losing a pound is an awesome loss, that is a high for sure!

Lows

• Work continues to be a point of constant stress and exhaustion. That’s led me to a lot of late night comfort eating. I know shouldn’t be doing it as I’m reaching for the 3rd or 4th snack of the night, but I continue to get it anyway.
• I didn’t track much this week. I have to get better about that.
• I’ve had a lot of “I don’t know how I’m going to keep this up over the summer” thoughts and thoughts about just going “off plan” for the summer. I have been having lots of “talks” with myself.
• Like last summer (due to work, etc.) I’m starting to become introverted and hermit like.

I think for the next week, I have a lot of work to do on myself in the mental department. I also need to stop being hard on myself. I know this is a crazy-busy time of year for me and I know it lasts at least 3 months. It happens every year. Things won’t always be smooth and obstacles will constantly be thrown in my way. I need to roll with the punches.

Tonight I am making Caribbean Jerk Chickpea Burgers with a Mango ‘Slaw and I will be sure to post the recipe! I am excited to fool around in the kitchen after work. It’s such a huge stress reliever for me.

Ok, this has been a LONG post! Sorry ‘bout that! :)

What was your High and Low this week? Got any fun weekend plans?

A meatless week? You don’t say.

 

I hope you guys had great weekends! I did. I had a lot of laid back time, I spent some time with friends. I made it to the gym. I did a lot of reading. I’m reading the Sookie Stackhouse Novels…yeah, I’ve been living in a vacuum for about 4 days. I had to force myself to put it down to cook dinner last night!

I have decided to challenge myself to have a week full of meatless dinners! I’m a little nervous, but excited. I’ll share the good recipes with you! Speaking of which…

Last night I made Polenta Muffins! I love polenta but I have never made it myself so I was a bit nervous. There weren’t any fancy ingredients, it seemed simple enough.

Polenta Muffins (6 servings, 4pts per serving)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups hot water
16 oz. (1 bag) broccoli florets, thawed, drained and chopped
1/4 of an onion minced
1 cup chopped asparagus
1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped
2 cups 1% milk
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder (to taste)
1 cup uncooked stone-ground yellow corn meal
4 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp butter

Instructions

Lightly coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray, set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large heavy bottomed pot, combine water, milk and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce health to medium-low and slowly add a little bit of cornmeal at a time whisking constantly. Continue to cook, stiring frequently until the polenta has the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Stir in vegetables, butter and 3 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese. Spread polenta mixture evenly into the 12 prepared muffin tins. Sprinkle the reamining Tbsp of Parmesan cheese on the top and place in oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Cool for 25 minutes, serve at room temperature.

Packed full of vegetables, 2 of these muffins=1 serving. I made 6 servings, I figured I could have them for lunches or have 1 as a side dish to a meal later on in the week. Adapted from the WW Deep-Dish Polenta Pie recipe.

Now, these sound time intensive, but they are SOOOO worth it. Absolutely tasty and very filling! I can think of a ton of different vegetables to try mixing in. Which is a good thing, since I now have a bag of corn meal to use. :)

Here are the meals for the rest of the week! So, stay tuned! ;)

Tuesday – Baked Tofu with Spaghetti Squash Mac & Cheese

Wednesday – Eggplant Parmesan (I have to document how I make it)

Thursday – Caribbean Jerk Chickpea Burgers (This I will be doing on the fly)

Friday – Leftovers, I’m sure there will be some!

I needed to mix things up a little bit! I think this will be fun.

I just got back from the gym, I did 45 minutes on the stationary bike, with a book in hand! I find that reading on the stationary bike makes the time fly by. A terrific start to Tuesday!

What’s your favorite meatless meal? I’m always looking for new ones to try! :)

Super Weekend!

 

My weekend was fantastic! I hope yours was too! Saturday night we hosted game night at our house. 6 of us played games, had some drinks and ate some great food. 

The star of my weekend was Sunday. I spent the whole day with the husband and it was GREAT. I started the day with 45 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym and then we went to a Golf Superstore. I was not thrilled about this at all at first. However, looking around the store I saw so much cute golf stuff and my husband was so excited telling me about all the different clubs and tools, I started to gain a little interest. I thought it would be something active that we could enjoy, outdoors, together. After we did some more running around I asked if he would take me to the driving range. I think he was shocked at first, but he asked our friends Keith and Cyndi to come with us. Cyndi is also new to golf and I was able to hit her golf clubs. I’m not that great, but I did make several good shots and now I can’t wait to go back!

I was coached after that 2nd picture by the husband to not lift my left heel off the ground. Hey, it’s my first time! I was looking at the ball at least.

After the driving range, I had to make dinner and I finally decided it was time to make Ranch Chicken. I’ve been meaning to for weeks! My friend Kim makes an awesome ranch dip for parties. She uses fat free greek yogurt and a ranch dressing packet. That’s it and it’s great for veggies or chips! I love it so much, I decided to try marinating chicken in it.

Ranch Chicken (2 servings, 5 points per serving)

Ingredients

7 oz uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast  
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt  
1/2 cup Progresso® Bread crumbs Panko crispy bread crumbs - plain  
1 Tbsp Hidden Valley Original Dip Mix 

Instructions

Mix together yogurt and ranch dressing mix. Place chicken into yogurt mixture and allow to marinate for 15-20 minutes.

Remove chicken from mixture and coat with Panko bread crumbs.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a baking pan with non-stick spray and bake chicken for 20-25 minutes until done.

It gives the chicken amazing flavor and the Panko adds a great crunch! Perfect summer meal when you have some Sunday Sweet Potato Salad on the side.

My Meal Plan for the week is:

Meatless Monday – Spicy Malaysian Noodles (a variation of this recipe)

Tuesday – Beer Can Chicken (the husband is making it on Monday, I’m going to have it leftover on Tuesday)

Wednesday – Roasted Veggie Pizza

Thursday – Taco Night!

This weekend was supposed to be so many things. It was supposed to be a movie date and me learning to use a grill. I’m so glad that I ended up playing Sunday by ear and just enjoying the time. My life is very planned out and I’m a very structured person. It was nice to just wing it and step outside of my comfort zone.

What did you do this weekend? Did you try anything new?

My Friday song and dance

 

Yesterday was my day off. I tend to stay off the computer on my days off because I like to just unplug. I may pop up here and there, but for the most part I’m just…unplugged. I had high hopes for yesterday.

I slept until almost 9am. I rarely sleep that late. When I woke up, I did one of Jillian Michaels workouts, can’t remember the name, on Exercise TV On Demand.

It was pretty good, reminded me of 30 day shred a lot. It makes me wonder if all of her DVDs are that repetitive.

After the workout I started to get a headache. I drank a green monster and started out and about on my errands. I had to run to Wal-Mart and the farmer’s market. My headache got progressively worse as the day went on. I did score some great loot at the farmer’s market. I got fresh strawberries, kale, peppers, tomatoes and corn on the cob! I love spring produce! I should have taken a picture…but again, when I got home I just unloaded quickly so I could sit down because my head hurt.

My plan at this point was to spend the afternoon at the pool with a book, but the sun was making my head hurt worse, so I ate some leftover Goulash Coolash (which tasted even better the 2nd day!) and got on the couch. While on the couch I started thinking about all of my strawberries and how I was out of fancy dessert cups, so I decided to make my own. Did you guys know that Strawberry Shortcake is my most favorite dessert ever? Well, now you do. It is.

2 cups of Reduced Sugar Yellow Cake mix and 1 cup fat free plain yogurt. Mix them together (mix will be thick), divide evenly into 12 muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Voila, 2 point dessert cakes perfect to be topped with strawberries and fat free cool whip! (or whatever your heart desires…)

I still had a headache. I made tuna burgers and kale chips for dinner. Still had a headache, so the rest of the day was a wash on the couch. That, was my day off. Thrilling, huh?

Weigh-In

Last Week’s Weight: 160.1

This Week’s Weight: 156

Difference of: –4.1lbs

Holy Cow Batman! I knew I was having a better week, but not that much better. I moved beyond recycled weight loss. The lowest I have been up until this point is 157.4. So, this is a new low for me! This also moved me down to 21 weight watcher points per day. It will be interesting to see how I do with that.

High/Lows

Highs

• I got my eating back on track and stopped the crazy snacking.
• I made lots of healthy food.
• I got back on the exercise train.
• My knee is feeling SO MUCH better.
• I lost 4.1lbs!

Lows

• Last weekend was pretty high calorie.
• I was on call for work and my stress level has been through the roof. I think that’s the reason for yesterday’s all day headache.
• I drank more diet soda than I normally do. I usually have 1-2 a month. I had 2 this week. I have no idea why, I just wanted it.

All and all, not that bad. My lows weren’t that low this week and my highs felt pretty high.

What was your highest high and your lowest low this week?

Too Coolash for Goulash!

 

I wanted some serious comfort food this week, little did I know this recipe would make 4 servings, but as I was building it, it kept growing before my very eyes! When I was little, I didn’t care much for Goulash. As an adult, I love it. So, here is my healthified version.

Goulash Coolash (4 servings, 6pts per serving)

Ingredients

1/2 pound uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)  
1 can diced tomatoes, Italian Style
8 oz canned tomato sauce   
1/2 cup onion, chopped  
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables      
1 tsp red pepper flakes 
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 clove(, minced  
3 cup(s) cooked whole wheat pasta, Your favorite small style  

Instructions

Brown and break apart ground beef in a large skillet, drain off oil, add onions and allow to cook until softened. Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, mixed vegetables and chili powder. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Mix in cooked pasta. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan or reduced fat cheddar cheese.

This made me feel like a kid again! So simple and hearty. If you used ground turkey it would bring down the points and/or calories more. However lean ground beef was on sale last week and it’s NEVER on sale, so I indulged. :)

Today is my day off, so I’m going to go enjoy it! And probably eat 1 of the 3 servings of goulash I have left in the fridge. :/

What was a family style (or even lunch room style) dish you hated as a kid but love as an adult? Is there one?

Happy Thursday everyone!

Presto Pesto

 

Yesterday I mentioned that I made a batch of home made gnocchi and ohmygoodnessiminlove! Especially after I made this sauce to go on top of it. This was my Meatless Monday.

Presto Pesto (1 pt per serving, 2 servings)

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw spinach   
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese  
2 tsp minced garlic  
2 Tbsp vegetable broth
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Instructions

Combine the above and blend.

It’s that simple. This pesto would be good on anything. I left out the pine nuts due to the husband’s allergy, plus, I’m not a huge fan of them.  I had it on gnocchi with a side of zucchini and onions. It was an amazing dinner.

I was famished by dinner time because I…MADE IT TO THE POOL!!!!

 

Before	After

Swimming laps is HARD WORK! I had my Blackberry in a Ziploc bag beside the pool because I’m on call for work. I wouldn’t normally have taken pictures, but after my behavior the past week and a half, you guys should be demanding proof of my workouts. I did 20 minutes of serious laps, stopping for a 1 minute break every 5 minutes or so. I did a mixture of freestyle, back stroke and breast stroke. I also spent 5 minutes before and after really stretching out my knee in the water. It felt so good! I am so lucky to have an indoor pool at my amenity center. I can’t believe I haven’t been using it!

So, I give myself a Gold Star for Monday. I know one good day, does not get me back on the wagon, but at least I feel as if I can see the wagon now!

I want to thank you all for your encouragement and support yesterday. My heart is full.  I was really surprised by how many of you appreciated my honesty. I promise to lay it all out there, if it helps someone feel like they are not alone. This journey is hard. We have to support each other.

I just got back from the gym where I did 22 minutes on the Elliptical, some arm weights and crunches. I didn’t have nearly enough time as I had hoped I would, we seem to be having a smoke detector issue at our home this morning, I spent 15 minutes climbing up and down on a stool changing batteries. I think that totally should count as exercise.

I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday!

Spicy Apricot Chicken and My Love of Sprouts.

 

A little sweet, a little spicy, a lot good.

Spicy Apricot Chicken (5pts per serving, 2 servings)

Ingredients

6 oz uncooked chicken breast, cut into 4 strips  
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs seasoned with salt, pepper & garlic powder  
1 egg whites
1 Tbsp water 
2 Tbsp apricot preserves  
1 tsp Sriracha Chili Sauce  
1 Tbsp lemon juice, canned or bottled

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, coat chicken strips in egg white (mixed with 1tbsp water) and panko. Bake on a baking sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray for 15-20 minutes, flipping over once.

While chicken bakes, whisk together remaining ingredients.

Pour apricot sauce over chicken strips and serve.

I served it with 1/2 cup brown rice and some steamed asparagus. It tastes a bit like sweet a sour chicken with a zing from the Sriracha! This would be great served with grilled chicken on skewers at cocktail parties, using the apricot sauce as a dipping sauce too! :) I love multi-use ideas! This sauce is so good you could use it on anything. You could even save some calories if you can find sugar free apricot preserves. My grocer didn’t have any. Boo.  Ok, I’ll stop talking about it now. I really like it.

To answer Seth’s question from yesterday my favorite and the easiest way to prepare brussels sprouts is to just steam them with a little water in the microwave (after they’ve been cleaned of course), drain them and season with a little salt and pepper. Of course I love their natural flavor. They are also amazing coasted in a little olive oil and garlic and roasted in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes! AMAZING. Here’s the thing, we all hate the baby boom-boom cabbage as a kid, but as adults we like cabbage…guess what? They taste just like cabbage! Try it again as an adult for sure! I tell all my friends that, surprisingly I have a lot of friends scared of the sprouts. I wanted to answer that publically because I have an intense love for baby boom-boom cabbage and I think the world should understand why. Sorry you asked Seth? :)

What is your favorite vegetable and the favorite preparation of it?

Don’t forget! You have until midnight tonight to enter my CSNStores $60 giftcard giveaway!

Tuesday – Real creative title, I know.

 

First and foremost, last night’s Meatless Monday, Sweet Potato with  Warm Black Bean Salad was phenomenal. I’m not going to repost the recipe, because I pretty much followed it, but I did add some onions, cooked the black bean mixture on the stove top and omitted the cilantro. I served it with some brussels sprouts on the side. Yummy! The sweetness from the sweet potato mixes with the smokiness of the beans and the coolness of the sour cream (I used plain greek yogurt) is just very wonderful. I’ll be making it again and again.

I have been resting my knee since Thursday. It still hurts. It’s getting better, it’s not swollen anymore. I would rather rest for a week than not be able to run again. I was going to gingerly try the elliptical today, but I woke up with quite a bit of pain again. However, instead of the pain being all over the top of my left knee, it’s localized to one spot. It’s becoming manageable, but I’m afraid to push it.

I am trying hard to keep my spirits up. Activity has been such a huge part of my journey for me this time that occasionally I begin to panic that because I’m not being very active, I’m going to gain all the weight back overnight! I know that isn’t the case. I know I still have to be mindful of what I eat. I know there are still exercises I can do, I just have to do them.

I went from the girl that never left to the couch to the girl that can’t just sit on the couch. I never imagined that would happen!

I don’t really have much to update about…since I’ve been kind of resting. I promise that as soon as I have something exciting to share, you’ll be one of the first to know! :)

Some things you might have missed:

I posted a Simple Sunday French Toast recipe on Sunday.

Don’t forget to enter my CSNStores.com $60 gift card giveaway!

Have you had an exercise or activity related injury? How did you keep from going stir crazy? Help a sister out. I’m freaking out here!

Simple Sunday French Toast for your Mama!

 

This is my very simple recipe for French toast. It’s low in points, cooks up quickly and doesn’t require any fancy ingredients.

Simple Sunday French Toast (4pts per serving, 1 serving)

Ingredients

1 Egg
1 Egg White
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Light Vanilla Soy Milk
2 slices Light Wheat Bread

Instructions

Whisk together first five ingredients in large dish. Heat skillet to med-high heat.

Let 2 bread slices soak for about 1 minute per side. Spray heated skillet with cooking spray. Cook soaked bread slices about 2 minutes per side or until done. Place on a plate and drizzle with sugar free maple syrup.

Simple. Easy. Delicious.

If you’re reading this on the Pacific coast this morning, go cook your Mama breakfast! It is Mother’s Day after all. Of course if you’re on the East Coast you could still pull of brunch! :)

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you Moms out there (Moms of human children and fur children, I totally count both!) and a special Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom who is my rock. Enough said.

Meatless Monday – My new favorite soup

 

First off, for this recipe, you’ll need a blender. Check out mine, I think it’s older than ME! I inherited it from my Mom and I can’t bring myself to replace it. My Crockpot happens to be from the same era. Vintage rocks, get over it. :)

 My blender is more badass than your blender.  

Last night wasn’t cold by any means, but I was craving soup.  I wanted something hearty but light. I have been wanting soup a lot lately, so I took to the kitchen and this is what I made:

White Bean and Spinach Soup with an Italian Twist (4pts per serving, 2 large servings)

Ingredients

1 tsp vegetable oil  
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped   
2 garlic cloves, minced  
16 oz (1 can) Cannellini (White Kidney) Beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup canned diced tomato - Italian Style 
7 oz Fat-free vegetable broth  
1/2 tsp black pepper  
1 tsp ground thyme  
1 tsp Italian Seasoning  
1/2 cup water   
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped 
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat oil. Cook onion in oil until tender. Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Stir in beans, broth, diced tomato, pepper, thyme, Italian seasoning and water. Bring to a boil, reduce and then simmer for 15 minutes.
With slotted spoon, remove 1 cup of the bean mixture from soup and set aside.
In blender at low speed, blend the remaining soup in small batches until smooth.***
Bring blended soup to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in spinach, reserved bean mixture and cook 2-3 minutes or until spinach wilts. Stir in lemon juice, remove from heat and serve.

On the side, I served some Baby Crostinis that I made using 1pt hot dog buns! Aren’t they adorable!? I just cut them into the appropriate shape, sprayed them with non-stick spray, used a little Parmesan Herb seasoning and toasted them in a 400 degree oven for about 4 minutes per side. Watch it closely though!

I also added a little bit of red pepper flakes to the soup, but I left that out of the recipe because I know everyone doesn’t like the heat like I do. I can’t tell you how much I love this soup because I would seriously just sound insane, but I LOVE this soup. I am going to make a giant batch of it and freeze it so I can have more than 2 servings. It’s THAT good.

*** I feel it’s important to say, when blending hot liquids in a blender, ALWAYS use a towel to hold the lid of the blender on. Never turn the blender on High right away, pulse slowly and then carefully remove the middle part of the top to let the steam out if the lid wants to come off on you. I in no way shape or form speak from experience here….

Go make this soup. Now. Go. It’s amazing. I promise!

Original inspiration and cooking instructions came from this recipe at AllRecipes.com.

Sunday Sweet Potato Salad

 

This time of year brings around Cookout or Backyard BBQ (depending on where you’re from) season and I have a twist on potato salad that is as kind to your taste buds as it is to your health!

Sunday Sweet Potato Salad (3pts per serving, 2 servings)

1 large cooked sweet potato, cut into cubes, boiled until just tender and drained
1/2 Tbsp honey   
1 Tbsp onion, finely chopped  
2 Tbsp raisins  
2 Tbsp lemon juice, canned or bottled  
2 tsp sugar substitute  
1 Tbsp Kraft Miracle Whip Salad Dressing  
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except potato, mix well. Add sweet potato and stir to coat.

Serve room temperature or cold. 

This whips up fairly quickly and has a nice sweet and savory flavor! This will probably be my “go to” dish for cook outs this Spring and Summer. So, all my friends and family have been warned!

I hope you all had fantastic weekends! I will check in tomorrow with a proper update. I just couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you!

Spaghetti and Kelly.

 

Weigh-in

Another Friday has approached, another weigh in day for me.

Last Week’s Weight: 158.2lbs

This Week’s Weight: 157.4lbs

Difference of: –0.8lbs

Total Lost so far: 52.2lbs

Slow and steady wins the race right! A loss, is a loss, is a loss. I’m happy with it. :)

 Training

I did well sticking with my May Motivation schedule so far this week! Well, until this morning…I just could not get up. I tried really hard, but totally cashed in on another hour and 15 minutes of sleep.

I ran 4 miles yesterday, it was a slow moving 4 miles, I averaged 10:55/mi, but I was a little dehydrated and underestimated how warm it was outside and didn’t take water with me. At least I did it and that’s what counts!

High/Lows

Highs

• I had 4 really GREAT work outs this week.
• I had a weight loss.
• I spent quality time with my husband and my friends.
• Tonight I will get to celebrate a friend’s birthday and see some friends I haven’t seen in awhile!

Lows

• I had a chocolate problem this week. As in, I couldn’t get enough of it.
• I didn’t stick to my meal plan very well at all. I ate well, just not what was planned.
• Skipping my work out this morning. Even though I still kind of feel exhausted, I still feel a little guilty about skipping. Especially knowing I won’t have time to squeeze it in later today.

Cooking

I love spaghetti. I could eat my weight in it most likely if given the time and a large fork. To help fill me up so this doesn’t happen, I load my spaghetti sauce with lots of chopped vegetables. Here’s my recipe!

Tonyne’s Hearty Spaghetti (6 pts per serving, 2 servings)

Ingredients

1 link Lean Italian sausage link, hot 
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped  
1 cup canned tomato sauce  
1 cup asparagus, chopped
1 cup zucchini, chopped 
1/2 cup tomato, chopped  
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning  
2 cups cooked whole-wheat spaghetti

Instructions

Remove sausage from casing and brown with onion. Add vegetables, tomato sauce and seasoning. Cover and allow to simmer while pasta cooks.
Serve half of the sauce over half of the pasta, top lightly with parmesan cheese if desired.

You could easily leave the sausage out of this to make it vegetarian or change the meat to ground turkey or lean beef. You can also use your preference of veggies, this is just a quick way to make a wholesome, homemade sauce instead of the over processed jarred stuff. I at mine with some garlic bread and a little parmesan cheese!

Wrap it up Tonyne…

In totally unrelated news, I would like to wish my friend Kelly a very  Happy Birthday today! She is a dear friend and a huge source of support to me. Tonight we will be enjoying buckets of chicken and buckets of daiquiris on the beach in her honor! I am looking forward to it! So, Happy Birthday Kelly! Here’s to an amazing year!

That’s it for today I guess! Happy Weekends to those of you that have them!

Meatless Monday – Lemon Veggie Orzo

 

This is a very light, quick and easy dish. It will be a perfect dish to carry you through Spring and Summer and would be great for entertaining! I give you…

Lemon Veggie Orzo (4 pts per serving, 2 servings)

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked orzo  
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped  
1/2 cup asparagus, chopped   
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped  
1/2 cup tomato, chopped  
1 tsp olive oil  
2 Tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese  
2 Tbsp lemon juice, canned or bottled  
1 clove garlic minced  
7 oz vegetable broth

Instructions

Heat oil and some non-stick cooking spray in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in orzo and allow to brown while stirring for 2 minutes.

Add all other ingredients (except cheese) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and allow to simmer until orzo absorbs all the liquid.

Serve topped with 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese.

I had 1 cup of Campbell’s Garden Broccoli Boxed Soup on the side. It’s not too bad for store bought soup and only 1 weight watcher point per serving.

Toasting the orzo before hand gives it a wonderful nutty flavor. The vegetables stay crisp too with tons of flavor from the lemon juice and garlic. I could easily eat 2 servings of this if I didn’t have the soup on the side!

I realized that I forgot to post my meal plan for the week! Sorry about that, obviously, this was Monday’s meal…

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Turkey Sausage

Wednesday: Mexican Kiwi Tostadas

Thursday: Herb Parmesan Tilapia

Friday: My friend Kelly’s Buckets & Buckets birthday party on the beach…buckets of chicken and buckets of daiquiris.

I am still trying to make a decision about the 2 Sunday 5ks this month. I would really like to do the one on Sunday, but I’m not sure it’s realistic with my current weekend plans and the one on Mother’s day doesn’t really interest me to participate in. So, we’ll see what happens there. It might be one of those “morning of” registrations. Surprise, I just ran a 5k! Booyah!

Yesterday I had a great workout. I did 22 minutes on the Elliptical, 25 minutes of total body weight training and 10 minutes on the stationary bike. It was nice to have a focused workout that didn’t involve running…but, this morning, I run. And, I’m off! :)

May Motivation

 

Can you believe this week will deliver us the 1st of May? I can’t believe how quickly this year is flying by. The past week I was very lazy, flailing around, not really working out. So I decided that I would change all that with a May Motivation Work Out Schedule:

I am one of those people that tend to do better with a To Do list, or something to mark off. My training schedules for races hang on my fridge and as I complete each day I make a little note (minutes/mile, etc) and knowing that I get to do that everyday somehow makes me do it. I’m a little OCD. Not going to lie about it. Just because I’m not training for a race, doesn’t mean I can’t have a training schedule, because starting June 27th I will begin training for the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon with I have now officially registered for. I don’t want to get out of shape in the mean time. Alt Cardio means at least 20 minutes of cardio activity that is not running, I can walk, bike or use the elliptical.

Usually I have a rest day on Saturdays, but I’m not off on Saturdays, so I might as well get up early and work out since I’m getting up for work anyway. Sundays, I don’t have to work, so I can truly just enjoy a Rest day. I scheduled my “long runs” for Thursdays because that’s my other day off and just seemed more practical to me based upon my summer work schedule. If anyone wants to use my schedule, feel free! I can even email you the file if you want to change it, print it and hang it on your fridge! :)

ACE Fitness posted an interesting article about setting goals on Twitter the other day, I wanted to share this information about goal setting with you:

One proven way to set effective goals is using the SMART goal method. This method will allow you to take those vague ideas and transform them into reality.

SPECIFIC: The goals must specifically state what is to be accomplished. They must be easily understood and should not be ambiguous or subject to interpretation. For example, rather than stating you would like to improve your fitness level, set a specific goal to be able to run a mile in 12 minutes.

MEASURABLE: The goals must be measureable so that there is no doubt about whether you achieved them. Measurable goals also allow you to evaluate your progress. Goals can be measured objectively or subjectively (i.e., how you feel and look), or both. For example, you could measure your percent body fat and body weight, but also monitor how your pants fit.

ATTAINABLE: The goals must be attainable—not too difficult or too easy. Easy goals do not motivate, and overly difficult ones may frustrate you and lead to a perception of failure.

RELEVANT: The goals must be relevant or pertinent to your particular interests, needs and abilities. For example, when preparing for a 5K walk, running quarter-mile sprints would not be the best approach

TIME-BOUND: The goals must be time-bound by specific deadlines for completion. Timelines can be both short-term and long-term and should help you stay focused and on track.

*Courtesy of ACEfitness.org

I think these are great things to remember when we set goals. As I read on OhSheGlows’s blog the other day:

 “If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much.” Tom Krause

Setting goals will help us do the things we don’t think we can do. What are you current goals?

I have one quick food idea to share from the weekend. I wanted a quick pasta dish on Saturday after work and grocery shopping, so I threw together a quick Mediterranean Pasta. It had the following items:

• Whole Wheat Pasta (1 serving cooked)
• 6 large olives chopped (I used kalamta and green)
• 2 Tbsp chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped spinach
• 1 roasted Roma tomato chopped
• 1 artichoke heart marinated in light Italian Dressing* chopped
• Some Greek Seasoning blend
• 2 Tbsp Reduced Fat Feta Cheese

Toss together and serve. It was fully of healthy oils and tasted amazing. It only took about 15 minutes to throw together too!

*I buy canned Artichoke hearts in water and when I get them home, I transfer them into a jar with 1/3 cup Fat Free Italian Dressing. They are cheaper that way, and I know what is in the marinade.

My husband and I have enjoyed a lazy weekend around the house. I even managed to fit a craft project in! Now it’s time to kick my ass in gear for the week, I’m off to the gym.

Happy Monday? :/ That doesn’t really work, does it?