Skinny Girl's Hazelnut Baklava

Recently, like, since moving to Colorado, I have developed a love of Greek food.  Why?  I don't know.  But it's delicious.

Anyway, I've been trying to think up something to send with D to work, and found on the all mighty Pinterest an "easy" baklava recipe.  I had phyllo dough leftover from my Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, so I thought I'd create a healthier version.   By the way, if you're going to go for the phyllo dough pie crust...just make a pie with no crust at all.  Pie needs real crust.

Anyway, after much googling, I decided that it would be easier if I just made one up myself.  Again, sorry about the poor picture quality.  I'm asking Santa for a REAL camera for Christmas.

Natalee's Hazelnut Baklava

Ingredients:
10 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
I can't believe it's not butter spray
Canola oil zero calorie spray

Filling:
1 6 oz package of chopped hazelnuts
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 c Splenda
3 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Syrup:
1/4 c + 2 tbsp sugar free maple flavored syrup
1/2 c Splenda zero calorie sweetener
3 tbsp Kroger Honey
1/5 white sugar
Approx 1/3 c Kroger Simple Truth Light Brown Sugar  (10 calories per tsp.)
About 3/4 c water

So, first, take your phyllo dough and unroll it onto the counter, then get a damp paper towel and place it over the dough to prevent drying out.  Spray a 9 X 13 pan and let's get started.

Toast the hazelnuts.  I suppose you don't have to do this, but I did.  350 for about 15 minutes.  Next time I probably won't.  Meh.  Then crush them up.  Put 'em in a bowl.  Add the cocoa, Splenda, water, and cinnamon.  Mix that stuff up really well, and add a little more water if'n you wanna.

Take one sheet of phyllo dough and lay it in the pan.  Spray with butter spray (5 sprays) and a tiny bit of canola.  Brush it even and do the same with 3 more sheets, so 4 layers on the bottom.  Spread the filling on top, then lay down another phyllo sheet.  5 "butter" sprays and canola oil, brush, and then lay then only spray every 3rd layer and the last layer.  Cut it into 18 squares, then cut each square into diagonals.  I goofed and ended up with only 35 squares--don't ask.  Pop that sucker in the oven for 25-27 minutes at 375 F.  While that's cooking, make your syrup.

Syrup
Pop all of that in a saucepan and heat it, stirring frequently.  It'll get brown and runny and will smell pretty awesome.  When it's smooth and syrup-y, cover it and keep it warm until your baklava is done.  Pour over the baklava while everything is still hot, and then comes the hard part.  LET IT COOL for hours.  Like, 4 hours, so everything can get soppy and sticky.

Nutritional Value:  
Calories--70  Fat 3g  Protein: 1g  Fiber:  1 g  Carbs:  10 g.

Pinterest, how I love to hate you!

A couple months ago, I joined Pinterest.

Stupid.

But I did it.

Anyway, now I have a whole board dedicated to Healthy Foods.  Then one dedicated to "No So Healthy Foods."  And one dedicated to fitness and 'beauty,'.  And one for goodies that can be made healthier, but still you probably shouldn't eat.

This has not made my food addiction any easier.

For those of you who don't know, Pinterest is basically an online idea...pile.  You pick a category and you surf around these images for inspiration, ideas, recipes, how-tos, blah blah.  If you find one you like, you click the image and it takes you to the original website.  Then, you "pin" the image and it save the link for you on your own special "pin" board.

So there's this one category "Health and Fitness."  And basically it's pictures of body builder chicks and captions that say stuff like, "How to get abs in 6 weeks, guaranteed!"  Except none of those body builder chicks have stretch marks, that I can see.  And trust me, they aren't exactly covering up.

So here are my thoughts on Pinterest, dieting, and "inspirational" messages that I've wanted to rant about, but there's no special "Ranting" board.

1) "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."  Really?  because I'm pretty sure that I'd take chocolate cake with peanut butter ganache over a size 2 dress any day.  I really have a problem with this one.  This is why so many girls like me grow up with issues.  We have tastebuds for a reason, people!  Food is awesome, and I LIKE it.  So much more than exercise.

2) Reasons to be fit--"To out lift everyone else"  "To look at my muscles and be proud"  "To crave healthy food"  and on and on and on.  All of these come with close up pictures of some hot chicks butt or abs.  This also frustrates me, because guess what.  All the lifting and crunching in the world isn't going to give me a better self image.  It's not going to take away extra skin, stretch marks, or scars.  It's not going to do anything for your confidence.  The point is to be the best that YOU can be.  Setting up unrealistic expectations for ourselves is exactly the perfect way to screw up your psyche.  Self assurance, confidence, and self-esteem can ONLY come from within ourselves.  Maybe getting fit can help, but I know plenty of skinny chicks that hate themselves and plenty of heavier people that love themselves as is.   Besides, the girls in the pictures are all probably professional athletes.  Who has that kind of time?

3) "Food and Drink"--This is the worst part of the internet.  Period.  Pretzel chocolate chip cookies?  Peanut butter chocolate cake?  White hot chocolate?  Pie?  Cookie pie?  Brownies????  For a food addict like myself...this is bad.  This is really bad.  No amount of time on the elliptical can counteract the glorious creations to be found in this category.  Stay far far away.  (However, only about 1/2 the recipes turn out like their pictures.  Just so you know.)

4) Lovey dovey quotes.  Come on.  "Nothing is more beautiful that the way the tide keeps kissing the beach every time it is pushed away."  Talk about a dysfunctional relationship metaphor.  Girl, if he pushes you away, FIND SOMEBODY ELSE.  He's not worth it.  I don't care how much "good" you see in him.

Anyway,  there's my pinterest rant.

Don't get me wrong; I'm addicted to the dumb site.  Love the funnier quotes, and have found multiple clever ideas from recipes to games to cleaning tips that work great.  But seriously--I've gotta get away.  The jury is still out on whether pinterest is a good or bad addition to my life.  And diet.  

7 Day Detox---No longer.

I gained about half a pound yesterday.  Know why?  Because I bought the WRONG kind of rotisserie chicken!  The Kroger one apparently has twice the fat as the Costco one that the lady on the website buys.

Also, I stayed up until 1 reading a library book last night, and I always retain some water when I don't sleep well.  But mostly...I blame the chicken.  Because I can.


At any rate, I've felt so sick to my stomach since Sunday night that this just isn't worth it.  I'm weak, I've had Rocky Mountain Quick Step for 2 days, and I'm over it.  No number on a scale is worth this.  I can't even do a regular work out because I just don't have the energy.

I'm going to TRY and finish out Day 6--Chicken and veggies, but frankly, there's no way I can subsist on that awful soup for a whole day tomorrow.  Both D and I think that a month of Slow Carb is waaaayy preferable to this.


Blech.

So...I'm going to post my "after" today, instead of tomorrow.  Partly because I have to work tomorrow and won't have the ambition to change into work out clothes without actually working out...and partly because I'm NOT doing Day 7.  No way, jose.  "No reward is worth this!"

Okay, so.  Started at 128 even.



Ended at 122.

6 days, 6 pounds.  Not bad.  But I can't take it anymore.  I don't feel healthy.  However, there was a subtle change to how I look.

Forgive the goofy expression, I was trying to get the camera to hold still.  NOT trying to be sexy.  Again, yes, I'm flexing, and standing upright.  However, I tried to recreate the same pose that I did in the Day 1 picture.

So there you have it.  The 7 day diet is death.  Don't do it!!


Wanna lose weight fast?  Google "slow carb diet."

On Detox Day 4

Well, this has been interesting.  I have to say, after doing Slow Carb for 4 months...this is pretty easy.  Lots more variety in the diet, though it's looking like the bird and veggie days are going to be pretty similar.


Here are my thoughts so far.  I'm down 5 pounds today, to 123.  Impressive, but not all that surprising since I'm still convinced most of it was water retention from rich foods.

Day 2 was tough.  I'm not a vegetable eater, and myfitnesspal calculated me at less than 400 calories for the whole day, but honestly, one more bite of broccoli and I would have barfed.

Saturday was fruits AND vegetables, and that's by far been the easiest day.  However, when T didn't eat his chicken nuggets for dinner, both D and I were sure tempted to scarf 'em down.  I miss meat.


Today has been fine--bananas and milk/yogurt.  I can also eat the "wonder soup" today, but it's really nothing special.  I'm pondering doing that for dinner.

I've felt a little weak, but no more than doing South Beach Phase 1 or Thursday evening on slow carb.


We'll see if I get another pound or 2 by the end of the diet--I wouldn't be surprised, though, I've been known to drop a pound a day on slow carb, and that's what Monday and Tuesday will be like.


I have, on the other hand, noticed that my skin seems a little clearer and less blotchy today than it did on Day 1 of the detox.  I don't know if that's related, but it's an interesting observation.


I'll keep you posted and update you on Wednesday night or possibly Thursday morning with an "after" picture.  Same way, too.  No makeup, no tank top.  Just to be fair.

Trying to DETOX!!

I was shown this detox diet a couple of months ago by my cousin's wife, and thought, "whew, that's nuts."

Well, I found a new 7 day diet on the all mighty Pinterest last week, and thought to myself, "Self, why don't you give this a try after the grandparents visit, and that way you won't have to worry about watching what you eat around them?"

Therefore, while all the grandparents were here, both D and I just stopped caring about what we were eating...mostly so we wouldn't have to stress about it.  He gained 1 pound.  I gained 6.  In 5 days.


Now, this diet is pretty specific, but I'm not concerned.  I've followed tough diets before.  This girl claims that you can lose 10 pounds or more in the week, but I want to lose 6.  I think it's pretty possible since I'm sure most of the weight I've gained is bloating from poor diet and sodium, etc.  I really don't think I gained 6 pounds of fat.  So, HERE is the link to the "Satan diet"  (you know, because it's evil, or what have you), and let's go on a journey of rapid weight loss together.

My tummy's been feeling icky since last weekend, so I think just flushing out my system is a really excellent idea anyway.

Okay.  Here we go.  Whew.  Please don't judge me.


Weigh in:  128  This is a 6 pound increase from last Thursday.


Here comes the picture.


I couldn't get a good one fully dressed...so...I had to take off my tank top.

Some of it is skin, and that will never shrink, 'cause, you know, I had a kid.  And now there's extra bits of me.


Please don't mock me.

For the record--I AM flexing in this picture.

No makeup.  Pre-workout.


Please have mercy.

Quinoa "Meatballs!" Recipe, photos, and thoughts on healthy living

So.  I've lost a couple more pounds (go me!) and we're in a pretty good groove here, health wise.  I still have MAJOR issues with portion control, and subscribe to the believe that every pizza is a personal pizza if you believe in yourself enough.


Anyway.  Today was Meatless Monday at our house, and so we did spaghetti squash, homemade marinara sauce (thank you, skinnytaste.com) and "meatballs."

D wasn't a huge fan, he's a carnivore, but Baby T actually ate one right from my hand, the little klepto.

This recipe makes 13 pretty hearty sized "meatballs."

Quinoa Vegetarian "Meatballs"

Servings:  13   Calories:  47  Fat: 1 g  Protein:  2 g  Fiber:  1 g Carbs: 8 g


Ingredients

1/2 c uncooked Quinoa
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 c finely chopped red onion
1 medium finely chopped roma tomato
1/4 c Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (I used Progresso)
2 large, mashed garlic cloves
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
1 large egg


First, cooked the Quinoa according to package directions.   Saute the onion, garlic, and part of the tomato in olive oil until onions are clear.  Add the basil when the onions are almost done and saute until ready.
Put everything in a big bowl and add egg and breadcrumbs.  Mix up really well and make ping pong ball sized lumps.  Place on well greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Enjoy with marinara sauce!

These probably could have used extra salt and pepper, but I like to under-season everything.  I figure you can always add more.

Here's the deal.  Eating healthy is great.  Really.  I have found or invented a lot of great recipes in the past 6 months or so.  However, I think a world without sweets is no world I want to live in.  Pretzels and chocolate?  Forget about it.  So yummy.  So, if anyone has any ideas on how I can discover the elusive "portion control" or "will power," let me know, would you?  Because baking is a passion of mine, and I can't do it...or the whole pan/cookie sheet/bowl/whatever will be gone in a sitting.  I may be small, but I can pack it in, baby.

South Beach Diet--My Favorite Salads

So here's the deal.  Growing up, the only time we were served spinach, or most vegetables, really, were either boiled or sauteed in oil.  Normally that was fine, but frankly, soggy spinach is gross.  Like, super gross.

Then I started eating healthy.  Know what I discovered?  Fresh spinach is awesome as a salad. Move over, iceberg, because spinach and romaine are just as cheap, but taste better and are SUPER healthy for you!

(Still can't do kale, though.  Sorry, Peter.)


Anyway, now my salads consist of spinach, more spinach, and maybe some romaine if I'm not being lazy.

I thought I'd give you, dear reader, some ideas on how to make an awesome, filling salad, without pulling an IHOP and turning it into 750 calories of mess.

Rule 1--use nutritious, dark greens.  Like spinach.

Rule 2--Use low sugar dressings, olive oil, lemon juice, or even salsa instead of your normal salad dressing

Rule 3--Add protein!


So, put down your green base of salad-y goodness.

Then, choose your toppings.

Proteins:
Hard boiled egg
1/4 c shredded chicken
5 slices lean, reduced fat lunch meat
1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese.

Only pick 1 or 2 of these options for minimal calories, though.  Not all at once, haha.

Veggies:
1/2 Roma Tomato
1/4 c bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c zucchini, sliced
Chopped celery
chopped broccoli

Fats:
1/4 small avocado (or Guacamole, but only 1 serving!!)--About 70-80 calories
Salsa--10 calories for 2 tbsp
Fat Free Sour Cream--20 calories for 2 tbsp
Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing--120 calories for 2 tbsp

Seasonings:
Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
Paprika
Italian seasoning

Tonight, this was my salad, 200 calories even

1 c chopped fresh spinach
a little less than 1/4 c red bell pepper (about 1/5 of a pepper)
1/5 roma tomato
Kroger low fat roast beef--6  slices (this was an oops, apparently a serving is only 2.5 slices.  My bad)
1 tbsp Kroger fat free sour cream
2 tbsp Frito Lay Chunky Salsa

Total--200 calories.  So, naturally, I treated myself to a mug of sugar free hot cocoa to end the meal.  Yum!

The trick, in my opinion, is the dressing.  If you can get past the traditional mindset of Ranch, Bleu Cheese, Catalina for dressings, you'll find that sour cream and salsa make GREAT salad toppings!

Good luck, and let me know what you put on your salads to make them more interesting!

South Beach Recipe--Spaghetti Squash Lasagna!!

So.  Here's the deal.  I haven't been able to drop the last 2 pounds.  Here I stay, 124 pounds, and here I think I will remain.  And that's fine, really, if it has to be.  I'm well within a healthy weight range, and frankly, I could lose another 15 pounds and still hate what I see in the mirror.

I love food, folks.  I love chocolate, I love carbs, and I'VE DISCOVERED PINTEREST.  Not good for diets.
At any rate, I've decided that my main goal is going to be loving myself just as I am, cutting cardio back to 3 days a week, and do strength training/yoga/wii Active the other 3 days.  Hopefully this will help me tone up.

Additionally, while I'm going to endeavor to continue to eat responsibly, cut out unnecessary carbs, and stay active, I'm not going to worry about being a perfect dieter any more.


That being said, today was Meatless Monday at our house.  I bought a spaghetti squash last weekend and wanted to use it.  Ergo--Spaghetti Squash Lasagna!!  (the reason the veggies are only 1/2 sizes are because I used them to make a regular lasagna dish for a friend.  Feel free to use the whole veggies in your version)

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bake

 Forgive the poor quality, SOMEBODY broke my camera.

Ingredients
1 whole spaghetti squash
1/2 small zucchini, sliced
1/2 c red bell pepper, chopped
2 eggs
1/3 c white onion, chopped
1/2 large tomato, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, sliced or mashed, take your pick
1/2 tsp olive oil
Dash of Italian Seasoning
1 1/4 c Hunts Traditional Spaghetti Sauce
3/4 c Sargent reduced fat Mexican cheese blend

Cook the squash without any butter or oil.  I baked mine at 375 for about 30 minutes.  Let it cool, and use a fork to shred that sucker right up and into a big ol' bowl.  Add your chopped up veggies, garlic, oil and seasoning, with a little salt and pepper for good measure.  Mix that up really well, and plop into a 9 X 9 pan that's been sprayed with 0 calorie cooking spray. Turn oven to 350.  Pour the sauce over the top and pop into the oven for about 30 minutes.  Add the cheese, and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is brown.

Eat and serve hot with a big salad or some garlic bread!  Though that does defeat the purpose of a low carb dinner...

Serves 4
Calories:  192  Fat:  8 g  Protein:  11 g  Fiber:  5 g  Carbs:  22 g

Recipe: South Beach Blueberry Peach Pie

This is the fantastic dessert I made for our friends, and the WHOLE pie is 1400 calories.  That's less than one Browned Butter Cinnamon Roll at Whole Foods.  Trust me.  I called and asked.  That bad boy is like 2000 calories.  Or less than one Applebee's Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae.  Don't get me wrong, the occasional indulgence at a restaurant is totally worth it, but...this is better the majority of the time.

Phase 2 Blueberry Peach Pie--Serves 8

Ingredients:

3 c fresh peaches
1 c frozen blueberries
1/3 c sugar substitute (like Splenda)

Crust: 
6 sheets Whole Wheat Phyllo Dough
0 calorie cooking spray

Topping:

1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c old fashioned oats
4 tbsp light margarine
5 tsp Splenda Brown Sugar Blend


It seems complex at first, but bear with me.

Spray a 9 inch pie plate.  Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo dough in the pan and spray.  Do the same with the next 4 sheets, rotating each sheet so they form a kind of circle, then you can cut the edges and fold them over to make them pretty.  Cover with parchment paper and pour a bunch of dried beans into the pie plate and bake that sucker at 350 for about 10 minutes.  Not long, just enough to get it to hold it's shape.  Remove from oven, take out the beans and paper.

Mix fruit and sugar and pour right into the pie crust.  Lay the last phyllo sheet on top, cut and shape like before, then, finally, mix the crumbly topping all together and sprinkle on top.  Bake again for about 35-40 minutes, or until nicely browned and it smells like heaven.

Enjoy!




Calories per serving:  176  Fat:  3  Protein:  3  Fiber:  3  Carbs: 26

South Beach Living Week 3--Awesome Turkey Loaf!

So, it's been a while, but the computer is STILL screwed up so I haven't been really diligent about blogging.  Sorry.

Anyway, last week was super hectic and we cheated.  A lot.  Like, Little Caesar's and brownies and all sorts of naughty things, then by Friday we were back on track.

At any rate, first, a weigh in.

Today's weight:  124.4 lbs.
Goal Weight:  Between 120 and 122 lbs
Total Loss in 3 weeks:  8 lbs.

Not bad.  Weight loss slowed down a bit, but with all that I ate last week, it's not that bad.

I've been trying to switch up my workouts, too, so for the past week or so I've been at the gym in the complex and doing the elliptical for 40-45 minutes 5-6 days in the week.  Some days it's only 30 minutes, but I increase the resistance a lot to make up for it.  According to the machine (it does record my weight,) I'm burning about 500 calories on that baby.  I don't know how accurate that is, so I've still been watching my caloric intake as well.

RECIPE:  This is from my mom's meatloaf recipe that I've "de-carbed" and lightened up a bit.

2 lbs 93/7 lean ground turkey
3 egg whites
Salt and pepper to taste
splash (like a couple tbsp is all) skim milk
the inside flesh of 1 zucchini, or about half a zucchini, finely chopped.
4 tbsp onions, finely minced (I used dehydrated from my food storage)

Mix Together well with hands, place in a greased loaf pan, and bake at 350 for 90 minutes.

We fed this to our neighbors at that dinner party and the mom who apparently hates meat claimed to LOVE this.  It came out a little too juicy for my taste, next time I'll probably use even less milk.  It makes about 9 small to medium sized slices.

Calories:  155  Fat: 7  Protein: 21  Fiber:  0  Carbs:  2

If I had a camera I'd post a picture.  Yum.  Make it.  Eat it.  Love it.

South Beach Diet 2 week Sum Up

So, yesterday the computer essentially exploded and I've been using the old laptop, therefore, no blog last night.

Today was a horrible day and the emotional eating began this afternoon after I'd made some brownies for some friends--leaving out just a few for us to consume over the course of a couple of days.

Those brownies didn't last, and as the bad news about the computer kept rolling in, so did the cravings.


Pizza and bread sticks for dinner, etc...I don't want to get into it, but let's just say the diet was sufficiently blown today.

Now, my "justification" of this is that on some other diets, the theory is that if you, every now and then, over indulge, your dieting body will go, "Oh, hey!  I guess I'm not starving after all, I guess I don't need to hoard everything I consume" and your body resets and the weight loss gets another...jump start after your 12 hours of "cheating" is over.  There is science behind this, but I don't pretend to understand it.  I'm just going to use this as my excuse.  A full body reset.

To sum up the South Beach Diet after 2 weeks, I have to say--

I lost a total of 7 pounds in 2 weeks, which, frankly, isn't bad.

PROS:  Unlike other diets, I don't feel light headed.  The diet is easy to follow, and nightly desserts are a pretty nice bonus.  The diet is practical and easy to adapt to my toddler's eating, as well.  It doesn't cost much more than regular grocery shopping.

CONS:  It's boring.  After 2 weeks, the last thing I want is another Ricotta Cheese Cake.  There is no cheat day, meaning you essentially have to be good and watch and plan everything that goes in your mouth until you hit your goal weight.  I don't know how people who have 100+ pounds to lose do it.  I HATE watching what I eat.  Hate it. 

If I had my way, I would have the metabolism of a shrew, eat all the time, have loads of energy, and remain at a comfortable 118-120 pounds forever.

However, since that's not possible, I will go back to Phase 1 eating for a few days to make up for today's misbehavior, and then continue with Phase 2 until the magical, mystical goal weight is achieved.


WHAT I'VE LEARNED:  I know now when I'm hungry and when I'm simply craving something.   I know now that I have serious problems with portion control, and that I will forever have to watch those issues.  And, most importantly and perhaps tragically, that no matter how much weight I lose, no matter how "toned" I get, I will never be satisfied with my body.  I have too many psychological issues.  That makes me somehow sad.  It's an interesting realization.

I've learned a lot in my weight loss journey so far--it will be interesting to see how much more I have to discover.

Tune in Thursday for recipes and even a picture or two.

South Beach Dinner Party--Day 11

Quick post since it's late and I'm tired.

Today we had a dinner party and had some neighbors come over.  Knowing that we'd indulge for dinner, we ate light until then.

Breakfast:  Protein shake with water

Lunch:  1/2 c "leftover soup" with sour cream and cheese

Snack: 1/3 celery stalk with 1 tbsp peanut butter

Dinner:  Turkey meatloaf, 2 SBD biscuits (no cheese), spicy sweet potatoes, cheesy artichokes.  Delish.

Dessert:  Peach Blueberry pie made with fillo dough.  It was tasty and I had 3 slices.

Did I over eat a bit today?  Yes, yes I did.  But it was still small enough that Myfitnesspal.com tells me that I'd still lose a couple pounds even if I ate like this every day.

We'll eat light tomorrow.


Recipes for everything to follow in the morning.

South Beach Diet Phase---well, 2. Day 1

Let's be honest; I've been closer to Phase 2 than Phase 1 for a couple of days now.  Shame on me.  However, since Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet is designed for people who have more than 10 pounds and have sugar cravings...I think it's okay.  Most of the cravings are, interestingly, very controllable.  So, we're just gonna say, "Phase 2".


Breakfast:  Protein shake with water and 1/2 c Almond Dream, unsweetened.

Snack: 2 Protein bars--cinnamon flavored made with vanilla protein, pinto beans, an egg, and sugar substitute.

Lunch: After an open air market, we stopped at Jimmy Johns and got sandwiches on 7 grain bread.  I had a Big John.  Though tasty, I think it kind of was a waste of 600+ calories.  I felt like I needed a big long bike ride to earn all of that.

Snack:  2 more protein bars.  And a spoonful of peanut butter.

Workout:  15.4 mile bike ride.

Dinner: Chicken breast baked in a little mayo/dijon mustard combo-found and altered from Skinnytaste.com   2/3 c green beans

With the exception of the bread at lunch, today was a very obedient day.  myfitnesspal.com tells me that I'm way under my daily limit of everything but protein--of which I apparently am way over.

Not bad, though it could have been better, and only 2 servings of starch today.  The bread.  It was worth it, though.  Yum.

Tomorrow is the big dinner day...so we're going to have to eat really light until then to make up for the extra calories, I think.  I'll post all my recipes tomorrow.

South Beach Phase 1 Day 10--New Recipe!!

So, as you, dear reader, are aware, this week has not been awesome South Beach wise.  If I were on Weight Watchers or something, that would be different, but since I don't get a 'cheat day' during the weekend, I notice I tend to cheat a little every couple of days instead.  I don't know how I feel about that.

This week's lunch time soup is Leftover Soup, that was inspired by my mom's taco soup recipe, but drastically changed because of my lack of the proper ingredients.  Smelled good, though, and only 112 calories per 1/2 cup.  Not bad.

Donating day, so I of course weighed myself when I woke.

Weight:  126.0
Goal:  121
Loss since last weigh in:  0.6 lbs
Total loss: 6.8 lbs in 10 days.

Not bad.  I'd like to be under 125 by Sunday because that's the day we're having guests for dinner (and dessert, haha) but we'll see.

Breakfast:  Citrucel, 2 over cooked fried eggs in a tsp of olive oil, handful of spinach

Snack: 1/2 mug of orange and herb tea because it was cold.  Also, yuck.  Not a fan.

Lunch:  Lettuce wrap with 2 slices Kroger sliced chicken, a pinch of reduced fat cheese, a dill pickle slice, a little mustard, and some light mayo.

Snack:  Sugar Free Cherry Limeade Slurpee, large, shared between 3 people

Dinner:  BLT lettuce wraps, as seen on skinnytaste.com, but with a pickle added.  And an extra slice of turkey bacon.  Not Enough Food.

Workout:  8 miles, 40 minutes, on the mountain bike--300 calories burned.

Snack: Tony's peanut butter on a sandwich thin (multigrain)  Wholesome, but yes, carbs  One reduced fat vanilla wafer.

Dessert:  Mocha Ricotta Creme.  I used the regular part-skim we had in the fridge because I was running low on calories for the day. Also, about 8 Puffins from Tony's breakfast.  I've GOT to stop snacking on his leftovers.  Shame on me.

Leftovers Soup (based on my mom's Taco Soup)

12 oz Jenny O Italian Seasoned Turkey
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1.5 c homemade marinara sauce 
2 c water
3 tbsp minced onions
4 tbsp chipotle salsa
2 tsp fajita seasoning, to taste.

Brown the meat and onions and put in a big ol' pot.  Add the rest of the ingredients to your own taste and simmer for 30 minutes.  Makes 12 1/2 c servings.  112 calories each.

This is great because I just grabbed stuff I already had and threw it all together.  It is NOT taco soup, sadly, but I hope it's  tasty.

South Beach Phase 1 Day 9--My Meals

I've just not been terribly hungry today; mostly eating because I know I need to eat.  Anyway, you wouldn't believe it, but it's actually been a really light day calorie wise, know what I mean?  The perks of the South Beach diet are that you can eat a lot of really delicious food that's all pretty low calorie.  Yet, you feel relatively satisfied.  And getting to have pudding?  That's pretty awesome.

Breakfast: 1 egg and 2 egg whites, scrambled with no oil, 1/2 tsp Franks Red Hot Sauce.

Workout:  Gold's Gym Dance Workout for Wii.  This is dumb.  I didn't like it much.

Snack:  1/3 stalk of celery and 1 tbsp of peanut butter.

Real Workout:  47 minutes and 12.6 miles on a stationary bike.  I'm guessing it's "moderate" effort?

Lunch:  An Oikos Nonfat Greek Yogurt cup with a little almond extract, 1/2 tsp of ground up almonds from the other night, and some sugar substitute.  Oh, and half a Roma Tomato with salt and pepper on it.

Snack: 1 slice of Mount Olive Dill Sandwich Sliced Pickles.

Dinner:  Skinnytaste.com's Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats.  I used Jenny-O Italian Turkey, but the rest was pretty similar, I just halved the recipe.  Somehow I always end up with extra stuffing, though, so even though I only had 1.5 boats, I counted it as 2 since I ate some of the extra.   Also about 3/4 c Red Kidney Beans

Dessert:  Sugar Free Instant Pudding.

Added Calories:  2 more celery piece, with 1 tbsp peanut butter and some chocolate protein with another 1/2 tbsp peanut butter.  Lots of protein.  Meh.  Would have rather had an Oreo.

Those last few calories made myfitnesspal.com happier, but I am having feelings of guilt because I ate without being terribly hungry.  Eh.

South Beach Phase 1 Day 8--Bad day of...badness

So we went to Whole Foods today to pick up some whole wheat fillo dough for the eventual pumpkin pie I plan on making.  Anyway, we'd already gone to another story and T was throwing a fit, particularly as we wandered past the pastry shelf, you know, where they keep the donuts and things?  Anyway, we cheated, again, and decided, "what the heck?"  We got a cinnamon roll and a pumpkin cookies.  I couldn't find nutrition information on either, so I guessed.  Tonight I called Whole Foods and asked about the cinnamon roll.  They estimated roughly 1500 calories for that sucker!

I'm still in shock.  What have I done.  I blew it.  700 calories on ONE snack.  Plus the 120 or so that I figure for a "homemade" pumpkin cookie with icing.  I feel so deceived about this supposedly "healthy" food grocery.  Bah, humbug.  At any rate...

By the way, I totally did get sick from the noodles last night.  Worshipped the porcelain god for an hour before my stomach settled enough to sleep.

Breakfast: Protein shake with 1/2 c Almond Dream unsweetened milk.  Glass of Citrucel.

Workout--Wii Active for 40 minutes

Snack;  That @#$%@ cinnamon roll and a pumpkin cookie, both split with D and T.  Roughly 900 calories.

Lunch:  Spinach, tomato, and half a baby dill pickle

Snack: 1/3 celery stalk and 1/2 tbsp peanut butter

Dinner: Salad with lettuce, spinach, a hard boiled egg, a little cheese, tomato, shredded chicken and 1 tbsp Kroger Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing.


This is the first time that MyFitnessPal hasn't yelled at me for eating too few calories, but for the next three days, I'm being uber strict.  Like, even cutting out dairy for 2 meals of the day.  I'll still do our planned dinners, but the rest of the time...I'm going to pay for that roll.  Add a couple extra workouts, whatever I need to do to make up for it.

South Beach Diet Phase 1 Day 7--With Recipe!!

Today has been awful.  Baby T--who is really not a baby anymore, he's a boy, bit through his lip this morning and we spent an hour and a half on the phone and in a waiting room only to be told that there's nothing anyone can do.

He's been sore and cranky ever since, not that I blame him, and it's been everything both D and I could do to not emotionally eat.  I really, REALLY want brownies or something.  REALLY.

So instead, I've just avoided eating at all.  Bad idea.

Breakfast:  Mexican Eggs (recipe follows)

Workout: 45 minutes and 7 miles on the bike.  My legs are dying still.  I think I should probably take a day off after working myself to the limits of my strength....

Snack:  Nothing, though it was supposed to be plain Greek Yogurt with 1/2 tbsp peanut butter, sugar substitute, and a dash of almond extract.

Lunch:  1 romaine leaf, 2 slices deli 'rotisserie' chicken, 2 slices tomato, 1 tsp mustard, 2 tsp light mayo.  Oh, and the yogurt.

Snack:  Nothing.  My adrenaline from worry and anger at the pediatrician was still preventing me from being hungry at this point, hours later.

Dinner: Pan fried pollock in skinnytaste's quick marinara sauce with SBD cheesy baked artichokes (using almonds instead of pecans)

Verdict:  I know I need to eat quite a bit more today.  I know I'll be hungry later.  Oh well.  I'll eat later.  Let's see, the pollock was great with the marinara, and went perfectly with the artichokes.  The artichokes were tasty, though I think that they'd be even better with a creamier cheese instead of Parmesan, though I know why Parmesan is used.  Way better for you.  I think that recipe is a keeper, and you should google South Beach Diet Phase 1 Cheese Artichokes.

Mexican Eggs--By Natalee

4 eggs
3 egg whites
1 bell pepper, chopped up
1/4 c reduced fat cheese, any flavor, though we used Mexican Blend by Kroger

Scramble everything together and top with a little salsa.  Serves 2-3 people.

AFTER THOUGHT:  Our neighbors brought over what looked to be Chinese noodles with beef and leeks?  I don't know, but it was spicy and tasty.  I'm sure high in carbs because D told me they were probably rice noodles, but oh well.

However, I'm already kind of sick to my stomach and I only had maybe 3/4 c of the stuff.  I think I'm going to be paying for this treat over the course of the night...Best guess is another 300 calories for MyFitnessPal.  Oh well, if I get sick all night I probably won't gain any weight from it, right?  I'll skip dessert tomorrow.

South Beach Phase 1 Day 6 with Weigh In

I donated plasma today, so of course I stepped on the scale so not to be depressed at lack of progress when I went to the center.

Weigh In:  126.6
Goal: 120
Total Weight Loss: 6 lbs in 6 days.

Now, before you freak out, note again that I was not in tip top shape on day one.  I think it would be more accurate to say I lost 3 pounds in 6 days. I won't go into detail, but let's just say that I'm pretty sure I lost 2-3 pounds over the course of that first day.  Anyway--what I ate...is getting boring...

Breakfast:  Citrucel and a hard boiled egg

Workout: 13.7 miles on the mountain bike.  Every single mile SUCKED.  It was terrible and took me 72 minutes.

Snack:  Qdoba naked breakfast burrito with eggs, chorizo, queso, and pico de gallo.  I shouldn't have done the queso, but oh well, I didn't think about low fat vs. full fat until I brought it home.  It was delicious.

Lunch:  1/2 c SBD black bean soup with some chopped green pepper and a little cheese.  It was gross and I couldn't bring myself to eat more than 1/2.

Snack:  15 peanuts and a diet A & W Root beer.

Dinner:  Stuffed Pepper Salad--canned light tuna in water, light Miracle whip, chopped dill pickles, tomato, green pepper, all on top of spinach.  It was okay.

Dessert:  SBD Baked Ricotta Custard.  This is delicious, and I don't see how it serves 4 people.  I put it into two 2 cup Pyrex dishes and we shared the first dish after dinner.  I could have easily eaten it alone, and am now stuck sharing the second dish with D while we watch a movie tonight after Baby T goes to bed.

MyFitnessPal says I have nearly 700 more calories to eat today, and about 100 before I get to the goal of 1200.  I know I need to eat something, but nothing sounds good.  I'm getting really bored, even though dinners are tasty, eggs and meat and spinach gets old.  I might cheat a little and cook up the last bag of popcorn in the cupboard.  But it's lightly buttered, so that's okay, right?

South Beach Phase 1 Day 5

It's Sunday--church day.  Pretty mellow, and I didn't work out because, you know, it's Sunday.  Day of rest and all that.


Breakfast:  SBD Egg Souffle, but I added 2 links of chicken sausage that I removed from the skin and chopped up.  Yum.  D's was a little bigger than mine, but I got over it pretty quickly.

Snack:  Skipped--we were at church

Lunch:  Spinach salad with tomatoes, a little green pepper, some salsa and 1 tbsp of Kroger Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing.  I topped it with 1/2 a hard boiled egg for my protein.

Snack: Glass of sugar-free Citrucel and I licked the knife from T's peanut butter sandwich, so about 1 tsp peanut butter

Dinner:  Tortilla-less South Beach Mexican Lasagna.  Even though I replaced the tortillas with romaine lettuce, it came out kind of soupy.  I'm wondering if I should have drained the cheeses first or made my own salsa--we ate it like soup.  It would have been much better with the tortillas.

Dessert:  Protein Milk Shake.  This is--1 scoop Pure Protein in frosty chocolate, just under 1 c plain Greek yogurt, frozen, 3 tbsp peanut butter, 1/2 c almond milk, 2 tsp sugar substitute, and some ice and water.  I added 1/4 tsp hazelnut extract, just for fun, and boy....that stuff was tasty.  Of course, this was split between D and I and easily serves 2 people.
 I guess I could have used cocoa powder instead, but I of course didn't think about that at the time.


I feel satisfied but not overly full.  Tomorrow morning there is a Zumba class that I think I'm going to attend, just to shake my workout up a bit.

South Beach Phase 1 Day 4

Like I mentioned earlier, today was rough.  Baby T has been a beast; obviously he's teething and, you know, almost 2.

Anyway, here's what I ate today:

Breakfast:  1/2 c Black Bean Soup topped with a mangled fried egg and a tablespoon of sour cream.

Snack:  Citrucel and 1/2 romaine leaf with 1/4 c shredded chicken, 3 slices roma tomato and a little salsa.

Lunch: Pure Protein Whey Powder in Frosty chocolate, mixed with ice water

Snack 1 celery stalk and 2 tbsp peanut butter. 1/2 piece of pinto bean spice cake

Dinner: Skinnytaste.com's Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken--2 CUPS because for some reason we were both ravenous, 1/4 c reduced fat shredded cheese, 2 tbsp fat free sour cream.

Workout:  10.8 mile bike ride in a little less than an hour, once you subtract time waiting at dumb stop lights

Dessert: 3 more pieces of spice cake.  They were delicious.

As of 8 pm tonight, I feel full and satisfied, but MyFitnessPal is again yelling at me for having too few calories.  I just don't feel like eating anything else.  Meh.


Good night.

South Beach Phase 1 Cake Recipe

So, today has been rough.  Not diet wise, necessarily, but the toddler has been kind of grouchy, and D ended up working more than 12 hours last night.  He came home and after a trip to the store for chicken (which I skinned and de-boned, by the way) and dog food, all either of us wants now is cake.  Or pizza.  We're comfort eaters.

So, I went in search of a cake that I can use beans with and I found a Spice Cake recipe on Spark People that I modified to be South Beach friendly.  This will be dessert tonight.

Pinto Bean Spice Cake

1 can Pinto Beans--plain, rinsed and drained well
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar substitute (I used Kroger's Apriva because it's cheap)
2.5 tsp rum extract  (you can use vanilla, if you want.  D likes this flavor better)

1/4 tsp almond extract (to balance the rum taste, totally optional)
2 tbsp Smart Balance Light

2 tbsp Low Fat Ricotta Cheese

2 tsp Apple Pie spice
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a large rectangular pan (9x9 or thereabouts) with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a blender, combine all ingredients (beans, eggs, sugar substitute, butter substitute, cheese, extracts, spice, baking powder and soda.) Blend until very smooth. It'll be pretty runny.

Pour into your prepared baking pan and transfer to oven. Bake about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. 

Let cool completely before removing from pan.  I guess you could top with a little reduced fat cream cheese or something, but I'm going to just eat them as is.  

Number of Servings: 8

 

Calories: 86  Protein: 5 g  Fiber: 3 g Carbohydrates: 10 g

I'll do my regular update tonight.

South Beach Diet Phase 1 Day 3

Okay, so I donated plasma today.  Knowing the scales weigh a little heavy, I pulled out the bathroom scale and stepped on first thing in the morning.  Good to know I've lost the bloatiness from the weekend.

Weigh in:  128.4
Goal Weight: 120
Pounds lost: 4

Breakfast:  Citrucel and 1 hard boiled egg after donation

Snack: 1 stalk celery and 1 tbsp peanut butter

Exercise:  20 minutes delivering notices around the complex

Lunch:  1/2 c black bean soup with 1/4 c shredded chicken and 2 tbsp salsa

Snack: Lettuce wrap with 2 slices low sodium turkey breast, 2 slices tomato, and 1 tsp mustard

Dinner:  Omelet with 2 slices bacon, tomato, spinach, pepper, reduced fat cheese, and topped with 1/6 avocado and 2 tbsp salsa

Workout: 7.5 miles on the mountain bike

Dessert:  Cocoa Swirl Cheesecake with 1/2 the cream cheese replaced with nonfat greek yogurt.  I ate 2.


I felt satisfied with this, but apparently, according to MyFitnessPal.com, I'm eating too few calories.  Oh well.  I refuse to eat when I'm not hungry.   That's how I got into this mess in the first place.

South Beach Phase 1 Day 2

I slept pretty well last night after soaking, cooking, and storing more black beans than any one family can eat in a week, plus I need to use some to make soup today...

Anyway this morning was an egg day.

Breakfast:  2 fried eggs with 4 strips of green bell pepper, and a glass of Citrucel.

Workout: I wasn't feeling a long ride, so I did the SBD interval workout on a stationary bike in the gym this morning for 20 minutes.  Another ride planned with D for the afternoon.

Morning Snack:  1 scoop Pure Protein Chocolate with 1/3 c almond milk and water.

Lunch: "Taco" salad--spinach, 1 tbsp black beans, 1 slice avocado, 1/4 roma tomato, 1/4 c shredded chicken, 3 tbsp salsa, 1 tbsp fat free sour cream

Snack:  3 slices low sodium turkey breast rolled with 1/4 roma tomato

Workout: 9.5 miles on the bike with D and the baby.

Dinner: Skinnytaste's Chicken Rollatini.  I just omitted the breadcrumbs and used a bit less Parmesan Cheese.  I topped it with the reduced fat shredded cheese I had in the fridge, and served it with black bean soup.

Dessert: Peppermint and Cocoa Ricotta Creme with Greek Yogurt--slightly under 1/2 c total.  Mmm.



I don't know that I can post the South Beach Recipes I use on the internet because of copyright, but definitely do some googling and you can find it pretty easy.  My own recipes, however, I will happily post for  public consumption.

I'm getting really nervous to donate tomorrow: I really hope I'm not gaining weight back in droves, especially since I did gain so much over the weekend.  And those scales?  Forget it.  The lowest one is about 3 lbs less than my home scale, the meanest one is 10 pounds more.  I hate those stupid things.  Someday, I won't hate the scale, I hope.  Please please please, let me at least have lost the weight from the weekend...

NOTE:  After the very cranky baby went to bed, I found myself in the kitchen, ate 2 saltines, 2 reduced fat vanilla wafers, and a couple tablespoons of all natural peanut butter.  Le sigh...2 days and I cheat.  Way to go.  Starting over anew tomorrow.

South Beach Diet, Phase 1 Day 1

So, now that you know my sob story, here's the rest.  This past weekend was Labor Day weekend, and since both D and I have technically been under our goal weights, we just stopped...worrying about diets for the weekend and ate whatever we wanted.  Brownies, breads, pastas, cookies, frosting, etc.  Last night we enjoyed pizza and chocolate fondue with friends to kick off our last night before our lifestyles supposedly change forever.  We went to bed sick to our stomachs from all the junk food.

This morning, we weighed in; still full and yucky from last night.

Starting weight: 132.8

Goal weight: 122  (120 if I can manage it, but we'll see)

Workout:  Today I did a 30 minute Core workout on Wii Active 2

So, South Beach is similar to Slow Carb, except there is no cheat day and you can eat cheese and up to 2 servings of milk or yogurt in a day.

Breakfast:  Glass of Citrucel because seriously, the last thing I wanted was food.

Morning Snack:  SBD California Roll (Romaine lettuce, one slice of turkey, one slice of chicken, one slice of tomato, tsp of mustard)

Lunch: Spinach and Romaine salad with one slice of lunch meat, 1/4 roma tomato, 1/2 hard boiled egg, and about 3/4 tbsp of olive oil and vinegar dressing

Afternoon Snack:  1 celery stalk with 1 tbsp peanut butter

Dinner: Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats, 1.5 boats, and 1/2 c black beans.

Dessert: 1/2 a serving of SBD Ricotta Vanilla Creme with 1/4 c plain Greek Yogurt (D and I split this)


Verdict:  Compared to the Slow Carb Diet, I totally feel like I'm cheating or being naughty or something.  I don't feel hungry or light headed, but there's a big part of me that is terrified I'm eating too much or the wrong things and that I'm going to gain all this weight back.  I hope that doesn't happen, but I'm not going to step on the scale until I donate plasma this Friday.  And those scales are always trippy.

Here's to New Health

So, since people have seemed interested via Facebook about these new recipes we've been trying out, I figured I'd start a bloggy thing to let people in on the innermost workings of my new lease on health.

First, the background:

Growing up, I was always what my mother called, "full."  80th percentile or higher in my weight charts, but a little on the short side.  I entered college 5'3" and 135 pounds.  Determined not to gain the fabled "Freshman 15," I got a job cleaning for 2 hours every morning, bought a lot of Slim-Fast, and essentially ate pretty much what I wanted and exercised more.

Two and a half years later, I was a slim and trim 120 pounds on my wedding day, though still unsatisfied with my weight, due to years of being one of the heaviest among my friends and peers.  Lots of body image issues here, folks.

Anyway, the 8 months after my wedding included among them 8 new pounds, and then I got pregnant and gained 30 more.

Baby, Postpartum Depression, and lack of decent weather in Wyoming to exercise lead to me losing about 15 of those pounds, then gaining them back.  We moved to Colorado, I started exercising, and again, like in college, ate what I wanted and exercised more.  Little did I know that my metabolism had changed with the baby and I gained a bunch of weight fall of 2011.

In order to earn money, my husband (D) and I decided to start donating plasma.  March of 2012, I heard the reception tech tell me that I weighed 151 pounds.  That was it.  That was the clincher.  I am far too short to weigh that much after just one baby.

That day I decided that we needed to change.  My oldest brother told me about something called the Slow-Carb Diet, which consists of, 6 days a week, eating eggs, lean meat, beans, and veggies (the real ones, not the ones with seeds) and that's it.  The 7th day you eat your fill of whatever you want and then some.  I won't go into the science behind it now.  Bottom line?  20 pounds lost in a little over a month.

So, for those of you keeping track, I was down to 131.  Then I hit a plateau.  I didn't know what to do, so we just kept on keeping on.

July I spent out of state and just managed to maintain my weight loss, while exercising furiously to balance out what my dear mother fed me daily.

August we went back on Slow Carb in earnest, and kept losing the same 3 pounds week after week, then gaining it all back on our Cheat Days.  Then we decided to switch it up and go South Beach, which, after much research and reading, seemed the most practical option for the way we've been living.

I'll go into my first day on South Beach in my next post.