Snacks/Dinner/Sides/Breakfast
I don't want to forget my new recipes that I've made and enjoyed so I wanted to provide the links here so they can be accessible.
Breakfast
Omelet Muffins (I just made today...nice consistency and base but some seasoning is needed..i made mine with broccoli, zucchini, squash, varied peppers). I made 24 muffins out of the recipe. Next time i will add maybe basil, onion, and a meat like trader joe's apple sausage that i like but a great one timem meal..i put them away for breakfast next week).
http://www.paleoplan.com/2009/12-03/omelet-muffins/
Dinner/Sides:
Melissa Joulwan's Caulflower Rice pilaf (I cant find the link right now). My fam loved this. This is becoming a weekly staple in our house.
Melissa Joulwan's The Best Chicken You will ever eat
(what a claim but she is so right. I tried brining for the first time it makes your chicken sooo moist. she has a dipping sauce that she recommends that i didn't like so I would recommend omitting. The first time i made this with chicken breasts and felt like it needed a sauce so i added raw honey. today i made it with thighs and it was perfect as is. i baked it for 20-25 min. My hubby loved and my sister thought it was good but a lil spicy.
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/
Sweet Potato Fries (I pair with cilantro turkey burgers. I purchase the meat for the turkey burgers at trader joe's. Both are a fam favorite )
http://sarahscucinabella.com/2008/01/22/oven-baked-sweet-potato-fries/
http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/02-02/cilantro-turkey-burgers/
Snacks:
Ants on a log
http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/10-13/ants-on-a-log/ (I cut the stalk into 1 inch pieces resulting in 8-10 slices)
Coconut Chips (found in Trader Joe's. the slight sweet really does cure my craving..I usually have this by itself or i make my own trail mix with 1/4 cup raw almonds and 1/4 cup of raisins.) I wanted to make the real thing but i couldnt find unsweetened coconut chips found here:
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/06/13/carmelized-coconut-chips/
How I'm Feeling as I'm nearing the end of January
It took me into the 2nd week of January to stay consistent with my food choices and get out of the habit of ordering out but somewhere along the line it became natural where I stayed on course 90% of the time. The item that changed was (1) a much needed conversation with my husband regarding creating a vision of myself so I know where I'm going (2) Carey introducing me to myfitnesspal (3) God reminding me that he is in everything and i needed to lay down word over weight loss so he directed me to Amazon where I purchased, The Weight Loss Scriptures Daily Devotional by Kimberly Taylor (4) weekly chats with Carey (5) incorporating more snacks.
I haven't had a totally healthy week yet but i would say at least 13/15 days for the past two weeks have been. I returned to working out regularly (more like 3-4 X a week than what i originally attended...a combo of walking and the gym). SLEEPING more has become imperative to me feeling good about this journey. I started aiming for 7-8 hours twice a week (I would like to meet this sleep requirement every day but it's not practical yet. I am drinking more water..i havent started using my fruit water container (I cant recall its actual name) but i have been using my water dispenser where i turn the top to indicate how much water I've had.
I looked at my day to figure out what throws me off track and it's (1) not eating my normal breakfast because I'm running late (2) not planning/preparing for the week (3) the time between getting off work and arriving home. To combat these items I make sure breakfast is the first thing i do as I'm getting ready or make sure I grab some food. Cooking my meals on the weekend and placing them in clear containers so all I have to do is grab and go. The container trick was something i picked up in my WW meeting (which I returned to attending) is that when we open the fridge we should see organization, we should see healthy foods..cut up in clear containers because we are hungry we start rummage for things but if it's in clear view we are more likely to pick those items (my paraphrasing). OMG! This has been such a tool that i needed. I have snacks on one side cut up (ex. sliced up strawberries, cut up celery (which I dislike but I added my sunflower seed better and raisins (yummy...it's my everyday snack now). thank you paleo for ants on a log. I substituted almond butter for sunflower seed butter because i prefer sunflower seed butter..yummy. Another meeting is to eat fruits and veggies more daily and i've done that.
I havent weighed myself yet because the scale discourages me. I want to give it a full 30 days of tracking on myfitness pal to see if I lost any weight. I think the biggest motivator outside of being healthy is in January when i realized I gained weight..none of my pants felt comfy and thats not a good thing. Yesterday i was able to put on a pair of jeans I havent wore in years. I would be lying if i said it was comfortable. lol. But at least im able to fit them and button them up. Breathing comfortably or bending is another story..my gut is getting in the way. I think i have lost a pants size or getting back to where I was before the holidays so that's good news. Overall i dont always stay within my calorie goal but my thing is lets just focus on ingesting the right things then we can tweak more of how much you are eating.
One thing i realized is that paleo desserts thus far have been a DISASTER which tells me I need the real thing or i need to have skinny cow ice cream which sadly isn't around the corner.Their chocolate chip cookies isnt bad. Overall I'm really happy about where I am in my journey because I'm making healthier choices every day. This journey will have ebbs and flows but I have to remember take it one step at a time. This is the year that Carey and i will make it to our goals.
Oh, and J introduced me to a youtube video that he ran across and he thinks that that i would find motivational because i always love to watch weight loss journey's (DivaSlimsDown Channel) and she chronicles her entire journey and i did a sneak peak of today vs the year ago when she started (amazing). I shared the video with my sister since she is closer than Diva than i am and she found this motivational as well. Right now im in the journey where she is given challenges...week 1 (for us last week was working out for 2 hours..we went walking in our neighborhood for an hour and 40 min...legs were gone...lol. we stopped off at a diner and caught the subway back and later that day when visiting a new church we walked a total of twenty minutes so that goal is completed.) As i'm typing ..week 2 (10 miles of activity and 9 cups of water). This will be interesting and a challenge but here we go. I'm still working my way up to 64 oz..I'm probably averaging 40-50 oz.
I haven't had a totally healthy week yet but i would say at least 13/15 days for the past two weeks have been. I returned to working out regularly (more like 3-4 X a week than what i originally attended...a combo of walking and the gym). SLEEPING more has become imperative to me feeling good about this journey. I started aiming for 7-8 hours twice a week (I would like to meet this sleep requirement every day but it's not practical yet. I am drinking more water..i havent started using my fruit water container (I cant recall its actual name) but i have been using my water dispenser where i turn the top to indicate how much water I've had.
I looked at my day to figure out what throws me off track and it's (1) not eating my normal breakfast because I'm running late (2) not planning/preparing for the week (3) the time between getting off work and arriving home. To combat these items I make sure breakfast is the first thing i do as I'm getting ready or make sure I grab some food. Cooking my meals on the weekend and placing them in clear containers so all I have to do is grab and go. The container trick was something i picked up in my WW meeting (which I returned to attending) is that when we open the fridge we should see organization, we should see healthy foods..cut up in clear containers because we are hungry we start rummage for things but if it's in clear view we are more likely to pick those items (my paraphrasing). OMG! This has been such a tool that i needed. I have snacks on one side cut up (ex. sliced up strawberries, cut up celery (which I dislike but I added my sunflower seed better and raisins (yummy...it's my everyday snack now). thank you paleo for ants on a log. I substituted almond butter for sunflower seed butter because i prefer sunflower seed butter..yummy. Another meeting is to eat fruits and veggies more daily and i've done that.
I havent weighed myself yet because the scale discourages me. I want to give it a full 30 days of tracking on myfitness pal to see if I lost any weight. I think the biggest motivator outside of being healthy is in January when i realized I gained weight..none of my pants felt comfy and thats not a good thing. Yesterday i was able to put on a pair of jeans I havent wore in years. I would be lying if i said it was comfortable. lol. But at least im able to fit them and button them up. Breathing comfortably or bending is another story..my gut is getting in the way. I think i have lost a pants size or getting back to where I was before the holidays so that's good news. Overall i dont always stay within my calorie goal but my thing is lets just focus on ingesting the right things then we can tweak more of how much you are eating.
One thing i realized is that paleo desserts thus far have been a DISASTER which tells me I need the real thing or i need to have skinny cow ice cream which sadly isn't around the corner.Their chocolate chip cookies isnt bad. Overall I'm really happy about where I am in my journey because I'm making healthier choices every day. This journey will have ebbs and flows but I have to remember take it one step at a time. This is the year that Carey and i will make it to our goals.
Oh, and J introduced me to a youtube video that he ran across and he thinks that that i would find motivational because i always love to watch weight loss journey's (DivaSlimsDown Channel) and she chronicles her entire journey and i did a sneak peak of today vs the year ago when she started (amazing). I shared the video with my sister since she is closer than Diva than i am and she found this motivational as well. Right now im in the journey where she is given challenges...week 1 (for us last week was working out for 2 hours..we went walking in our neighborhood for an hour and 40 min...legs were gone...lol. we stopped off at a diner and caught the subway back and later that day when visiting a new church we walked a total of twenty minutes so that goal is completed.) As i'm typing ..week 2 (10 miles of activity and 9 cups of water). This will be interesting and a challenge but here we go. I'm still working my way up to 64 oz..I'm probably averaging 40-50 oz.
Recipes for a new year
It's a new year with a fruitful wellness journey with my best friend Carey on the horizon. I'm not sure how i feel about this new year quite yet or the word or intentions for this new year. I do know that if I had to pick three words today to go forth in the new year it would be: health, exploration, self-care. I want my new year to embody all these things. Health wise...it's been a rocky start but with all things that are new..its to be expected....it took awhile to get to obesity it will take awhile to get out of it. What I need to remember is to be patient with myself. The recipes (for a lack of better word) for this year:
- To ensure self-care is sprinkled weekly into my life. Monthly massages will help in this area.
- To grow myself spiritually. Full imersion in the word like never before (reading/watching videos). I hope to be connected to a church by year end.
- To see myself at a healthy weight.
- To exercise at least 5X a week (try a variety of things). The goal is to get back to my c25k Program.
- To be creative weekly (I would like to say daily but i dont know how realistic that is). To have artist dates with myself on a bi-monthly basis (I would like to get to a weekly basis but as i restart this lovely goal lets start there.
- To drink at least 64 oz water (the massage therapist I went to recently said I should be drinking more water as well...HALF my body weight. I have heard that before but I didnt know how true that was). I have bought the following to help me in this endeavor (http://www.amazon.com/Prodyne-Infusion-93-Ounce-Natural-Pitcher/dp/B0023UL86A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357392154&sr=8-1&keywords=fruit+infusion+pitcher and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EGO64U/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02 (I've been looking for one of these but didnt know what it's called).
- To be creative outside of my normal drawing and tempura painting (try more classes: soap making, water color, glass blowing, etc)
- To cook healthy meals on a regular occasion and develop recipes for my upcoming recipe box purchase http://www.personalizationmall.com/Personalized-Recipe-Box-with-Monogram-4x6-Acrylic-p13068.prod?sdest=product-cert&sdestid=12924 (I need to figure out the phrase i want on the personalization). I also want to cook for my husband at least once a week (speaking of which I found a new blog chocked with recipes (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/). Amazing! I found Melissa late one night when purchasing my water bottle on amazon and her cookbook caught my eye because i want to cook more naturally and in paleo form. It was highly rated so I purchased it. I then went over to Melissa website and i really like it. I cant wait to peruse more. Yesterday i said i should try some of her recipes (in hindsight I probably should have done that before I purchased). Well let me tell you I can tell I wont be disappointed. The menu consisted of: Moroccan Pork Chops (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2008/07/24/healthy-tasty-moroccan-pork-chops/). This was J's fav.Velvety Butternut Squash (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/11/17/velvety-butternut-squash/). This by far was my fav dish. The only addition i made was i sprinkled some equal (which im sure is not paleo friendly but I like a sweetness to my dish. I exchanged pecans for almonds since I'm not a pecan fan. I'm thinking about going to the store and buying more butternut squash). J asked if there was more. Coconut-Almond Green Beans (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/03/14/coconut-almond-green-beans/). This dish was yummy...especially since i dont like green beans. I also made him a moose track ice cream pie by mixing in some ice cream, cashews, and caramel in a mini graham crust. I placed the dish in the freezer for four hours and then added caramel and nuts on top.
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