Weigh in

I've been sparse round these parts.  Haven't had electricity, therefore haven't written. That really throws a wrench into things when you're getting used to eating better, using fresh ingredients, and bam - no fridge, no stove... so, it was grill if it was nice out, or out to eat if it was rainy - and the last week has been pretty rainy.  We tried to make the best choices possible, but still, it's hard with no real idea of how your meal is being prepared (i.e. I had to fight tooth and nail to get vegetables without butter sauce on them at Friday's... then they could only find me green beans that were over cooked...ugh.)

But... we survived this week.  And none of us perished.  I drank some beer, too...and had about six cheese curds (they didn't even taste good!) (The beer did, though! Bad Lisa!!)

And in the end, the number on the scale is all that matters...

Dun dun dun...

Really hard to see, but the number says 211.8.  A loss of 4 lbs!

Confession: I weighed in both yesterday and today and kept the lowest number.  Shuddup - it's motivating! ;)

Ketchup and weigh-in x2

Pun intended.  I've been MIA for a little bit... just some things going on in my personal life, and not having the time and/or desire to update because I get all mopey and feel like no one reads so why bother? Yeah, life's been a pretty big pity party lately and I need to snap out of it.  I'm bored all.the.time. My emotions are all over the place as it is, then I had a near "run-in" with my ex-best-friend of 12+ years that I haven't seen nor spoken to in a year...I was a little messed up about it, and we happened to have a BBQ/bonfire that night which led to tequila, and Crown Royal, and some beer and oh yeah, vodka. 

Margaritas...(made with that knock-off Crystal Light lime-margarita mix meant for water bottles, ice, a bit o' water and some tequila...lots of tequila...and P.S. Skinny Girl Margaritas are HORRIBLE!) ...Crown/Redbulls, vodka jello shots and Grain Belt Nordeast....what a combo...

And if you know me, you know what vodka does to me...so to add insult to injury I was a doofus-face and got drunk and drunk dialed/facebooked/texted said ex-best-friend. No response, of course.... but yeah, it was enough to mess with my head and slash any bit o' happiness I was feeling.

But, that doesn't mean I've given up on the weightloss efforts.  Oh no.  I've still been hanging on there.  Still not exercising, at all - SHAME ON ME! But the scale has consistently gone down.  I need to kick it in to hyperdrive and get my arse out of bed in the morning to wake up, but when you are mopey, it's hard.

So, the weigh-in for June 5th, I lost 3.8 lbs from the previous week which brought my weight to 218.4.

My hungover ass couldn't take a picture of the scale with me on it, it was not working...lol

And then this week's weigh in, a loss of 2.6 lbs, bringing me down to 215.8 and a total loss of 24.8 lbs since May 1.

Pardon the tampon box.  I have a feeling I will be hard-pressed to see a smaller number on the scale this Sunday.  This week has already been full of stress and disappointments, and I know I don't lose as well when I'm under this much stress.  Plus, we have to start all over food-wise, since our elecricity was out for almost 48 hours, rendering all of our fridge/freezer contents disgusting and gross. Therefore, today I will be eating lunch AND dinner out some where. 

I keep cheating and standing on the scale almost daily and I need to knock it the crap off because man, it is depressing not to see it go down every day.  To hover at one weight and stress over why it's not as low as Sunday's sucks.

The ketchup thing...well, see, I have this love affair with all things tomato, especially ketchup, which I doused my turkey burgers in both Saturday and again last night...thing is, is I'm highly allergic to tomato.  My lips break out and itch like a beast.  I'm certainly a sight for sore eyes.  But I can't stop.  I love my tomato products... I'm going to the allergist this afternoon, and hopefully he can offer me some relief, because all bbq'd food is better with ketchup! (And it kind of hides the fact you're eating a turkey burger/brat/hotdog and makes it taste like the real thing for only 20 calories a tablespoon!)

Recipe: Spicy Thai Peanut Chicken with NO CARB Noodles!

I tried thick “fettuccini” tofu shirataki noodles a few years ago in a Hungry Girl recipe and was totally disappointed – but since hearing about them all over again, I decided to try them again, this time in a thinner version, and folks --- we have a winner! These no carb, 20 calorie per serving noodles were a fantastic addition to this spicy meal.  Peanut chicken is one of my favorite dishes, and now I have it guilt-free!  This recipe is a bit spicy – if you don’t appreciate spicy thai flavor, well, this probably needs to be modified for you.  Maybe try 1/2 the chile sauce with an extra TBS of PB2… 

I thought this was delicious, it was a winner in our house!

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon chopped fresh lemongrass

2 teaspoons Thai chile-garlic sauce/paste

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons PB2 reconstituted with an additional tablespoon of low sodium chicken broth (visit Bell Plantation’s website for more info – you can use regular PB but the calorie/fat content will change!)

1 teaspoon cornstartch

8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed in 3/4” pieces

1 package of tofu shirataki noodles (Slim Noodles, Miracle Noodles, etc…can be found by tofu, which is in the produce section of my grocery store…don’t let them scare you!)

1 package of steam-in-the-bag mixed veggies of your choice (if they come in an olive oil sauce like mine did, just rinse it off)

1/3 cup crushed peanuts

Whisk together broth, lemon juice, fish sauce, lemongrass, chile sauce or paste, honey, ginger, garlic, reconstituted PB2 and oil in a small bowl.

Place cubed chicken and small amount (about 1/4 of sauce, just enough to coat chicken) of sauce in Ziploc bag.  Reserve remaining sauce. Allow chicken to marinate for 30-60 minutes.

After marinating, stir cornstarch into reserved sauce.  Coat large wok or frying pan with a healthy amount of Olive Oil cooking spray.  Heat on med-high. When pan is hot, drop marinated chicken  onto pan.  Cook, stirring/tossing frequently, until chicken is slightly browned on all sides and no longer pink.

While chicken is cooking, nuke veggies – reduce time by about 2 minutes so you don’t end up with mush at the end.

Rinse noodles according to package directions.

When chicken is cooked through, add veggies and noodles to skillet along with the reserved sauce, and stir-fry until sauce thickens and everything is heated.  Garnish with crushed peanuts.

Warning: This dish is spicy, but damn delicious!

Makes 2 large servings. Per serving: 261 calories; 7 g fat, 30 g protein.

Recipe: Almond Crusted Salmon & Broccoli Cheese Sauce

Another “serves 2” recipe. I love fish, and I love nuts, so why not combine them?! I’ve also subbed walnuts for the almonds and added other herbs in place of the cilantro – it’s a recipe that’s easy to play with!

2 – 4oz. wild caught salmon filets

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup of almonds

2 tbs. fresh cilantro

1 TBS +/- olive oil

½ tsp. kosher salt

Dash of pepper

Season salmon filets with salt and pepper, place on foil lined baking sheet.

Toss garlic, almonds, and cilantro into a food processer until well ground and blended.

Drizzle olive oil and process until a thick paste forms.

Spread equally on salmon filets

Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until fish is flakey.

2 servings. Each serving has 350 calories, 20 g fat -heart-healthy Omega-3, 6 g carbs, 27g protein.

(The bread that is on the plate in the picture is just a half Sandwich Thin with I can’t believe it’s not butter spray and garlic powder broiled for a few minutes – fish & bread have to go together in our house! 50 calories.)

Pardon the crappy picture, but this was the walnut crusted salmon (the bread was baking):

The broccoli cheese sauce was fantastic! And low in carbs, full of protein, and it made the broccoli more than edible! (I'm still not a huge fan of broccoli, but it was pretty tasty with the cheese sauce!)

3/4 cup Westsoy Organic Unsweetened Soy Milk

2 wedges Light Original Swiss Laughing Cow

1/2 c. fat-free Cheddar Cheese

1/2 tsp cornstartch

salt and pepper to taste

Wisk cornstarch into soy milk in medium saucepan.  Add Laughing Cow and salt and pepper, heat on medium heat, stirring near constantly until wedges are melted and mixture begins to thicken.  Add salt/pepper if desired, and fat-free cheddar – stir constantly until mixture is melted and desired thickness is achieved.  Quick, easy, and man, does it make broccoli awesome!

4 servings (about 1/4 cup each).  Each serving has 62 calories, 3g fat, 7g protein.

Recipe: Thai Mango Chicken with Broccoli

I adapted this recipe to have a bit more sauce – to cover up the broccoli (I’m still getting used to it) and to serve 2 people because leftovers go bad in our house.  Feel free to double or mess around with it as you see fit, but this is my version and man, this was a divine meal! The serving was pretty big, too, for not a lot of calories!

2 tablespoons fish sauce

Juice of 1 lime

1 1/2  teaspoons cornstarch

1-2 teaspoons Splenda brown sugar blend (less if your mango is ripe…more if it is not)

2 teaspoons Olive Oil, divided

8 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1” cubes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1- small red chile pepper, stemmed and chopped (you could use 1/2 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes if you wish)

2 1/2 cups bite-size broccoli florets

1/4 cup water

1 mango, peeled and sliced

1 bunch scallions, cut into 1/2” pieces

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, preferably Thai

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1 lime for garnish

Combine fish sauce, lime juice, cornstarch and Splenda in a small bowl.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken; cook, until just no longer pink.

Add the remaining teaspoon of oil, garlic, ginger and chiles (or crushed red pepper) to the pan. Cook, stirring, until it starts to smell really good - about 15 seconds. Add broccoli and water; cook 2 minutes, or until broccoli is of desired tenderness (I like mush, so mine was more more 5 minutes…). Add mangoes and scallions; cook, stirring, for 1 minute until heated through. Add the reserved sauce and chicken; cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is heated through. Stir in cilantro, basil and mint. Serve with lime wedges.

Makes 2 servings.  Each serving has: 195 calories; 5 g fat; 20 g carbohydrates; 21 g protein; 4 g fiber; 531 mg sodium.

Alright, where is the real Lisa?

This is not me, I swear.  I know myself - 27 years later, I think I know that I don't like vegetables.  Especially those raw icky ones. God, gross..

My guilty pleasure this week has been not packing my lunch.  I take a few minutes and throw my breakfast and two snacks in a baggie, but not taking that extra time fiddling with lunch components has been my little break for the week.  So I've been "forced" to buy my lunch.

Oh shit, right? I work downtown Minneapolis, within walking distance of bars, and pubs, and fast food, slow food, street food....  I used to take advantage of it, hit the pub or the bar & grill on my long lunch break, get a burger, some sweet potato fries, a few beers....

So this week I've been frequenting one of the "fast food" places.  Alright, there isn't anything "fast" about this Subway, but I think it falls under that category rather than any other.   And here's the kicker - not even for a sandwhich.

I go and I get a spinach salad with the oven roasted chicken breast - 130 calories. (It's also the only meat option with a relatively low sodium content, which when I tell you my toppings you'll see why that's an important place to cut...)  Then I deck it out with cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and lots of pickles.  I accidentally got a banana pepper in there today and OMG so good - those will be a regular on this salad now! Then I get it with the fat-free Sweet Onion sauce (and I make sure I account for all the calories because I get it in a cup on the side, I'm a "dipper".)   I seriously look forward to this salad all morning.

I eat every bit of it. And I get full doing it.  I look forward to the next bite.  To the sweetness of the tomato, the crunch of the onion, the coolness of the cucumber, and everything - except maybe the rouge stem that hangs out my mouth from the spinach - I de-stem my spinach at home.  It's so STRANGE.  I don't like vegetables.

Or maybe I do.   I think my taste buds are slowly changing.  What damn near killed me to choke down a month ago is now something I can eat and enjoy.

And instead of that beer or two or three, I look forward to Propel Zero.  Maybe not the best thing -- since it is sweetened with sucralose (Splenda), but it's better than sucking down 200+ calorie beers or Diet Coke with aspartame (it's been about 7 or 8 weeks, holy damn!) or even jolting myself with energy drinks all day long!

I'm getting my monthly visitor by this weekend, and I can tell - I'm seriously hungry and craving things (namely protein lately, give me a hunk o' chicken to gnaw on!) so I've eaten a little bit more than ususal, and when I stepped on the scale - yes, I cheated mid-week and stood on the damn beast - yesterday, it hadn't budged from the 222.2 on Sunday.  I'm still within my calories, just not on the low end of things this week.  And I'm bloated and stressed, and I'm not expecting to see a miracle loss this week, but we'll get 'em back next week! I swear I'm going to get up in the mornings and start wunning. Yeah, wunning.  Walking running.  It's ugly, you don't want to see me do it.

Pizza Pizza!

I had this monster craving yesterday for my very favorite food, ever.  Pizza. So I set out thinking, “Hmm…how am I gonna do this?” I’m hungrier than a “pita pizza”… I don’t want to blow it, how am I going to make this work? 

One trip to the supermarket later, and bam, we have a plan for a pizza!

Was searching for a lower-carb whole grain flour, soy, oat…something… when I stumbled upon this:

Whole grain, low carb baking mix? Well alrighty, let’s give that a try. (If you’re gluten-free, this is barking up the way wrong tree, sorry.)  $6.50 for a small bag, but I figured I would spend triple that on a delivery pizza.  So I bought it.  It had a funny texture, but it wasn’t a big deal.  I got to work.

3/4 + 2 TBS hot water

1 tsp Splenda brown sugar mix

1/2 tsp salt

1 packet yeast (I used yeast that works especially well with whole grain)

2 Cups Low Carb Baking Mix

Olive Oil cooking spray

Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a bowl, let rest for 5 minutes until the yeast is all frothy.  Dump that into the 2 Cups Low Carb Baking Mix.  When dough ball forms, remove and knead on a well-floured (baking mixed) surface for a few minutes.  Place dough ball in a large bowl sprayed with the cooking spray, cover and let it rise for about an hour or until roughly doubled in size.  *I was hungry and impatient, so I turned my oven to 200 degrees while I changed my clothes before starting, then promptly shut it off while I mixed and kneaded.  I stuck my bowl, covered with a towel in the warmish oven to rise.  Took about half the time.*

After dough has risen, punch down, cut in to 4 pieces, and go to town rolling it out.  It will be interesting, but don’t worry, just roll!

You can freeze any unused dough for up to 3 months, just wrap it in oiled plastic wrap, and make sure to defrost overnight in the fridge and let proof at room temp for 1 hour prior to using frozen dough.

Then Lacy and I topped our pizzas with Contadina Pizza Squeeze (30 cal for 1/4 c.), fat free mozz, with the addition of 1 piece of low fat string cheese (cause the FF stuff never melts as nice), then turkey pepperoni, veggies (Lacy only, I had a strict pepperoni craving!), and fresh herbs from the garden.

Baked at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. (I was watching The Voice…when I smelled them, they were done. It’s not rocket science. Which is also why there are no "after baking" pictures, I was hungry! )

Deliciouso! HUGE serving size! (That cookie sheet is a professional baking sheet - it's ginormous!)

[If divided into 4 personal pizzas] the crust has :

200 calories,  4g fat, 22 carbs, 10g fiber (net carb = 12g!!!), and a whopping 28g protein.

So all in all, with all of our toppings, we had huge fantastic pizzas for under 400 calories and around 10g of fat.  Beat that, Dominos!