More Recipes…sans pasta

Wow! You guys are so awesome! I have gotten an overwhelming response to my post about substitutes for pasta in recipes. A friend of mine wanted me to share these recipes with you. They sound really good…especially the Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie!! Please keep sending me your recipes. I will try as many as I can and post my observations here.

http://www.gillianmckeith.info/yourbody/food/gillianmckeithrecipes.php

http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/273/recipe1-apple-action-smoothie.jsp

http://www.gillianmckeith.info/sweetpotatoshepherdspie.php
(courgettes is another word for zucchini, and this is arrowroot. thanks, google!)

And you can go here and create your own health profile.
http://www.mckeithinteractive.com/

Where in the world is Pasta Sandiego?

Last night for dinner, I made baked cauliflower with marinara sauce. It was really good! I got the inspiration from KeyIngredient.com, but I modified it for my own needs. I chopped up one whole head of cauliflower and baked it for 30 min at 350º. I browned some ground turkey in a skillet, and then added store-bought, organic marinara sauce (no sugar!), and my own combination of garlic, oregano, and basil. The secret is to add enough sauce to the cauliflower that you can’t really see that you’re eating vegetables! Here is a picture.

If you are looking for ways to sneak more veggies into your diet, here are some great tips:

(1) Mashed Cauliflower (thanks, Jesslyn).

1 bag of frozen cauliflower
1/2 tbs. Tones chicken base (http://www.tones.com/products/display_product.php?product_id=13 – I buy this at Sam’s club – great for making chicken stock when needed)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 heaping tbs. low fat cream cheese
1/2 tbs dill
salt & pepper to season

Put the bag of cauliflower in the microwave and steam it till soft and hot. Then put all the ingredients in the food processor and run until pureed. Then enjoy! You may want to microwave for a couple minutes after so that its hot as it may lose heat while pureeing.

You can adjust the seasoning to what pleases your palate
(2) Tips from @mattmanning.

Lasagna => Eggplant cut 1/8 thick with a mandolin slicer
Spaghetti => Spaghetti squash
Fettuccine => Zucchini cut thin with a peeler
Macaroni => well-drained, extra firm tofu diced up

(3) O Pasta, Where Art Thou?

Normally, I hate About.com, but this page actually contains useful information. I especially want to point out the information about Shirataki Noodles. The noodles are made from a plant called different things in different languages – you might see it called “yam noodle” or “Konnyaku”. The great thing about these noodles is that they are almost completely fiber – they hardly have any calories or carbs at all.
(4) Info from ChowHound.com

(5) Minnesota.com > Blog Directory > Pasta Substitutes

(6) And our all-time favorite! Hungry-Girl.com

I really want to try the Shrimptastic Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo!

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need any more tips! Enjoy this video!

Do You Eat Organic?

Last week’s meal plan didn’t go so well. First of all, salmon is really expensive. So I ate salmon for 2 days, then switched to chicken. On Thursday, I made a pot of turkey chili and sneaked a few veggies in it. It was actually pretty good… even without sour cream!

I actually went for a jog last night for the first time since Christmas (OK fine… I confess. The last time i jogged was *before* Christmas!). It was 32º outside, so I put on a ton of layers and went out. I really enjoy jogging outside. When I try to exercise inside, I tend to get bored easily and give up. That’s what happened last week (hello? It was 18º!). So this week, I decided that I would face the cold and go for my regularly scheduled jog. (Don’t tell anyone, but I actually enjoyed it. Gasp!)

I recently discovered organic salad dressing. I will admit that the word “organic” has bad connotations for me… The idea of organic sounds wonderful. Fruits and vegetables with no pesticides, etc. That’s wonderful! But the food is so expensive! It’s kinda like universal health care: sounds wonderful, but I don’t want to pay for it! I’ve also tried organic cleaning products. I bought them because I wanted to clean the bathroom and not asphyxiate myself or ruin my clothes. But organic cleaners do not work as well! OK so, I’m a little turned off to the word (plus I don’t want people to think I’m a hippie. Lol!). But organic salad dressing is pretty awesome! Salad dressing that is made with all normal food. I recognize every item in the list of ingredients (vinegar, evoo, soybean oil, garlic, oregano…). And the best part is…. THERE IS NO SUGAR!!!!

Meal plan for this week:

Breakfast: an apple or a pear with lots of coffee.
Lunch: big salad with romaine lettuce, red peppers, red onions, garbanzo beans, and organic dressing. (I bought Full Circle Organic Greek Dressing http://www.fullcirclefoods.com/).
Dinner: Brace yourself. This is weird. I am trying to find a good sub for pasta (my one true love). Tonight I’m trying Baked Cauliflower with Marinara Sauce. I’ll have to let you know if my brain is fooled.

Please let me know how you feel about organic fruits and veggies. Is it worth the price? How about free-range meats? What does that mean? Should I forget about the hippie stereotype and dive into the world of organics?

My Meal Plan this Week

My husband got on a plane this morning and headed to California for 3 months. I will be by myself during that time. I am hoping to kick my weight-loss efforts into high gear! Being by myself, is gonna be a great opportunity to see what I am really made of.

I sat down this afternoon and made a detailed list of what I’m gonna eat this week, then went to the store and bought it all. I have already boiled the eggs so I’ll be able to pop one in my lunchbox tomorrow. I am planning to exercise 6 days this week. I really like running outside, but the weather forecast is not looking good. I actually saw the number 18 when I checked the weather for this week. If it’s too cold, I’ll do some sort of cardio inside.

SO here’s my meal plan! I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Breakfast
½ cup    Fat free cottage cheese
½    Whole wheat english muffin
1 tsp    Pure fruit spread
1 med slice    Cantalope

Snack
1    Boiled egg
½ cup    Grapes

Lunch
1 cup    Romaine lettuce
1 tbsp    Parmesean cheese
2 tsp    Low fat o/v caesar dressing
3 oz     Grilled chicken
½    Apple

Snack
1 oz     Almonds

Dinner
3 oz     Broiled salmon
½ cup    Brown rice
1 cup     Steamed vegetables

Snack
½ cup    Yogurt

YOU MUST TRY THIS RECIPE!!

I got this amazing low-cal recipe from @nannylaff. It is divine! You must try it right now!

Ingredients
12oz jar of sugar free apricot preserves
16oz bottle of fat free catalina salad dressing
1 envelope of onion soup mix.
chicken breast or thighs

Preparation:
Mix the preserves, salad dressing, and the soup mix in a big bowl. Use the whole jar and the whole bottle.
Lay chicken in a casserole dish.
Dump the sauce mixture over the chicken.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (covered with foil for 30 min, then uncovered for 30 min).

It would probably be good served over rice, but I ate it with broccoli.

Home Alone

My husband has been offered a wonderful business opportunity, and he’ll be moving out to California for the first three months of 2010. I will be staying in North Carolina. I am curious to see how I will fare when I have to continue this journey all by myself. My husband is a big support, and I have leaned on him on many occasions. The other thing he provides me (the one other thing that relates to this blog, that is) is accountability. When I make beeferoni for dinner, he’s always there to remind me that each macaroni noodle is about 4000 calories. And in Sunday School, he will eat a doughnut and then tell me it’s disgusting, so I won’t feel like I’m missing out! I’m afraid that, while he’s gone, I’ll eat frozen pizzas and potato chips for dinner because I know that no one will ever know. I need to hire someone to call me every night and ask me what I ate for dinner…. Or better yet, I’ll just hire a chef!

It’s the Most Wonderful Time…

Life is stressful. I know this may come as a shock, but I think it’s important to be frank about this. We stress out about money, and our jobs, and our kids, and our parents, and our activities that are supposed to be leisurely. And we even stress about….Christmas! (oh please, don’t let me be the only person that stresses about Christmas!). Add that all up, and it’s no suprise that Valium is such a popular drug!

But here’s the horrible part. When life gets stressful, we yearn for comfort food… big piles of carbohydrates, drenched in gravy, and topped with cheese!!! Mmmmm! I recently heard on the radio that carbs is the *last* thing you need when you’re feeling anxious. Potatoes and pasta (etc) make you irritable, and cause you to react more drastically than you otherwise would. Going to the mall at Christmas is stressful by default, but carbs take that normal level of stress, escalate it, and the next thing you know you’ve yelled at the clerk at the Hallmark store, overturned a table of gingerbread houses, and kicked an elf!

The lady on the radio (I think she was a doctor…. or maybe she just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express) said that we should eats lots if fruits and vegetables when upset, stressed or nervous, instead of making a bee-line for the nearest chocolate-covered nut of your choice (hazel!).

Now, I want to hear from you! Are you more irritable when the majority of your diet is muffins and doughnuts? Does a Double Chocolate Fudge Blizzard make your shopping experience more enjoyable? Do you pack your own snacks when venturing out into the Christmas frenzy?

Oh, that reminds me…. I need to stop for a few items on my way home! Gotta run!

The Pictures

I heard a really good idea that I want to share (I am blogging in the bus. I’ll give credit where it’s due when I get home). This lady explained that she watched reruns of Gilmore Girls while she exercises on the eliptical machine. She forced herself to only watch the show while working out. She eventually started looking forward to her eliptical time because it meant age could watch her favorite show!! Brilliant! I exercise outside, so it’s not 100% applicable…. But I’m gonna think of something like it to apply to my jogging!

Next topic: this past Monday, I started a new two-week goal phase period. I was pretty successful with my previous two-week goals. (A) Figure out an eating plan? Check! Is it working? Seems to be. Time will tell. (B) Walk for 20 minutes for 10 of the 14 days? It was actually only nine. But wait, I’m making the rules here so I say that was successful, too!

Goals for weeks 3 & 4: I am going to take a picture if everything I eat that’s irrational. Let me clarify…. Some of you have commented that I shouldn’t be do hard on myself. I agree with you completely. But, one the flip side, I need to be a little hard on myself or else I’ll never achieve anything. The purpose of the pictures is *evidence*! If I still weigh 160 when the ball drops, I’ll be able to look back at my pictures and know why. Make sense?

Have you taken any pictured yet? Well, yes…. Yesterday I bought Special K high-protein granola bars. Very smart purchase, right? Well, then I ate 3! Not so smart! So I took a picture of the three empty wrappers and felt very guilty. Maybe this will help me avoid temptation.

Let’s Not Call it “Turkey Day”

First of all, I would like to mention that I’ve lost 5 lbs since I got back from Italy! So I’m back down to 160! YAY! But, guess what tomorrow is…..

It’s is the one day of the year that people don’t gave to be embarassed about their eating habits. Yup, Thanksgiving is upon us. I have made a point this year to change my attitude about the holiday. Now, let me warn you about my next sentence. I am going to say something that will make me sound like one of those health freaks that I can’t stand. I apologize in advance for my soap-box-itude. Here goes…. I am annoyed by the emphasis that is placed on thanksgiving food. Why does it have to be all about the food? When did it stop being about giving thanks? My local radio station has been playing sounds bites of “Your Favorite Thing About Thanksgiving”. Every person who has called in talks about mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries…and on and on and on. It really is kinda ridiculous. You want to know what my favorite part of Thanksgiving is? My family. And the parade is my second favorite! I feel like many people look forward to Thanksgiving because they get to eat like a pig but without feeling guilty.

OK, I’m done.

Now, for a lighter note, I’m gonna share some tips for being smart on Thanksgiving. I did not come up with these by myself. This is compilation of things I’ve heard from other people.

1. Eat your meal on a dessert plate.
2. Remember that the 25th bite of sweet potatoes will not taste any better than the 1st.
3. If dinner is pot luck, take a salad (refer to my earlier post about Jello).
4. Focus on your loved ones. They should be the best part of your day!
5. When your family gets on your nerves, go for a walk. This *never* happens to me (hi, Mom!), but I heard it happens to some if you.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! God bless!

You + Me = Us

I’ve figured out an eating plan! I stopped to remember why I was successful when counting calories, then I thought about what I liked about Atkins and I …. this gonna shock you…. I combined them!

I liked counting calories because it was *logical*. I am an engineer at heart at the math involved made so much sense to me. On Atkins, I liked eating real food, and I liked going a whole day without feeling drowsy. So from here on out, I will count the calories in the food I eat, but try to get most of these calories from meat and vegetables. And this is going to be an awesome plan because most vegetables have very few calories! I will allow myself to eat bread and pasta *occasionally* (as per Betsy’s advice). I will allow myself to eat little treats, like rocky road ( as per my mother’s advice). The secret us that I will plan for the indulgence, instead of letting it be a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Now I will reveal my new sourse of motivation. Some of you know that I have a fee social events to attend this spring. But, I feel really shallow using this as motivation. (Remember our mantra? I am losing weight for *me*!). I will henceforth be motivated by a simple desire: I DON’T WANT TO CRY ANYMORE! I vowed to be honest with you. How’s that for honesty? The fact that I am overweight makes me cry! And even more, the fact that I can’t seem to change it makes me cry.

I almost attached a link to the song “Big Girls Don’t Cry” but I realized that I don’t really want that as my theme song! Lol!