A great new buy!

Check out this new cook book I bought! I haven't made anything from it yet but I will let you know my 1 - 10 rank when I finally try it out. Best part about this is that it was only $8 at barnes and nobles. There is this one beef stir fry recipe, I may try it out tomorrow night! I hope all of you the best an I miss you guys!

So I went to the gym today...

And I decided to ride the bike so I could read more of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which for those of you who have not read, it an absolute must read. As a side story, I finally got to a part, half way through the book, where they finally start to deal with the entire premise of the book, at 28:30 minutes into my 30 minute work out - I'm like dying from the suspense now. Anyway, I burned much less calories than doing the elliptical, but I feel like I used different muscles and I might be sore tomorrow. I can't remember where I heard this, but I feel like I've heard that exercising different muscles actually makes you lose weight faster - something maybe about increasing your metabolism? Does anyone know if there's any truth to that? Because if there is, I might be convinced to alternate between the bike and the elliptical - and get to read my book as an added bonus!

A Little Freak Out

Good Morning All!

I can't believe we're already starting our 3rd week!! Way to go guys. I kinda apologize to you all for freakin out a bit last night. Some of you were nicer about it than others, but whatever. I was just really hungry and disappointed in myself. Thank goodness it didn't cost me any pounds, so I'm a little calmer today. I guess no one liked my turkey breast idea?? It's such a low cal, yummy meat. And we could get a nice already made gravy to go along with it and easily be able to keep track of the calories. Maybe as a side those delicious roasted brussel sprouts?? Well, these were just some ideas. I hope everyone is still having a successful diet. Look forward to seeing you all again.

Turkey Burgers!

Sorry for the lack of posts, been trying to focus on my diet! For some reason, I was particularly hungry on Monday, but for the past few days I haven't been hungry at all. Probably because the weekend stretched out my stomach a bit, but I'm glad to be back on track.

Tonight I'll be making turkey burgers at 7 PM for anyone that is interested. Please let me know if you will be coming so I know if I have to buy more turkey meat. They're pretty good, of course not as good as a real burger, but it's so much healthier. I use a black bean and red onion puree to use as binding since there is little fat in turkey. Cilantro and a few southwest seasonings compose the rest of the dish. I'll also be baking some sweet potato fries, which are always a nice treat.

Turkey burger patty: >200 calories (close to 170 cals)
1/4 lb sweet potato fries: 110 calories

Don't forget to let me know if you're coming. Keep on working hard guys, we're doing great!!!

Positive Thoughts?

Has anyone else found this week to be easier than last? I don't know if its because I'm eating slightly more for breakfast, if its because I ate so much on Saturday, or if its just that I'm getting used to it (here's hoping its option 1 or option 3), but I feel significantly better this week. I haven't felt sick at the gym after the gym and I don't feel totally starving all day long. Anyone else agree?

Nom nom nom!!!

Those chicken nuggets were so freakin good!!! I ate a pretty modest breakfast and am now thinking i'm going to have a scooped out whole wheat everything bagel with turkey and mustard. Not too exciting but hopefully it will fulfill some carb needs and taste pleasures. Courtney and Liza are going to the strangers game tonight and brandon is going to be a faggot on his raid so i guess that leaves the jman high and dry. Til we meet again...

New Week, New Place.

I'm packing right now which is keeping my mind off of food which is great! I'm nervous about my eating habits when I get back to Colorado. I feel like this week will be a struggle because Derek and Julian are coming to Colorado tomorrow and it is going to be difficult sticking to my eating habits with them around... then again, I will be snowboarding for 4 or 5 days straight, which will be some great exercise! When school starts I feel like I will finally be able to get into a routine and that way I can regularly exercise and have my eating schedule all figured out. I also spoke to my closest friends and school and they are all trying to eat better and lose weight also! So we decided to dedicate at least one day a week to cooking healthy together! At least I will have some sort of support system out there because not having you guys around is going to be really really difficult.

Woo Hoo! 12 weeks and 2 days to Mexico! -- My Motivation!!!

Week Two

We made it through our first week guys!! I'd say there have been some ups and downs for me, but overall I can tell this is going to be a success. I've never had so much fun dieting in my life :) The meal I am proposing for tonight is the following:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/parmesan_chicken_tenders.html

I don't want to make any extra. I struggled a lot yesterday with portion control I feel, and as a result, I was up 2 pounds this morning. I'm hoping it's the whole, first thing in the morning weigh in, but I'm not so sure. I could tell I ate too much yesterday. Too much picking. Oh well, today is a new day! Gotta keep positive. See you all (minus Tara) later.

Cheat Meal

Don't feel too bad liza, courtney, tara and whoever has to cheat today or whenever...check it out:

http://www.ttfatloss.com/weight-loss/cheat-fat-loss/

Guilt-free pizza!

I just ate a delicious english muffin pizza. I don't think I could have eaten it faster. This cost me 140 calories, but I only used half of the english muffin. I thought of ways to remake this dish using less calories...  here it goes:

1 Thomas's Light Whole Wheat English Muffin - 100 calories
    (I used half a Thomas's Regular English Muffin which cost me 60 calories).
1/3 cup of Weight Watchers Mexican Blend Cheese - 80 calories
    (I used 1/6 cup of this cheese since I was only using half an English Muffin, it was still a lot of cheese and probably could split this 1/6 between two halves to drop the calories down to 40)
2 tbsp of Hunt's Tomato Paste - 20 calories
    (I used preggo's pasta sauce, which cost me 40 calories for 1/4 cup! I could have cut this down a bunch by using the Hunts)

So, all together you could enjoy two mini pizzas for 180 - 200 calories. I'll let you know how it is when I retry this recipe with my alterations.

I think this meal just made my day a whole lot better cause I've been craving pizza!

My breakfast this morning...

I had a whole wheat english muffin with 1 tbsp of all-natural PB and half a banana...pretty filling and a good source of carbs, healthy fats, protein and potassium! Check it out!

Last Night's Dinner Recipe - Shrimp & Green Beans

SHRIMP

4 servings, about 1 cup each

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes


INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and very thinly sliced, or to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp, (16-20 per pound; see Shopping Tip)
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup thinly sliced pitted green olives
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

PREPARATION

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bay leaf and cook for 1 minute. Add onion, jalapeños and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in shrimp, cover and cook until pink and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and olives. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, replace cover and cook until the tomatoes are almost broken down, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove the bay leaf. Serve with lime wedges.

TIPS & NOTES

• Shopping Tip: Shrimp is usually sold by the number needed to make one pound. For example, “21-25 count” means there will be 21 to 25 shrimp in a pound. Size names, such as “large” or “extra large,” are not standardized, so to be sure you're getting the size you want, order by the count (or number) per pound. Both wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp can damage the surrounding ecosystems when not managed properly. Fortunately, it is possible to buy shrimp that have been raised or caught with sound environmental practices. Look for fresh or frozen shrimp certified by an independent agency, such as Wild American Shrimp or Marine Stewardship Council. If you can't find certified shrimp, choose wild-caught shrimp from North America—it's more likely to be sustainably caught.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 192 calories; 6 g fat ( 1 g sat , 3 g mono ); 172 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 24 g protein; 2 g fiber; 324 mg sodium; 516 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (61% daily value), Vitamin C (40% dv), Iron & Vitamin A (20% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 1/2

Exchanges: 1 1/2 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1 fat

SWEET & SPICY GREEN BEANS

Prep Time:
15 Min

Cook Time:
10 Min

Ready In:
25 Min

Recipe Yields 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 teaspoons canola oil

Directions

1. Arrange a steamer basket in a pot over boiling water, and steam the green beans 3 to 4 minutes.
2. In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, garlic, garlic chili sauce, and honey.
3. Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the green beans, and fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce mixture. Continue cooking and stirring 2 minutes, or until the liquid is nearly evaporated. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 59 | Total Fat: 2.4g | Cholesterol: 0mg

Just some thoughts....

JER...it happened to me!! I actually lost a pound since this morning!! Wooohoooo!! And regarding courts blog, I think you are right and we should definitely be eating more. However, that is precisely the reason I will continue to eat less than 1200 cals!!!!! We might die, but we're gonna be so skinny when we do

Seriously?!?

Ok you all know me and I really do not have a sweet tooth. As such, whenever there is a birthday here, it is usually no problem for me to stay away from the cake. However, today (of all days) there are two birthdays here AND the cake is Carvel ice cream cake with the chocolate crunchies. Aka the only form of birthday cake I like! Why lord why???

I Think We Need to Eat More

I went to the gym this afternoon and I still feel like I'm going to pass out. I'm beginning to think there is a reason why EVERY diet website/app says not to eat less than 1200 calories per day.

I GAINED A POUND!!!

BRANDON YOU ASSHOLE...YOU SABOTAGED ME AND ADDED LARD TO ONLY MY PIECES!!!!!!!! why would you do this to me? no but seriously this is freaking annoying...i think i'm just gonna go back to eating bad...bye

I'M HUNGRY!

Thats all

YES WE CAN

Maybe it's because I haven't eaten enough yet today, but reading Bran's post and looking at the pics from last night is making life very difficult for me at the moment. Bran, do we know how to calculate the calories tonight's dinner will cost us? Also, I wanted to let you all know that we will have a non-FOF member joining us at dinner. He is curious about this healthy cooking thing and also happens to have no work tonight. He may be a bad influence, so everyone should prepare themselves. Find that inner-strength and make sure you do not succumb to his yummy food eating habbits. I think we should maybe have a mantra and just keep repeating this to yourself now, "YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN.!" COME ON EVERYONE, SCREAM IT OUT!!!!!! YES WE CAN!!

Megan to Vegan

I just walked into the supermarket and only stopped at the produce section. Weird! Although it helped that Nick bought a whole chicken last night, it's still strange to ONLY grab vegetables and fruits at the supermarket.

Waldbaum's is very hit or miss. How do they sell cacti and not chipotle peppers?! I can't complain too much though, the 110 Waldbaums had everything I needed except for the chipotles. I usually can't say the same about the Deer Park Waldbaums.

Who's ready for Orange & Herb Roasted Chicken, Roasted Corn Salad, and BPP Brussel Sprouts?! Someone will have to remind me what the last P stands for...

Hello!

Hey guys. I just really wanna say Hi and see how everyone is doing today? I thought last night's dinner was a superb performance by none other than our friend LB aka the white mamba aka cantwait2behot aka lizagna...I think i'm gonna go downstairs now and get a Jimmy Dean D-Light breakfast bowl http://jimmydean.com/products/d-lights-turkey-sausage-breakfast-bowl.aspx...Then I wanna do some sort of physical activity not sure if I wanna go play basketball ball at the gym again today...i can't lift cause i'm too sore so maybe there will be someone there that will play some pick up racquetball...Anyway, I look forward to another round of healthiness tonight and will see you soon!

- Jer

LB Chicken & Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Chef LB

LB Chicken

4 servings

Active Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (about 1 pound), trimmed of fat
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup chopped chives, (about 1 bunch)

PREPARATION

1. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch. Season both sides of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow glass baking dish and dredge the chicken in it. Discard the excess flour.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour; stir to coat. Add wine, broth and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil, stirring often.
4. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until heated through and no longer pink in the center, about 6 minutes. Stir in sour cream and mustard until smooth; turn the chicken to coat with the sauce. Stir in chives and serve immediately.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 244 calories; 9 g fat ( 3 g sat , 3 g mono ); 72 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrates; 26 g protein;0 g fiber; 679 mg sodium; 334 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Niacin (50% daily value), Selenium (31% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 1/2

Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 4 very lean meat ,1 fat

OUR ALTERATIONS: Fat Free Sour Cream. Less Olive Oil.