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???