When I'm stressed or just for the fun of it I like to bake something yummy or experiment in the kitchen. This weekend I made some successful experiments. Sadly I didn't take any pictures because I'm also nursing a relative with mobility issues. So between that cooking and cleaning my time is limited.
I found a few pics on pinterest that led me to experiment. One recipe was a Strawberry Orange Muffin. It was good, but I like muffins a bit sweeter. Another recipe was a breakfast experiment--Healthy Hashbrown Casserole. The recipe called for frozen shredded potatoes, but I don't buy those so I used real potato and put a hand shredder to work that I didn't know I had in my kitchen equipment arsenal. This recipe was super good with simple ingredients. I also made Dr. Oz Protein Cookies. Dr Oz recipe calls for using protein powder, but my experience using protein powder in baking has not turned out well. The result was always cardboard like with a clear flavor of protein powder. I subbed hemp protein and used only 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder instead of 4 scoops that the recipe called for. I also didn't have natural peanut butter so my version has a bit more sugar. All in all this is a pretty good cookie. Its made of all good things and can serve as a healthy snack.
All of my recipe try's were super good this labor day weekend. Now to get ready for the work week.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Recipe-Shrimp Fried Rice
This one is not an experiment, but rather a staple in my kitchen. It is my version of shrimp fried rice made at home. Since I'm so much into coconut oil these days I've replaced the olive oil with coconut oil. It doesn't alter the taste at all, but is a healthier option.
I normally cook up an entire bag of uncooked shrimp that you can buy at any supermarket. I either buy medium or large shrimp. I remove the shell and clean the shrimp all the way to the tail. There is still some bowel line in the tail and you really want to not eat that.
I place the cleaned shrimp on a cooking sheet and sprinkle the top only with old bay seafood seasoning and black pepper. Place the seasoned side down in a heated oiled pan and season the other side. Season the shrimp on one side only because the under part is wet and will wipe out the seasoning. The beauty of these is a slight crust that is formed from the seasoning and oil. Makes the finished product super yummy!
After the shrimp is cooked and removed from the pan add the veggies. I normally use a mixture of diced peppers and onion. If frozen rice is used add it after the veggies are cooked to desired doneness. Add a few splashes of soy sauce. Add the shrimp back to heat through.
If using precooked rice add it at the very end. Cook the shrimp..then veggies....add the soy sauce and shrimp to pan and stir. Add in the cooked rice. In this recipe I used Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley. I love the seeds in this rice! However, prior to this I used the frozen vegetable fried rice by Trader Joe.
End result! Super yummy!
I normally cook up an entire bag of uncooked shrimp that you can buy at any supermarket. I either buy medium or large shrimp. I remove the shell and clean the shrimp all the way to the tail. There is still some bowel line in the tail and you really want to not eat that.
I place the cleaned shrimp on a cooking sheet and sprinkle the top only with old bay seafood seasoning and black pepper. Place the seasoned side down in a heated oiled pan and season the other side. Season the shrimp on one side only because the under part is wet and will wipe out the seasoning. The beauty of these is a slight crust that is formed from the seasoning and oil. Makes the finished product super yummy!
After the shrimp is cooked and removed from the pan add the veggies. I normally use a mixture of diced peppers and onion. If frozen rice is used add it after the veggies are cooked to desired doneness. Add a few splashes of soy sauce. Add the shrimp back to heat through.
If using precooked rice add it at the very end. Cook the shrimp..then veggies....add the soy sauce and shrimp to pan and stir. Add in the cooked rice. In this recipe I used Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley. I love the seeds in this rice! However, prior to this I used the frozen vegetable fried rice by Trader Joe.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Recipe Experiment-Pumpkin Hummus
It's been a while since I've posted. I upgraded my blender from a ninja pod version (on the left) to the ninja 1100 (on the right). Today is my first day using it and I thought I'd experiment.
A coworker brought in a container of pumpkin hummus. I never heard of pumpkin hummus, but it was very yummy. In reading the ingredients it contained mostly wholesome ingredients and some ingredients I didn't think were needed like guar gum and lemon juice. I sure I could duplicate it at home.
I used a standard can of chickpeas, an equal size can of pure pumpkin, a little soybean oil, lots of vanilla extract, lots of pumpkin, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg and a little bit of dark agave. The spices and extract I pretty much added based on smell and taste and viola! I ended up with a nice size bowl to pic off of for the week. Pic below shown with a small apple sliced on a saucer.
A coworker brought in a container of pumpkin hummus. I never heard of pumpkin hummus, but it was very yummy. In reading the ingredients it contained mostly wholesome ingredients and some ingredients I didn't think were needed like guar gum and lemon juice. I sure I could duplicate it at home.
I used a standard can of chickpeas, an equal size can of pure pumpkin, a little soybean oil, lots of vanilla extract, lots of pumpkin, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg and a little bit of dark agave. The spices and extract I pretty much added based on smell and taste and viola! I ended up with a nice size bowl to pic off of for the week. Pic below shown with a small apple sliced on a saucer.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Follow up--Reebok Deck Bench
I received my bench from ebay. I'm so glad it was in reasonable shape and so very glad I got it for a good price.
What I think of the bench?
It is freakin heavy! I guess I should expect it to be for all that it does, but it makes it less portable for me. Meaning, I dread moving it for my workout. The bed is not as wide as the club step which is a bummer. The bench is made well, even though it's plastic...it's a rigid heavy plastic. I don't regret buying it, but I need to find a home for it. I would really love to get rid of my Firm Transfirmer because I don't use that at all.
What I think of the bench?
It is freakin heavy! I guess I should expect it to be for all that it does, but it makes it less portable for me. Meaning, I dread moving it for my workout. The bed is not as wide as the club step which is a bummer. The bench is made well, even though it's plastic...it's a rigid heavy plastic. I don't regret buying it, but I need to find a home for it. I would really love to get rid of my Firm Transfirmer because I don't use that at all.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle
So I've joined a team challenge on Burn the Fat Inner Circle. Just applying for the challenge took me out of my comfort zone. To be eligible you had to post full body pictures for all to see. It was an eye opening experience for me to see as well and I guess that's the point of it. I mean, one showers and gets dressed everyday and touch our bodies in some form, but it hits home when you visually see the rolls on your back and all the work to be done. Please ignore that run on sentence....lol
So we are in week 3 of the challenge. Tom Venuto wrote a newsletter that a high percentage of participants abandon the challenge during this time. I think I feel a little of that because after my bicep strain I haven't worked out. My eating has been ok, but ice cream has been my evening meal for two nights now.
I keep reading all of the awesome results that people are getting with Jillian's program that I abandoned. I know that its an awesome program, but I was just really uncomfortable with workout 3. I think I modified it to the point that I lost the point of many of the moves. I want to just suck it up and power through because I know the format works for great weight loss.
Decisions....decisions
So we are in week 3 of the challenge. Tom Venuto wrote a newsletter that a high percentage of participants abandon the challenge during this time. I think I feel a little of that because after my bicep strain I haven't worked out. My eating has been ok, but ice cream has been my evening meal for two nights now.
I keep reading all of the awesome results that people are getting with Jillian's program that I abandoned. I know that its an awesome program, but I was just really uncomfortable with workout 3. I think I modified it to the point that I lost the point of many of the moves. I want to just suck it up and power through because I know the format works for great weight loss.
Decisions....decisions
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
New Venture-Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle
For a while I've thought about doing a program with straight lifting. I liked Jillian Michaels format, but felt a little lacking in hitting certain body parts. I also like body pump, but it is a mish-mash of movements that eventually will work a variety of muscles. It's like you do the workout and from soreness you conclude that a particular body part was worked in that particular workout.
I bought the ebook Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle a few years ago and thought about that format recently. Sadly I could not find my ebook and ended up purchasing it again thinking it should have been updated since I bought it in the early 2000's. With this purchase you were given access to Tom Venuto's website for two months called Burn the Fat Inner Circle. It just so happens that at this time the summer 2012 challenge was about to start. It's very timely because my motivation was starting to sway.
I joined a team challenge which consists of teams of 5 members. You must post status updates on weekly which include current weight and body fat percentage. What I found interesting for this challenge is that if a team member doesn't post or drops out of the challenge the team loses. This gives you a less likely chance to flake out forcing the other members to lose.
We started on Sunday, June 3. As part of the submission process you had to take pictures which include a front, side, and back full body shots. O.M.G.!! This was truly a wake up call. I mean you shower everyday, but until I saw my pics I really had no idea how predominant the rolls on my back were. Also, my pics do not fit my age and in fact I have the body of a much older person.
Since joining the Inner Circle, I started cleaning up my diet which was about a week before the actual challenge. During that week I was 204 starting and by the end of the week with cleaning up my diet I'm at 200.6. I'm super stoked about that progress! The next team weigh in is this Sunday, June the 10th.
The challenge is not all about the scale weight. It's about placing goals and sticking with it. The team are there to offer support and encouragement. The challenge is for the entire summer and ends September....total 98 days. It's written that a high percentage of members drop out. I've never been on this type of a challenge so I am curious of what changes my body will go through and look like after 98 days.
I'll keep ya posted!
I bought the ebook Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle a few years ago and thought about that format recently. Sadly I could not find my ebook and ended up purchasing it again thinking it should have been updated since I bought it in the early 2000's. With this purchase you were given access to Tom Venuto's website for two months called Burn the Fat Inner Circle. It just so happens that at this time the summer 2012 challenge was about to start. It's very timely because my motivation was starting to sway.
I joined a team challenge which consists of teams of 5 members. You must post status updates on weekly which include current weight and body fat percentage. What I found interesting for this challenge is that if a team member doesn't post or drops out of the challenge the team loses. This gives you a less likely chance to flake out forcing the other members to lose.
We started on Sunday, June 3. As part of the submission process you had to take pictures which include a front, side, and back full body shots. O.M.G.!! This was truly a wake up call. I mean you shower everyday, but until I saw my pics I really had no idea how predominant the rolls on my back were. Also, my pics do not fit my age and in fact I have the body of a much older person.
Since joining the Inner Circle, I started cleaning up my diet which was about a week before the actual challenge. During that week I was 204 starting and by the end of the week with cleaning up my diet I'm at 200.6. I'm super stoked about that progress! The next team weigh in is this Sunday, June the 10th.
The challenge is not all about the scale weight. It's about placing goals and sticking with it. The team are there to offer support and encouragement. The challenge is for the entire summer and ends September....total 98 days. It's written that a high percentage of members drop out. I've never been on this type of a challenge so I am curious of what changes my body will go through and look like after 98 days.
I'll keep ya posted!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Thoughts......Stayin the course!
I named my blog 'Retrain Your Diet'. In my mind it would be a journey of all things that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Those of us with deep rooted issues with food can't just turn off the (in my case) sugar switch without ill effects. I work to find foods that I enjoy, but that won't take me to never care what I'm eating land. I'm impressed with myself that I didn't go off the deep end this holiday weekend with making something super fattening and out of plan.
I do have to come to the realization that I just can't have certain things in the home. For example, my mom likes to have potato chips so I bought a bunch while they were on sale and thought that I had her snack covered. Umm....I ended up eating much of it. I even had a bag of bbq flavored which I don't care for, but ate that in a stupid girl moment. She mainly comes on the weekends and is here now. She didn't mention not having potato chips....imagine that!
I must admit that I don't get the eating less mindset. Eating less of what? Do you know how much is being eaten in the first place? You can eat a fried chicken wing, but that little wing has a lot of calories. Baked macaroni and cheese is very caloric where even a half of a measly cup could be considered less than what you would normally eat. However, its still not a healthy choice.
In gaining a healthier perspective, I give greater thought to the types, quality and quantity. For me, that is moving forward in my journey.
Recipe Experiment-Shrimp Salsa
On the menu this weekend was shrimp salsa from skinnytaste.com . The recipe called for chopped tomato and I swore I had some in the fridge. However, they were past their prime so I had to improvise. I used canned, but canned has an off taste to me. I used more shrimp than tomato and added seasoning. This dip is yet another keeper from skinnytaste.com. I love that site!
Doesn't this look yummy! Shrimp salsa on the left, cucumber slices, whole petite carrots and buffalo chicken dip on the right along with a small bowl of watermelon. I felt pampered eating this...like I was at a fine restaurant...lol
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Easy Meal-Berry Yogurt Blend
I realized that I've been eating this every morning for about two weeks now. It's filling, simple, fresh and makes me feel like I've done something good for my digestion track.
To bump up the protein I use a berry protein powder. I only use 1/2 of a scoop because I can't stand for it to taste like protein powder. Here's a pic of the ingredients.
1/2 scoop berry whey powder + 1/2 tbs flax seed + 1.5 tbs chopped walnuts
I don't cherish the flavor of yogurt, but I have found one I can tolerate. Chobani Champion is made for kids. I buy the mixed berry which gives me some flavor from the fruit already in the yogurt. Mixing in the berry protein whey you can see below that it mixes perfectly with this yogurt. The first bowl below has the whey, flax and walnuts mixed in. The finished product is topped with a variety of berries...chopped strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Nutrition info below
To bump up the protein I use a berry protein powder. I only use 1/2 of a scoop because I can't stand for it to taste like protein powder. Here's a pic of the ingredients.
1/2 scoop berry whey powder + 1/2 tbs flax seed + 1.5 tbs chopped walnuts
I don't cherish the flavor of yogurt, but I have found one I can tolerate. Chobani Champion is made for kids. I buy the mixed berry which gives me some flavor from the fruit already in the yogurt. Mixing in the berry protein whey you can see below that it mixes perfectly with this yogurt. The first bowl below has the whey, flax and walnuts mixed in. The finished product is topped with a variety of berries...chopped strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Nutrition info below
Taste Test-Truwhip
If you've been reading you know how I LOVE my sweets. Even though I try to curb my desires, I try to find healthier options. Sometimes I overeat those too, but it still makes me feel better that I have a lesser evil product.
I learned about Truwhip from Leansecrets on youtube
I found it at Whole Foods. Although not entirely healthy, it omits high fructose corn syrup which I am trying to avoid. It tastes more like cream than cool whip which is a nice feature to have. It is set like cool whip so you use it the same way. I made strawberry shortcake using individual angel food cake I found at the supermarket. Sorry, no pic for that. My brother did take a pic of it, so if I can get it from him I will post it.
I learned about Truwhip from Leansecrets on youtube
I found it at Whole Foods. Although not entirely healthy, it omits high fructose corn syrup which I am trying to avoid. It tastes more like cream than cool whip which is a nice feature to have. It is set like cool whip so you use it the same way. I made strawberry shortcake using individual angel food cake I found at the supermarket. Sorry, no pic for that. My brother did take a pic of it, so if I can get it from him I will post it.
Friday, May 25, 2012
New Equipment-Reebok Deck Bench-UPDATE!
I found the deck on ebay!! I generally don't shop there, but this deck is mainly only available overseas. It was only available used and I sincerely pray that its in good condition. It was $80 less than paying for new so I really can't complain. The seller did have pics so I feel good about the purchase. Woohoo! I'm excited. This is the bench. Mine is light blue with white letters....like I care! As long as I have one....lol.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Recipe Experiment-Slow Cooked Black Eyed Peas
In keeping with my slow cooker theme, I tried my hand at making black eyed peas. I've never made them from scratch, but the recipe sounded interesting and I wanted a hearty fiber rich dish.
From Skinnytaste.com I found Slow Cooked Black Eyed Peas. I adjusted the ingredients for what I had on hand. I did not have a ham bone so I just used some left over chicken broth. In reading the comments on skinnytaste someone wrote that they used rotel tomato with chile and I thought that was a good idea. So my adjustments were:
From Skinnytaste.com I found Slow Cooked Black Eyed Peas. I adjusted the ingredients for what I had on hand. I did not have a ham bone so I just used some left over chicken broth. In reading the comments on skinnytaste someone wrote that they used rotel tomato with chile and I thought that was a good idea. So my adjustments were:
- 8 oz smoked lean ham steak, diced (or a ham bone would be perfect)-->I used chicken broth and water
- 1 pound dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and soaked overnight
- 2 bay leaves-->oops didn't have any
- 1 tsp olive oil-->used to saute the onion/red pepper which I did not do
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, diced-->I used diced in a jar
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
- 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced -->used a small can of rotel tomato with chile
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (I used chipotle)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin-->omitted (not sure I like this spice)
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Recipe Experiment-Pork Roast
I've been hanging out on Skinnytaste.com which is a fabulous website filled with all kinds of recipes that are on the lighter side. It's geared for weight watchers I think, but much of the focus is lower fat, calories and get in the kitchen and cook it yourself kind of meals. In trying to eat a bit healthier, this format fits my needs. So, I thought of finally putting my crock pot to use and try out some of these yummy dishes.
I like this crockpot because it has 3 different sized removable ceramic inserts with a universal lid. The buttons on the bottom you select the crock size that you are using and the dial you select the temperature. I have not cooked anything while away from home because I fear something going wrong. I've prepared the following while asleep which brings its own challenges while trying to get ready for work. I watched Alton Brown on the foodnetwork and he suggested using a timer that you plug into a lamp to cut on and off while you are away from home. I thought this was a good idea so I will have to look for this device.
I've made several things off of this website and a couple I've posted on my blog. Today I ventured to make Skinny Slow Cooked Pernil which is Puerto Rican dish. It is citrus based with cumin. I'm not sure how I feel about cumin. Smelling it from the container it doesn't float my boat. Like it doesn't give me that mmmm, that's yummy feeling. The pork is to be shredded after it's cooked. The instructions was to save a cup of the broth and pour it over the shredded pork. When I tasted it shredded it was lacking flavor to me. I did not discard the broth. Instead I strained it, put it in a saucepan and let it reduce. I let it reduce a bit too much and it ended up being super concentrated. I thinned it out with chicken broth. This made the pork more flavorful, but I wonder if I cooked the pork too long cause some pieces taste dry to me. Or it could just be because the pork itself was very lean. Here's a pic of the cooked roast.
I've made several things off of this website and a couple I've posted on my blog. Today I ventured to make Skinny Slow Cooked Pernil which is Puerto Rican dish. It is citrus based with cumin. I'm not sure how I feel about cumin. Smelling it from the container it doesn't float my boat. Like it doesn't give me that mmmm, that's yummy feeling. The pork is to be shredded after it's cooked. The instructions was to save a cup of the broth and pour it over the shredded pork. When I tasted it shredded it was lacking flavor to me. I did not discard the broth. Instead I strained it, put it in a saucepan and let it reduce. I let it reduce a bit too much and it ended up being super concentrated. I thinned it out with chicken broth. This made the pork more flavorful, but I wonder if I cooked the pork too long cause some pieces taste dry to me. Or it could just be because the pork itself was very lean. Here's a pic of the cooked roast.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Snack Review-Protein Squared Cashew Caramel Crunch
I had this bar in my fridge for months. I totally forgot about it and found it under the cheese in the lunchmeat drawer. It was an impulse buy when I went to GNC a while ago.
I am online now looking for the cheapest price. This bar was awesome! Protein bars either have too much of those soy crunchy things or lacking taste. This was a nice size square bar with chocolate, caramel, nougat and a lil bit of cashew pieces. Of course the chocolate in these types of bars will never be Godiva quality, but it had a good flavor. The nougat was chocolate and quite yummy. This was so good it makes me want to investigate the other flavors.
This totally sufficed as a snack with nutritional value of 200 calories, 19 grams of carbs and 15 grams of protein. It won't be an everyday thing, but it will satisfy my urge for a candy bar. This one has the added benefit of protein to offset the carbs.
I am online now looking for the cheapest price. This bar was awesome! Protein bars either have too much of those soy crunchy things or lacking taste. This was a nice size square bar with chocolate, caramel, nougat and a lil bit of cashew pieces. Of course the chocolate in these types of bars will never be Godiva quality, but it had a good flavor. The nougat was chocolate and quite yummy. This was so good it makes me want to investigate the other flavors.
This totally sufficed as a snack with nutritional value of 200 calories, 19 grams of carbs and 15 grams of protein. It won't be an everyday thing, but it will satisfy my urge for a candy bar. This one has the added benefit of protein to offset the carbs.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
New Equipment-Reebok Deck Bench
I found this fab video blogger on a youtube channel called myomyTV.com . In her exercise space she had this cool looking bench so I went on an internet hunt to find it. It's called Reebok Deck Bench and has been on the market for some time. It's not available thru reebok.com. It seems they are only focused on footwear and clothing. I did find it on ebay which I will probably go for because it was under $200.
Why do I want it? As an at home exerciser it would be a super valuable resource to do weight work in more comfortable positions. I can fashion my original step, but its not the most comfortable position. Besides it would also make changing stations better because I can preset stations and fly through my program. You can also use cables with it which you really can do with the club step. Hmm...I'm salivating now for sure. Maybe I can sell my Transfirmer by The Firm and use those funds to lessen the load of my new toy!
Here it is!
Why do I want it? As an at home exerciser it would be a super valuable resource to do weight work in more comfortable positions. I can fashion my original step, but its not the most comfortable position. Besides it would also make changing stations better because I can preset stations and fly through my program. You can also use cables with it which you really can do with the club step. Hmm...I'm salivating now for sure. Maybe I can sell my Transfirmer by The Firm and use those funds to lessen the load of my new toy!
Here it is!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
My Workout-Les Mills Body Pump Week 1
I am rounding out the first week of Les Mills Body Pump by Beachbody. I have a love hate relationship with beachbody products. They are effective and give a rounded at home fitness program. Well, the hate part is more of my issue. I never completed any program that I start. Why? Because I get bored. My all time favorite is Slim Series, but it was much too intense and caused body issues. Meaning my knees couldn't handle all the lunges/squats. How ironic I pick another program that works your legs like no other.
I started last week as a way to get used to using the barbell and focus on my form. This week is the official start of my 90 day body pump rotation. I don't go to a gym so I've never taken a body pump class. Of course I viewed the workout on youtube and it seemed more of my speed. I LOVE lifting which was probably why Slim Series is my favorite. My last program was Jillian Michaels Body Revolution which uses weights too, but the crazy body positions didn't feel comfortable to me.
Back to Les Mills...
I joined a couple of facebook groups which has helped keep my focus. One group just started, but the other has lots of members that are at different points in the program. Some are on their second or third go at the program. I can see how this program will get me to the physical point that I want to be. The difference I feel so far is my legs are firming up nicely. I feel less bloated and very aware of the body parts that are responding. Meaning I was walking today and thought..."hmm, my butt feels very firm"...lol.
Nutrition is on the forefront. I do still eat my sweets because hello...sugarholic here. However, it has been curved a lot. As much as I dreamed, I can't have the body I want by eating mounds of chocolate, cakes, cookies, etc. But, I do still have a varying degree of them in a lighter form. A big hindrance to watching your diet is having nutritious meals available. You really must prep and be prepared no matter how much you may not like to cook. You really want to make your own stuff because you will know what's in it. There are things that make it easier like the McCormick's Recipe packets I wrote about before. Research and find alternatives to your favorites. For instance, I'm going to try tofu noodles and zucchini noodles this week. Of course I will write about those later. For snack ideas take a look at my other posts and come up with your own new favorites.
I started last week as a way to get used to using the barbell and focus on my form. This week is the official start of my 90 day body pump rotation. I don't go to a gym so I've never taken a body pump class. Of course I viewed the workout on youtube and it seemed more of my speed. I LOVE lifting which was probably why Slim Series is my favorite. My last program was Jillian Michaels Body Revolution which uses weights too, but the crazy body positions didn't feel comfortable to me.
Back to Les Mills...
I joined a couple of facebook groups which has helped keep my focus. One group just started, but the other has lots of members that are at different points in the program. Some are on their second or third go at the program. I can see how this program will get me to the physical point that I want to be. The difference I feel so far is my legs are firming up nicely. I feel less bloated and very aware of the body parts that are responding. Meaning I was walking today and thought..."hmm, my butt feels very firm"...lol.
Nutrition is on the forefront. I do still eat my sweets because hello...sugarholic here. However, it has been curved a lot. As much as I dreamed, I can't have the body I want by eating mounds of chocolate, cakes, cookies, etc. But, I do still have a varying degree of them in a lighter form. A big hindrance to watching your diet is having nutritious meals available. You really must prep and be prepared no matter how much you may not like to cook. You really want to make your own stuff because you will know what's in it. There are things that make it easier like the McCormick's Recipe packets I wrote about before. Research and find alternatives to your favorites. For instance, I'm going to try tofu noodles and zucchini noodles this week. Of course I will write about those later. For snack ideas take a look at my other posts and come up with your own new favorites.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Weekly Preparation
Today I prepared 3 meat dishes to eat all week so I wouldn't have to guess about what to eat. In a perfect world I would have bought chicken breast, but I had to go with a less pricey option which was chicken drumsticks. Not in the picture is Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley to go with the Brown Stew Chicken. Brown Stew Chicken is a Caribbean dish I think. I had it at a restaurant and wanted to duplicate it. It has virtually no added salt and get its color and flavor from spices such as ginger, allspice, cinnamon. I cook it in chicken broth and it has a really nice richness. I love this recipe! I got the idea of the turkey meatloaf muffins from bodybuilding.com on youtube. There are many options on youtube. I highly suggest you give it a view if you are wanting to try something new or even just browse. The chicken will also serve as protein on a salad or a chicken wrap...All sorts of yummy this week!
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| Brown Stew Chicken |
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| Turkey Meatloaf Muffins |
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| Stewed Potato to eat with the chicken |
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Recipe Experiment-Moist Molasses Bran Muffins
So I took a couple days off of work and really enjoying the down time. I resisted baking all kinds of sweet goodies in the guise of "healthy". I do enjoy the smell of yummy stuff waffling through the air.
Yummy experiment number one....
I get my tea from Urbane Tea Company . The tea is flavorful and in interesting combinations. Thoughts of Fuze tea came to mind and I had the idea to make iced tea. I initially thought of a blend I recently bought called Creamy Caramel Oolong. The description on the package is "creamy Oolong w/caramel bits and marigold flowers". All things yummy, yes? So with that I have a Gingersnap tea which I thought would compliment the caramel. Still yummy! For an added bite, I mixed in a little Simply Chai. OMG, this mix was amazing!! I did add a little agave to the mixture while hot and it totally sings with delight.
Yummy experiment number two....
As I was cleaning up all these bags of Bob's Mills goodies I'd bought wheat bran that I really didn't know what to do with. So...Still having a desire to bake something on the package is a recipe for Moist Molasses Bran Muffins. Now, if you've read my other recipe blogs you know that I almost never do the recipe as is. Why? Because I use what I have on hand or I try to make it a little more healthy. My substitutions was using coconut milk, whole wheat pastry flour/whole wheat flour and agave because I didn't have molasses. I feared that they would be too grainy or mealy which was why I added the pastry flour. I also added some cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and butter extract.
Baking now and they smell amazing! I just tasted them and they are very good. I'm glad I added the flavoring because I think they would have been bland otherwise. In hindsight, I guess the flavor would have come from the molasses in the original version. The crumb is not dense, but not fluffy either. It does have a type of fluffiness, but it is not a heavy muffin. I am pleased with how these turned out.
Calorie count is diet friendly too at 134.6 per muffin and 22.3 grams of heart healthy carbs from the wheat bran and wheat flour blend. Another bonus is the lowish sugar grams at 7.4 per muffin! Dietary fiber at 4.1 gram per muffin...bonus 3!
Yummy experiment number one....
I get my tea from Urbane Tea Company . The tea is flavorful and in interesting combinations. Thoughts of Fuze tea came to mind and I had the idea to make iced tea. I initially thought of a blend I recently bought called Creamy Caramel Oolong. The description on the package is "creamy Oolong w/caramel bits and marigold flowers". All things yummy, yes? So with that I have a Gingersnap tea which I thought would compliment the caramel. Still yummy! For an added bite, I mixed in a little Simply Chai. OMG, this mix was amazing!! I did add a little agave to the mixture while hot and it totally sings with delight.
Yummy experiment number two....
As I was cleaning up all these bags of Bob's Mills goodies I'd bought wheat bran that I really didn't know what to do with. So...Still having a desire to bake something on the package is a recipe for Moist Molasses Bran Muffins. Now, if you've read my other recipe blogs you know that I almost never do the recipe as is. Why? Because I use what I have on hand or I try to make it a little more healthy. My substitutions was using coconut milk, whole wheat pastry flour/whole wheat flour and agave because I didn't have molasses. I feared that they would be too grainy or mealy which was why I added the pastry flour. I also added some cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and butter extract.
Baking now and they smell amazing! I just tasted them and they are very good. I'm glad I added the flavoring because I think they would have been bland otherwise. In hindsight, I guess the flavor would have come from the molasses in the original version. The crumb is not dense, but not fluffy either. It does have a type of fluffiness, but it is not a heavy muffin. I am pleased with how these turned out.
Calorie count is diet friendly too at 134.6 per muffin and 22.3 grams of heart healthy carbs from the wheat bran and wheat flour blend. Another bonus is the lowish sugar grams at 7.4 per muffin! Dietary fiber at 4.1 gram per muffin...bonus 3!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Reflections and New Start
In week 3 of Jillian Michael's Body Revolution I wasn't feeling the crazy moves. She introduced some yoga moves with variations. I felt this was so unfair to the format of the program. She tries to encourage you to not be afraid and that your body is ready for it. Ummm....NOT! Yoga takes practice and you graduate into other moves. There was no yoga in this program or even a lengthy stretch segment.
I moved on to Les Mills Body Pump by beachbody. Today is Day 3 of that program. I've never used a barbell before so I have to get used to it. Also, I'm used to working out at home with no shoes and I think I may have to put them on in order to brace myself. I feel my foot sliding on the carpet and with weights on your shoulders that is not a good thing. So far I like the format of the program. I've always liked weight lifting, but the pump format is new to me. I like that the instructors are encouraging and are camera friendly.
Diet has taken a hit during the week or so I stopped Jill. Why is it that when one thing stops other things follow? I don't know, but I'm hanging out at bodybuilding.com and getting supplement info. I never knew when to take my fish oil. And thanks to watching Dr. Oz and buying CLA, I didn't know when to take my that either. I've put together little dishes of daily pills to take to use for Wednesday to Friday.
I went to a restaurant bulk store and bought a 10lb box of tilapia. I'll be good on that for a while. I highly recommend bulk buying whenever possible.
I'm not going to do a focused thread on just the workout since I always talk about other stuff that has gone on with me throughout the day. I'll focus on a section of my posts to the workout instead.
Till tomorrow!
I moved on to Les Mills Body Pump by beachbody. Today is Day 3 of that program. I've never used a barbell before so I have to get used to it. Also, I'm used to working out at home with no shoes and I think I may have to put them on in order to brace myself. I feel my foot sliding on the carpet and with weights on your shoulders that is not a good thing. So far I like the format of the program. I've always liked weight lifting, but the pump format is new to me. I like that the instructors are encouraging and are camera friendly.
Diet has taken a hit during the week or so I stopped Jill. Why is it that when one thing stops other things follow? I don't know, but I'm hanging out at bodybuilding.com and getting supplement info. I never knew when to take my fish oil. And thanks to watching Dr. Oz and buying CLA, I didn't know when to take my that either. I've put together little dishes of daily pills to take to use for Wednesday to Friday.
I went to a restaurant bulk store and bought a 10lb box of tilapia. I'll be good on that for a while. I highly recommend bulk buying whenever possible.
I'm not going to do a focused thread on just the workout since I always talk about other stuff that has gone on with me throughout the day. I'll focus on a section of my posts to the workout instead.
Till tomorrow!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Easy Meal Creation-McCormics Apple, Sage Pork Chop
Meals do not need to be elaborate or rocket science. Sometimes, or even often, the most delicious meals can contain minimal ingredients.
I found McCormicks Recipe Inspirations which is a spice packet of everything needed to create a yummy dish. You add the meat and/or produce to complete the recipe.
I experimented with McCormick's Apple and Sage recipe creation. This is a stroke of genius for them to develop this. It is a packet of all the spices you need to make an awesome recipe. It has a recipe card on the back that you can keep in your recipe book. I don't think I ever cooked fruit with my meat, but it was very good.
Pic below...that empty space in the pan accounted for the chop I ate for dinner.
For general health you should work to reduce sodium intake. A bonus of these recipe's is that there's no sodium included. I found that when making the Apple & Sage Pork Chops that the spices and the reduction of the apple juice flavored the meal nicely. I'm looking into cooking with herbs and spices to flavor my meals instead of adding sodium.
I found McCormicks Recipe Inspirations which is a spice packet of everything needed to create a yummy dish. You add the meat and/or produce to complete the recipe.
I experimented with McCormick's Apple and Sage recipe creation. This is a stroke of genius for them to develop this. It is a packet of all the spices you need to make an awesome recipe. It has a recipe card on the back that you can keep in your recipe book. I don't think I ever cooked fruit with my meat, but it was very good.
Pic below...that empty space in the pan accounted for the chop I ate for dinner.
For general health you should work to reduce sodium intake. A bonus of these recipe's is that there's no sodium included. I found that when making the Apple & Sage Pork Chops that the spices and the reduction of the apple juice flavored the meal nicely. I'm looking into cooking with herbs and spices to flavor my meals instead of adding sodium.
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