I went over my daily points by 9 today.
This, I know, isn't a big deal. Even if my weight decrease has now decreased my daily point intake and yesterday at the same time I would have been over only 8 points. Yes, I have 22 activity points saved up already, and yes, I have some of my weekly 35 points to spare.
What is a big deal is that 1. I didn't need to go over by 9 points, and 2. I feel gross and sluggish and distended now that I am reflecting on my actions.
1. I was only over 3 points after dinner. Dinner was huge--leftovers of delicious meatballs, focaccia dipped in olive oil/garlic/balsamic. I even took some of the extra shredded zucchini I had leftover from making bread and put it in the sauce with my meatballs to add additional veggies. I hit all my little checkmarks: enough water, dairy, protein, fruits/veggies, healthy oil, grain, and excercise--I was doing great...
And then I got the letter (which I was pretty much expecting) of bad news. And I decided that I would eat 3 of my truffles from chocolate tasting.
Let me say this--I have been doing awesome with these boxes of truffles. Two nights ago I split two truffles with L--the first I even went into the deliciousness. Tonight was unacceptable. Yes, the caramel-ly goodness was wonderful for a moment, but I have gut-rot now, feel like crap, and honestly, until the great truffle debacle, I really had a good day otherwise.
I wasn't even hungry (actually, I was super full) when I ate the truffles. Not. Worth. It.
And honestly, even the stress of the employment situation, relationship situation, family situation, and the disappointing news today, should not have derailed me. It is good to think on this. I just need to remember the gross squishy feeling I have right at this moment and avoid it as much as I can in the future.
And, I need to not let food be my comfort.
Yes, I'd love to have gone for a walk or done some yoga, but my knee hasn't been feeling better--it seems almost worse (even if that can't be possible--can it?), and it is frustrating me that an avenue of potential de-stress is so limited in order to hopefully correct whatever it is that has happened to my dumb knee.
Breathe.
04 August 2010
Lemon-Chive Potato Salad
4 ½ cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled baking potato (about 2 pounds) (I used 2 lbs. of Yukon Gold potatoes)
⅓ cup finely chopped onion (I used red onion)
½ cup light mayonnaise
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I think even more would be awesome)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup thinly sliced radishes
Place potato in a large saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Cool; cover and chill. Stir in onion.
Combine mayonnaise, chopped fresh chives, fresh lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add mayonnaise mixture to potato mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Sprinkle radishes over potato mixture just before serving.
This makes 8 servings (1/2 c/serving), and is 2 pts./serving.
Really light, refreshing, and VERY summery! Not too onion-y, and the lemon is super good!
⅓ cup finely chopped onion (I used red onion)
½ cup light mayonnaise
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I think even more would be awesome)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup thinly sliced radishes
Place potato in a large saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Cool; cover and chill. Stir in onion.
Combine mayonnaise, chopped fresh chives, fresh lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add mayonnaise mixture to potato mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Sprinkle radishes over potato mixture just before serving.
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| YUM!!! |
This makes 8 servings (1/2 c/serving), and is 2 pts./serving.
Really light, refreshing, and VERY summery! Not too onion-y, and the lemon is super good!
Chocoloate Chip Zucchini Bread
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (2 Tbsp.)
2 large eggs
1 cup applesauce (+2 Tbsps.)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (+extra)
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (+extra)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups finely shredded zucchini (+extra)
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until moist. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean (I had mine in for 4 minutes additionally, and the edges looked like they were dark, so I pulled it even though the middle might not have been 100% done). Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
*Note...Again, I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THE POINT CALCULATION BEFORE GOING ALL GUNG-HO AND BAKING. ARGH.
This recipe comes out to 3 points/serving...IF I can get 15 slices of bread from the ONE LOAF. BLARGH.
Moist, awesome, flavorful and DELICIOUS! I need to keep messing around with the recipe to unload some points.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (2 Tbsp.)
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| Pre-baking gooeyness... |
1 cup applesauce (+2 Tbsps.)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (+extra)
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (+extra)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups finely shredded zucchini (+extra)
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until moist. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean (I had mine in for 4 minutes additionally, and the edges looked like they were dark, so I pulled it even though the middle might not have been 100% done). Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
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| Out of the oven... |
This recipe comes out to 3 points/serving...IF I can get 15 slices of bread from the ONE LOAF. BLARGH.
Moist, awesome, flavorful and DELICIOUS! I need to keep messing around with the recipe to unload some points.
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| Deliciousness. |
WI for REAL!
259.2!!!!!!! -7.8!!!
I nearly peed myself I was so excited!!!!! AND, it was even on the sucky gym scale that I hate!!
This is what motivated me to complete the 61 laps I swam--thinking of food for the majority of the swim and all!
Day by day--I CAN do this!!
**AND--I had to decrease my daily point intake by 1--I know that isn't much, but this is the first step of many!!
I nearly peed myself I was so excited!!!!! AND, it was even on the sucky gym scale that I hate!!
This is what motivated me to complete the 61 laps I swam--thinking of food for the majority of the swim and all!
Day by day--I CAN do this!!
**AND--I had to decrease my daily point intake by 1--I know that isn't much, but this is the first step of many!!
03 August 2010
WI minus the WI
Normally I weigh myself at the gym (which I hate) after the class I take on Tuesdays.
My knee was hurting enough after class, and I was so worn out (it was the first class of the month so there is a new routine), I blew past the locker room and forgot to do my weigh in. I will tomorrow when I go swim (stupid knee still hurts), but I thought I'd fess up that I used the weight that the doctor's scale said last Wednesday, which was 1 full pound under the gym's weight.
Now you know.
My knee was hurting enough after class, and I was so worn out (it was the first class of the month so there is a new routine), I blew past the locker room and forgot to do my weigh in. I will tomorrow when I go swim (stupid knee still hurts), but I thought I'd fess up that I used the weight that the doctor's scale said last Wednesday, which was 1 full pound under the gym's weight.
Now you know.
Stove-Top Mac-N-Cheese
Dang.
I know I am getting obsessed here--the fridge is CRAMMED with leftovers from my "projects," but when I saw this recipe on the WW boards this morning, I knew I had to try it...even if I didn't have all the ingredients. I was going to just make 1/2 the recipe, but--I AM a WI girl to my core, so I went forward...probably not the best idea since my tweaks increased the points by 2/serving, but really--the recipe was easy, and I'd totally make this again.
*4 cups uncooked medium elbow macaroni
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 2 1/4 cups fat-free milk (Ran out of milk at 1 2/3--all I had was 1/2 and 1/2--so, I used 1/3 cup of it. Sigh.)
* 1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened (+an additional pinch because I was short 1/4 c milk.)
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (+probably more)
* 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic (+MORE!!)
* 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (I had 1 cup of low-fat Mexican shredded cheese, and then used 1/4 shredded Parmesan cheese).
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
While pasta cooks, place flour, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Add milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Drop cream cheese by teaspoonfuls into milk mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes or until thick and cream cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire, and garlic; simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Combine pasta and cheese sauce in a large bowl; toss well.
7 cups=1 cup/serving : 8 points/serving...
DELICIOUS. The Dijon adds an awesome flavor, and easily could be a side dish 1/2 the amount and 1/2 the points. This was really easy to make, and I am satisfied on this cloudy Oregon day!!
I know I am getting obsessed here--the fridge is CRAMMED with leftovers from my "projects," but when I saw this recipe on the WW boards this morning, I knew I had to try it...even if I didn't have all the ingredients. I was going to just make 1/2 the recipe, but--I AM a WI girl to my core, so I went forward...probably not the best idea since my tweaks increased the points by 2/serving, but really--the recipe was easy, and I'd totally make this again.
*4 cups uncooked medium elbow macaroni
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 2 1/4 cups fat-free milk (Ran out of milk at 1 2/3--all I had was 1/2 and 1/2--so, I used 1/3 cup of it. Sigh.)
* 1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened (+an additional pinch because I was short 1/4 c milk.)
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (+probably more)
* 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic (+MORE!!)
* 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (I had 1 cup of low-fat Mexican shredded cheese, and then used 1/4 shredded Parmesan cheese).
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| The finished product... |
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
While pasta cooks, place flour, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Add milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Drop cream cheese by teaspoonfuls into milk mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes or until thick and cream cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire, and garlic; simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Combine pasta and cheese sauce in a large bowl; toss well.
7 cups=1 cup/serving : 8 points/serving...
DELICIOUS. The Dijon adds an awesome flavor, and easily could be a side dish 1/2 the amount and 1/2 the points. This was really easy to make, and I am satisfied on this cloudy Oregon day!!
02 August 2010
Experimenting...Turkey Meatballs
I had only 9.5 points left for the day, and I wasn't in the mood for a SmartOnes. So I plugged in turkey, bread, and beans into the WW recipe suggestion builder, and got a meatball recipe.
Sounded good, but then I got lazy, and L got home, and I didn't have zucchini. So, we tweaked the recipe, and L, being the amazing Italian man that he is, added his culinary skills to the sauce we made...Eventually I will want to try the recipe with all the veggies, but this was delicious and filling, AND I have a giant amount of leftovers! YAY!
Original Recipe from WW Online:
3/4 lbs. ground turkey
3 Tbsps dried bread crumbs
1 egg white lightly beaten
2 Tbsps. parsely
2 Tbsps. fresh dill, chopped
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. lemon zest
4 tsp. olive oli
1 med. zucchini (8 oz) chopped
1 med. onion chopped
1 medium bell pepper chopped
28 oz. canned tomatoes, whole plum, chopped with their juice
10 oz frozen green beans thawed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions:
Our tweaks:
1 lb.. ground turkey
3 Tbsps dried bread crumbs
1 egg white lightly beaten
2 Tbsps. parsely
2 Tbsps. dill, chopped (we didn't have fresh, so I just used dried)
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. lemon zest + more--I love lemon zest!
1/2 lemon squeezed into the tomato paste
water (also added to the paste)
1 Tbsp. olive oli
shallot minced
4 garlic cloves chopped
6 oz can tomato paste (L suggested using tomato soup, but I am glad he dug this out of the pantry instead!)
14.5 oz. diced tomatoes with their juice
To taste:
oregano
basil
garlic powder
salt
pepper
Directions:
Combine the turkey, bread crumbs, egg white, parsley, dill, mustard, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Shape into 24 meatballs.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the shallot and garlic. Saute, then add the meatballs. Cook, turning frequently, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes.
To the pan, add tomatoes, paste + enough lemon juice + water to make a liquidy enough sauce. Simmer.
I got 24 meatballs (1pt. per meatball!), and the sauce is 4 points TOTAL!!!
We had Trader Joe's potato gnocchi with this, and next time I'd rather have angel hair pasta, but my laziness took over so I didn't make pasta. The meatballs didn't dry out, and they have a fun, fresh flavor with the lemon, dill, and dijon. YUM!!!! I am FULL!!!
All together, with sauce, gnocchi, and 4 meatballs, the meal was 6 points!!! AWESOME!!!
Sounded good, but then I got lazy, and L got home, and I didn't have zucchini. So, we tweaked the recipe, and L, being the amazing Italian man that he is, added his culinary skills to the sauce we made...Eventually I will want to try the recipe with all the veggies, but this was delicious and filling, AND I have a giant amount of leftovers! YAY!
Original Recipe from WW Online:
3/4 lbs. ground turkey
3 Tbsps dried bread crumbs
1 egg white lightly beaten
2 Tbsps. parsely
2 Tbsps. fresh dill, chopped
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. lemon zest
4 tsp. olive oli
1 med. zucchini (8 oz) chopped
1 med. onion chopped
1 medium bell pepper chopped
28 oz. canned tomatoes, whole plum, chopped with their juice
10 oz frozen green beans thawed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions:
Combine the turkey, bread crumbs, egg white, parsley, dill, mustard, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Shape into 20 meatballs.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the meatballs. Cook, turning frequently, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof plate with a slotted spoon; keep warm.
Return the skillet to the heat and add the zucchini, onion, and green bell pepper; sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, salt, and black pepper; bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs to the sauce; simmer, partially covered, frequently spooning the sauce over the meatballs, until the meatballs are cooked through and tender, 10 minutes. Yields 5 meatballs with 1⁄2 cup sauce per servingOur tweaks:
1 lb.. ground turkey
3 Tbsps dried bread crumbs
1 egg white lightly beaten
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| Meatballs in sauce! |
2 Tbsps. dill, chopped (we didn't have fresh, so I just used dried)
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. lemon zest + more--I love lemon zest!
1/2 lemon squeezed into the tomato paste
water (also added to the paste)
1 Tbsp. olive oli
shallot minced
4 garlic cloves chopped
6 oz can tomato paste (L suggested using tomato soup, but I am glad he dug this out of the pantry instead!)
14.5 oz. diced tomatoes with their juice
To taste:
oregano
basil
garlic powder
salt
pepper
Directions:
Combine the turkey, bread crumbs, egg white, parsley, dill, mustard, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Shape into 24 meatballs.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the shallot and garlic. Saute, then add the meatballs. Cook, turning frequently, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes.
To the pan, add tomatoes, paste + enough lemon juice + water to make a liquidy enough sauce. Simmer.
I got 24 meatballs (1pt. per meatball!), and the sauce is 4 points TOTAL!!!
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| After we cooked the gnocchi, L added it to the sauce/meatballs. |
All together, with sauce, gnocchi, and 4 meatballs, the meal was 6 points!!! AWESOME!!!
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| My serving! Louie said I should have dished it out on a smaller plate, but I was hungry! |
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes...
Thanks Krista for this idea!!
Mine is far from pretty--unlike Krista's, but I need to keep going with projects--the unemployment cloud is starting to get to me, and because I can't "train" with the C25K program until my knee feels better, I am starting to go mad!
So I made these!!!
3 sweet potatoes--scrubbed and I poked holes in them, rubbed a bit of olive oil on them and sprinkled with Kosher salt.
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. garlic
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 yellow onion (chopped)
Put tatoes in the oven at 400 degrees, and bake for 1 hour. About 8 minutes before time is up, heat up oil, add garlic, saute for a bit, then add chopped onion--saute until they become slightly translucent, and then add mushrooms. Cook until you want the veggies to be done.
Slice tatoe--add topping, and I sprayed 3 squirts of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray.
3 potatoes, 3 servings of "stuffing"= 4 points per serving
DELICIOUS.
You might want to wait slightly longer than I did to start shoveling. Because this tastes SO good, I have scorched my mouth on at least three separate attempts.
All I have to say is YUM!!! Sweet, savory, salty, all togther--and--really filling!
Mine is far from pretty--unlike Krista's, but I need to keep going with projects--the unemployment cloud is starting to get to me, and because I can't "train" with the C25K program until my knee feels better, I am starting to go mad!
So I made these!!!
3 sweet potatoes--scrubbed and I poked holes in them, rubbed a bit of olive oil on them and sprinkled with Kosher salt.
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. garlic
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 yellow onion (chopped)
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| The sweet potatoes after cooking! |
Slice tatoe--add topping, and I sprayed 3 squirts of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray.
3 potatoes, 3 servings of "stuffing"= 4 points per serving
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| The stuffing |
DELICIOUS.
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| YUM!!! The finished product with sprays of ICBINB! |
You might want to wait slightly longer than I did to start shoveling. Because this tastes SO good, I have scorched my mouth on at least three separate attempts.
All I have to say is YUM!!! Sweet, savory, salty, all togther--and--really filling!
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