Food, Water & Workout Journal 6/17/11 Special day!

It’s Battle of Bunker Hill Day. Just thought you’d like to know. It’s also my grandmother’s birthday. It’s also the first official day of summer vacation for the boys. Know what that means? I got to sleep uninterrupted until one of their friends called to see if he could come over. Knowing that they’re old enough to fend for themselves in the morning is enough to cure me of any thoughts of wanting another baby that pop into my head every once in a while. Maybe one of my friends will have one soon and I’ll be able to live vicariously through her…while still getting to sleep.

12:00pm 24oz water and 2 Beachbody Slimming Formula tablets

12:15pm Breakfast – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz water (still out of milk), 1 Tbs. almond butter, 1 scoop Shakeology Fiber Boost, a dash of cinnamon and 3 ice cubes

1:00pm Went out for errands and forgot to eat…ugh

6:30pm Lunch? 24oz water, 3 1/2 oz rotisserie chicken breast from Costco eaten right off the chicken while putting the rest of the food away because I was ready to eat! 1 slice of American cheese as we were headed out the door to go see Adjustment Bureau. My opinion of that movie could easily take up a whole other post. Let’s just say it led to an in-depth conversation with my kids about God.

9:30pm Snack/Dinner/Whatever you want to call it – 16oz water and 2 Slimming Formula tablets, Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz 1% milk (got milk!), 1 scoop Shakeology Fiber Boost, 3 maraschino cherries, a few drops mint extract (that’s right – cherry mint chocolate – it was actually really good) and 4 ice cubes. This is what was tempting me, but I DIDN’T eat because I wanted to tell you (and myself) that I was triumphant. I was also extremely tempted not to workout but…

10:30pm WORKOUT!! ChaLEAN Extreme Lean Circuit 3 (my FAVORITE of the Leans!) and TurboFire FIRE30. Like Chalene says in this circuit, my muscles were “shakin’ like a scared Chihuahua”. LOL I love her…even when she’s asking me to do travelling push-ups and Army crawls. 32oz water

12:00am Post-workout – 1 scoop/half serving P90X Results & Recovery Formula in 12oz water

12:45am Dinner #2 I guess – 16oz water, 4 1/2 oz lean beef (pre-cooked weight and I don’t remember what cut it was, but it was in the freezer from when I stocked up for the TurboFire 5-Day Inferno) marinated in light soy sauce, garlic and black pepper; 1/2 small onion, 1/2 red bell pepper and 2 large mushrooms. I’ve noticed that lately my photos have had a lot of brown and green, but no red so this fixed that issue. Not that I haven’t been eating red food, it’s just been in my Shakeology in the form of superfoods. For dessert – a delightful 90 calorie Fiber One Brownie…yumm!

Total calories consumed – 1190  Total calories burned – 3299

Protein – 104g, Carbs – 102g, Fat – 45g, Fiber – 28g

Water – 124oz

Well, that was a busy day and I’ve learned that I need to do some better planning for the next one, whenever that may be.

Food, Water & Workout Journal 6/14/11 – Better planning means better results

Today is going to be better than yesterday because I’m not going to put my workout off until the evening, hoping I’ll be able to fit it in without interfering with the rest of the family. Fortunately, we are still not having high temps like in a lot other parts of the country so it’s nice and cool inside. When summer finally hits us I’m not sure how I’m going to balance my sleep schedule with my workout schedule. I guess I should start thinking about it now because it’s just around the corner.

8:00am 20oz water, belly was still full from last night (note to self: don’t eat 600 calories worth of protein and fiber late at night because it will take forever to digest)

9:00am back to bed for more sleep – 3 1/2 hours doesn’t cut it

1:40pm Breakfast – 12oz water and 2 Beachbody Slimming Formula tablets, Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz water, 1 Tbs. almond butter, 1 scoop Shakeology Fiber Boost, a dash of cinnamon and 3 ice cubes

2:00pm WORKOUT!! Yep, it’s exciting again. ChaLEAN Extreme Lean Circuit 2, TurboFire FIRE55EZ, FIRE30 and Stretch10. 40oz water and 1/2 serving P90X Results and Recovery Formula during the last 30 minutes.

6:15pm Lunch – Sandwich made with 2 slices whole grain white bread, 2 slices turkey (1oz each), 1 slice low-fat swiss cheese, 1 tsp brown mustard, 2 romaine lettuce leaves, 5 or 6 pepperoncini slices and 2 black olives, chopped (technically torn apart because getting out a knife for two olives seemed silly) 2ooz water and 2 Slimming Formula tablets

6:45pm Took the kids outside and shot some hoops. Such a perfect day out!! And I was full of energy.

9:45pm Snack – Soup made with 1 can 33% less sodium chicken broth, 9oz Trader Joe’s firm tofu, 2oz sliced mushrooms, 2 Romaine lettuce leaves, shredded (spinach or bok choy would be good, too), a dash of soy sauce, some ground ginger, granulated garlic (fresh would’ve been better for both the ginger and garlic, but I was in a hurry), mushroom powder and plenty of black pepper. Yeah, I ate the whole thing and it was only 240 calories. Gotta love that!

12:15am Dinner – 16oz water and 2 Slimming Formula tablets, Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz skim milk, 1 scoop Shakeology Fiber Boost, a few drops mint extract and 4 ice cubes

1:45am Snack – 6 whole walnuts and 10oz Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger tea with stevia in the tea bag

Total calories consumed – 1315  Total calories burned – 3696

Protein – 111g, Carbs – 137g, Fat – 44g, Fiber – 33g

Water – 118oz

Much better than yesterday!

Food, Water & Workout Journal 6/11/11 – Emotional Eating Bad, Veggies Good

I was still up at almost 4am and found myself frustrated about something. After much deliberation I turned to food for comfort like I have many, many, many times before. At least this time, because I still had my goal in mind, I chose somewhat healthier foods (as opposed to ice cream, candy and chips) and stopped myself before I had completely undone all the progress I’ve made. Also interesting to note is that this was the first day I hadn’t really worked out since starting this challenge. Sure I had walked for about 40 minutes, but that’s way different from doing ChaLEAN Extreme or TurboFire. Way different.

Early Morning Eating Binge – 8 pieces (yes, 8 more) imitation crab, 2 slices Kraft American cheese, about 5 corn puffs (the white cheddar kind from Trader Joe’s), a sip (maybe more like a gulp) of root beer, and 4 chocolate covered mini-pretzels

1:15pm (yes, you read that right…that’s when I woke up) Breakfast – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz water, 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost, 1 tsp instant coffee granules and 3 ice cubes. Also had 12oz water with 2 Beachbody Slimming Formula tablets

4:00pm Snack – 2 c. homemade minestrone soup and 12oz water

6:20pm WORKOUT #1!! ChaLEAN Extreme Burn It Off and TurboFire FIRE55EZ then a short walk around the park while the boys kicked a soccer ball around. Why did I split up my workout? Because my family needed food so I threw together some dinner and baked it while we went outside. 36oz water.

7:45pm Snack/Post-workout – 1 scoop P90X Results & Recovery Formula with 10oz water

8:30pm Lunch (aka Dinner for the rest of the family) – 12oz. water and 2 Slimming Formula tablets, 4 c. shredded romaine lettuce with dressing made from 1 Tbs. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, 1 Tbs. light sour cream, 2 tsp skim milk and a pinch of chipotle seasoning. It’s from Knorr and comes in little cubes.1/8 of the Veggie and Cheese enchilada casserole thing I made from scratch. The plan was to make actual enchiladas, but this was much easier and faster. Here’s the recipe. The veggies I used were just what I had in the fridge. I think this would be very forgiving and you could use lots of different combos. It could also be great with green sauce.

2 c. red enchilada sauce

10 corn tortillas

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 zucchini, diced

1 broccoli crown, chopped

1 c. frozen corn

1 serving frozen sweet potato fries (84g)

8oz shredded cheese (I used part-skim mozzarella because that’s what I had, but low-fat Monterey Jack or cheddar would be good, too.)

salt, chili powder and garlic powder to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350. Spray 9×13 pan with Pam.

1. Heat large skillet to medium-high and add olive oil.

2. Add veggies, salt, chili powder and garlic powder (or fresh if you’re not lazy or in a big hurry like I was).

3. Cook veggie mixture until crisp-tender and a little browned. Meanwhile, start prepping the pan with enchilada sauce and half the tortillas by spreading 1/3 c. sauce in the bottom and covering with tortillas then another 1/3 c. sauce.

Nope, I didn’t heat the tortillas or coat them in sauce. Just put them in straight from the fridge. Easy.

4. Spread the veggie mixture evenly over the bottom layer of tortillas. I was trying to keep the calories low and didn’t want a bunch of tortillas so I just did one layer.

5. Cover the veggies with about 6oz of the shredded cheese. Save the rest for the top.

6. Cover with remaining 5 tortillas, the rest of the sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

7.  Bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 minutes or until heated through. Mine stayed in the oven about 40 minutes because we were outside and the veggies ended up a little softer than I would’ve liked, but it was still good. If I had green onions and/or cilantro I would’ve sprinkled them over the top before serving for sure.

Each serving (1/8 of pan) had 11g protein, 29g carbs, 7g fat, 4g fiber and 215 calories.

10:15pm WORKOUT #2 – ChaLEAN Extreme Ab Burner (10 min.) and Recharge (20 min. stretch/yoga)

11:00pm Dinner – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz skim milk (organic as always), 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost, a few drops mint extract and 4 ice cubes – tasted just like mint chocolate chip ice cream 🙂 12oz water and the last 2 Slimming Formula tablets

1:43am (now) – Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger tea with stevia already in the bag – 10oz

Total calories consumed – 1517  Total calories burned – 3530

Protein – 99g, Carbs – 200g, Fat – 41g, Fiber – 41g

Water – 100oz

Today could have been a total disaster or at least a wash with the extra calories from my early morning mishap, but by incorporating lots of veggies into the rest of the day I stayed full and kept the calories right where I wanted them. Yay veggies!!

Food, Water & Workout Journal 6/8 – 6/10/11 – Rockin’ It!!

Ack!! I’ve fallen way behind on posting my journal. Not that I haven’t been keeping one. I’ve been doing my tracking over on the BodyBugg site. I doubt if I’ll remember all the times for everything so I’m not even going to try to list them, but here are the last three days.

6/8/11

Breakfast – a toasted whole wheat pita pocket stuffed with scrambled eggs (1 whole and 2 whites), 2 slices turkey bacon and 1 slice of tomato (I really hate that my camera is so bad at taking close-up shots)

Snack – 1 1/2 c. broccoli, 2 Tbs Toby’s Lite Jalapeno Tofu spread (YUMM!!!), 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light cheese, 1 whole tomato plus the rest of the one I took the slice from for breakfast and 2 Tbs fat-free Italian dressing

Lunch – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz water, 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost, 1 Tbs almond butter and 3 ice cubes

Snack – P90X Cafe Mocha protein bar

Workout – ChaLEAN Extreme Push Circuit 3, TurboFire FIRE45, FIRE30 and Stretch10. Got started really late and the neighbors actually banged on the wall (or ceiling…not sure if it was the people next to or below us) around 11:30pm so I had to finish all my TurboFire low-impact. It really wasn’t that easy to do because I was full of energy and am used to putting as much bounce in my step as possible.

During/post-workout – 1 scoop (half serving) P90X Results & Recovery Formula

Dinner – which was actually at about 1:30am or so – The plan was to have another Shakeology, but I was afraid to push it any further with the neighbors. I figured if I used the blender they’d be knocking on my door for sure. Instead, I had a turkey wrap made with a low-carb whole wheat tortilla, 3 slices turkey (about 1 oz each), 1 tsp brown mustard, and a big handful of iceberg lettuce. Also had 3 turkey sausage links because I opened a package for my husband and didn’t feel like wrapping up the three that were left. Plus, I needed some more protein and was fine on calories.

Total calories consumed – 1378        Total calories burned – 2297 (I counted all the calories I ate before I went to bed, but the calories burned only goes up to midnight because that’s how the bodybugg works)

Protein – 113g, Carbs – 145g, Fat – 45g, Fiber – 35g

Water – honestly can’t remember now, but at least 70oz (completely forgot to take the Slimming Formula all day…ooops)

6/9/11

Breakfast – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz skim milk, a scoop of Shakeology fiber boost, 3 ice cubes and a few drops of raspberry flavoring – reminded me of those delightful Ghirardelli raspberry squares

Workout – TurboFire FIRE55EZ and FIRE45EZ (burned over 1800 calories doing these and had SO MUCH FUN!)

Snack – actually had this while working out – a scoop (half serving) P90X Results & Recovery Formula

Lunch – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz water, 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost, 1 Tbs natural peanut butter, 3 ice cubes

Dinner – which ended up being about 3 hours after lunch – burrito made with a large flour tortilla (probably would’ve been better to use a whole wheat one, but I really wanted the “bad” kind ha ha…was it worth it? not really), 4oz cooked ground turkey that was seasoned with taco seasoning, a little shredded iceberg lettuce, 1 Tbs light sour cream and 2 Tbs pico de gallo with a lettuce and tomato salad topped with 2 Tbs Trader Joe’s low fat cilantro dressing

Snack – 10 raw almonds and 6oz Yoplait Light Harvest Peach yogurt

Total calories consumed – 1454    Total calories burned (including the end of my workout from the night before) – 4398

Protein – 104g, Carbs – 166g, Fat – 44g, Fiber – 28g

Water – at least 100oz and I’m pretty sure I remembered to take all 6 Slimming Formula tablets

6/10/11

Breakfast – Oatmeal made with 1/2 c. dry rolled oats, 1/4 c. skim milk, 10 almonds, chopped, 1 Tbs. blueberry flavored Craisins, 2 tsp. pure maple syrup and a pinch of salt – I’m trying to rotate which meals I have Shakeology for so I don’t get bored with the same routine, but I have to say I always feel much better after having Shakeology for breakfast that anything else. I know that having a good amount of protein or fiber is supposed to be ideal, but it’s still not the same. Nothing gives me the same amount of sustained energy that Shakeology does.

Snack – 1 large cucumber, sliced dipped in 1 Tbs. Hidden Valley Original Ranch dressing mixed with 1 Tbs. light sour cream and a dash of black pepper (I’m not a fan of light or fat-free ranch dressing so I like to mix the original with light sour cream to cut down on fat and calories without getting that weird “light” taste)

Lunch – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz water, 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost, 3 maraschino cherries and 3 ice cubes

Snack – 2 Trader Joe’s uncured chicken hot dogs (no preservatives, nitrates, etc.) with 1 tsp. brown mustard

Dinner – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz skim milk, 1 Tbs. almond butter, 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost, a few drops of coconut extract and 3 ice cubes – Almond Joy anyone?

Snack – 14 pieces imitation crab (the chunk kind – yes, I love it…right out of the package) and 1 orange

Total calories consumed – 1348  Total calories burned – 2868 (didn’t actually workout because I felt my body needed a rest, but I did walk for about 40 minutes and played a little basketball with my son for a few minutes)

Protein – 99g, Carbs – 168g, Fat – 38g, Fiber – 33g

Water – at least 80oz and I remembered all 6 Slimming Formula tablets

I’m feeling great about how I’m doing so far and can see real changes in my body. Can’t wait until I weigh again to see how close to my goal I am for this week!

Food, Water & Workout Journal – 6/7/11 Not too bad for so little sleep

This was the second day of my big 2 month challenge. I fell short on the total calories burned, but honestly, because I only got about 6 hours of sleep including my afternoon nap I think I did pretty well. I really just  kind of sat around a lot other than my 2 hour workout so I’m not surprised and I’m not going to beat myself up. I know how important sleep is for losing weight so I’m just going to have to do better about that.

7:45am – 8oz water with 2 Beachbody Slimming Formula tablets (no crazy stuff or stimulants)

8:00am – Chocolate Shakeology with 4oz water, 4oz skim milk, 1 1/2 tsp natural peanut butter, 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost and 3 ice cubes

10:00am – Morning snack – 4 stalks of celery, 2 small carrots and 1 Tbs ranch dressing (the original, full-fat kind) mixed with 1 Tbs light sour cream and a dash of black pepper

12:45pm – 20oz water

1:15pm – NAP!!

3:30pm – 20oz water and 2 more Slimming Formula tablets

4:00pm – Lunch – 2 c of the minestrone soup I made the night before which was even better after all the flavors melded together overnight.

6:30pm – Workout time!! TurboFire Fire45EZ (so…much….fun!!), HIIT20 and ChaLEAN Extreme Burn Intervals – WOW! I must admit by the time I got to the Lunge Jumps I was feelin’ it! I skipped those and made my P90X Results & Recovery drink (just one scoop) so I could finish the rest of the workout strong. Drank at least 50oz water.

9:00pm – Snack – P90X Cafe Mocha protein bar. I was headed out the door so it was something easy I could just grab and it boosted my protein intake for the day.

11:00pm – 20oz water and the last 2 Slimming Formula tablets

11:30pm – Dinner, finally – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz skim milk, 4 maraschino cherries, 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost and 3 ice cubes. This ones’s bit higher in carbs, but it was soooooooooo good! I decided to stop eating after that even though I’m normally aiming for 1500 calories a day. Since I didn’t reach my goal for calories burned I figured it would be ok since I was over the 1200 mark which is the minimum a female should eat each day to keep the metabolism going.

Total calories consumed – 1316       Total calories burned – 3517 according to my BodyBugg

Protein – 90g, Carbs – 188g, Fat – 28g, Fiber 41g Whoo hoo!!

I’m Back – And Back in Control

It’s been a while, too long, since my last post. After I finished the TurboFire 5-Day Inferno with great results I pretty much lost my mind and all self-control. This has happened before. It’s definitely hormonal. I suppose I could’ve posted during the past week, but you know what they say…”If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all.” That’s the approach I chose this time around. But after basically hitting rock bottom (I’m talking eating half a loaf of garlic bread followed by I don’t even want to say how much ice cream and washing it all down with 3 cans of root beer, not diet) I am back in control.

Not only am I back in control, but I have a new goal. It’s a big one. So big, in fact, that I’m not even going to share it lest you think I’m still completely insane and not really in control at all. It’s something I know I can do, though, because working from home part-time gives me the time I need to accomplish it. And it’s about gosh-darn time, too! I’ve been working out, but not as consistently as I should and I’ve been watching what I eat, but not as diligently as I should so I haven’t seen the results I could have if I’d been more on top of things. I will say that this is the first time in my life that I’ve lost weight and not gained it all back plus some, but I would like to keep shrinking, not just maintain where I am.

So I have a plan and it’s a good one. It’s simple math, really. Burn more than you consume. I have a BodyBugg that tells me what I’ve burned and I just need to keep track of what I’ve consumed, making sure I eat enough, often enough, to keep my body from going into starvation mode. So here’s Day 1 of my new 2 month goal.

7:45am – 1 cup hot green tea

8:00am – 8oz water with two Beachbody Slimming Formula tablets (green tea and other natural metabolism boosters with no stimulants/ephedra – that stuff is bad news)

8:30am – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz skim milk, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost, a dash of vanilla extract and 4 ice cubes

10:00am – 16oz water and weeding for 45 minutes

12:00pm – Turkey wrap made with an 80 calorie low-carb tortilla, 3 slices turkey, 1 tsp brown mustard, and 2 c iceberg lettuce

2:00pm – Nap time since I only had 4 hours of sleep the night before

4:30pm – 8oz water and 2 more Slimming Formula tablets

4:45pm – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz water, 1 Tbs almond butter, 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost, and 4 ice cubes

5:00pm – Workout time! TurboFire Fire55EZ, Fire30 and ChaLEAN Extreme Push Circuit 2 – yep, 2 hours of working out – drank 40oz water

7:15pm – 1 scoop or half a serving of P90X Results & Recovery Formula mixed into 10oz water

7:45pm – 6oz Yoplait Light Harvest Peach because I knew it would be a while before I would eat dinner and I didn’t want my blood sugar to drop too much

10:15pm – Raspberry Zinger tea sweetened with stevia (Celestial Seasonings has tea bags with the stevia right in them – brilliant!!) and the last two Slimming Formula tablets for the day

10:30pm – 2 c homemade minestrone soup or something close to it topped with 1 Tbs grated parmesan cheese and some cayenne for a kick – Here’s the recipe…

Makes about 14 c

1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 c celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

4 c zucchini, chopped (I quartered two lengthwise then cut into 1/2 chunks)

1 1/2 c Prego Heart Smart sauce

1 14.5oz can 33% lower sodium chicken broth (this could easily have been vegetable broth)

1 6oz can tomato paste

8 c water

1 15oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 15oz can white cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained

6 oz fresh or frozen spinach, chopped (I used fresh because that’s what I had)

3 oz whole wheat pasta shells, dry

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp parsley flakes

1 Tbs granulated garlic

2 tsp Kosher salt (or to taste)

1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste)

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium-low then cook the onion, celery and fresh garlic until they begin to soften.

2. Add the zucchini, basil and parsley (or any other herbs you like) and continue cooking until zucchini begins to soften.

3. Add the broth, Prego sauce, tomato paste, drained beans, granulated garlic and water and bring to a slow boil on medium-high heat.

4. Stir in the whole wheat pasta and spinach, cover and turn down the heat to medium checking the pasta for “doneness” every few minutes. (It took 10 minutes for mine to be ready.)

5. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy.

11:30pm – P90X Wildberry protein bar – sort of a dessert, but gave me the last 20g of protein I needed for the day

Total calories – 1465

Protein – 114g, Fat – 32g, Carbs 208g, Fiber 57g

TurboFire 5-Day Inferno Shopping List

One of my best friends and I are going to do the TurboFire 5 Day Inferno at the same time so it made sense for us to go shopping together for the food we need in order to follow the eating plan. This is a master shopping list for everything one person needs for the 5 days following the plan exactly. (If you are starting with a lower body fat percentage there is info in the guide on how to modify the eating plan.) Some of the recipes in the guide make enough food for 2 or 4 people so I divided those recipes to get single servings. That way, certain ingredients on the list can be multiplied for different sized families. The list may look a bit daunting, but you probably have a lot of the ingredients on hand already and it covers 25 meals/snacks. If you don’t have Shakeology, contact me on facebook or twitter and I’ll help you out. I’ll be posting my progress and results as I go through the program. Can’t wait to get started!!

Tomato – 1/2 (Day 1), 1/2 (Day 2), 1 (Roma, Day 4), 2 slices (Day 5) = 3

Banana, medium – 1/2 (Day 1), 1/2 (Day 4), 1/2 (Day 5) = 3

Lettuce or mixed greens, cup – 3 (Day 1), 1 (Day 2), 2 (Day 4), 2 (Day 5) = 8

Cherry tomatoes – 5 (Day 1)

Celery, stalk – 1 (Day 1), 2 (Day 2), 1 (Day 5) = 4

Scallions – 3 (Day 1), 1 (Day 3) = 4

Broccoli, cup – *1 (Day 1)

Cantaloupe, cubed, cup – 3/4 (Day 2)

Avocado – 1/4 (Day 2), *1/8 (Day 3) = 1 – keeping the pit in the half you don’t use the first day will help keep it from browning in the fridge

Raisins – 10-15 (Day 2)

Pineapple ring, canned in juice, drained – **1 (Day 2), 2 (Day 3) = 3

Medium head of bok choy, roughly chopped – **1/2 (Day 2)

Zucchini – 1 (Day 3)

Large Carrot – 1 (Day 3), 1 (Day 5) = 2

Medium baking potato – 1 (Day 3), **1/2 (or 1 small, Day 4) = 2

Raspberries (or stawberries, blueberries, boysenberries) fresh, cup – 1/2 (Day 3)

Fresh cilantro, sprig – *2 (Day 3)

Apple, medium – 1 (Day 4)

Orange – 1 (Day 4)

Fresh spinach, oz – **6 (Day 4)

Alfalfa sprouts, cup – 1 (Day 5)

Cucumber – 3 slices (Day 5), 1 whole (Day 5) = 2

Red bell pepper – 1 (Day 5)

Peas, cup – **1/2 (Day 5)

Turkey bacon, slice – 1 (Day 1), 1 (Day 3) = 2

Tuna in water, oz – 4 (Day 1)

Chicken breast, uncooked, oz – *6 (Day 1), *3 (Day 3), 3 (Day 5) = 12

Turkey breast slices, oz  – 3 to 4 (Day 2)

Wild salmon without skin, oz – **4 (Day 2)

Grass-fed lean steak like loin, flank, skirt, oz – **4 (Day 4)

Turkey sausage links (approx 60-70 cals each) – 2 (Day 5)

Lean, boneless pork loin chop, oz – **4 (I don’t eat pork so I’ll sub poultry) (Day 5)

Shakeology, Chocolate, scoop or packet – 4 (Day 1,2,4,5)

Shakeology, Greenberry, scoop or packet – 1 (Day 3)

Walnut halves – 7  (Day 1)

Almond butter, Tbs – 1/2 (Day 1), 1 (Day 4) = 1 1/2

Peanut butter, tsp – 2 (Day 2), 3 (Day 2), 2 (Day 4) = 7

Raw almonds – 10 (Day 4)

Fat-free Ranch dressing, Tbs – 2 (Day 1), 2 (Day 3) = 4

Dijon mustard, tsp – *4 (Day 1), 3 (Day 4) = 7

Honey, tsp – *1 1/2 (Day 1), 1 (Day 2) = 2 1/2

Parsley flakes, tsp – *3/4 (Day 1)

Salt and pepper – to taste

Garlic salt – *to taste (Day 1)

Fat-free Italian dressing, Tbs – 1 (Day 2)

Teriyaki marinade or sauce, Tbs – **1 1/2 (Day 2)

Garlic clove – **1/2 (Day 2), **1 (Day 4) = 2

Sesame oil, tsp – **1/4 (Day 2)

Powdered ginger, tsp – **1/2 (Day 2)

Pico de gallo, tsp – *4 (Day 3)

Balsalmic vinegar, tsp – 1 (Day 4), 1 (Day 5 or low calorie dressing) = 2

Soy sauce, Tbs – **1/2 (Day 4)

Black pepper, Tbs – **1/2 (Day 4)

Strawberry preserves, tsp – 1 (Day 5)

Hummus, Tbs – 1 (Day 5)

Rosemary, Tbs – **1 (Day 5)

Olive oil, tsp. – **1/4 (Day 5)

Egg – 1 (Day 1), 2 (Day 4) = 3

Parmesan Cheese, Tbs – *1 (Day 1), **1 (Day 4) = 2

Strawberry yogurt, lowfat, oz – 6 (Day 2)

Low-fat cottage cheese, oz – 8 (Day 3), 2 (Day 4) = 10

Low-fat sour cream, tsp – 3 (Day 3), *3/4 (Day 3), **4 (Day 4) = 8

Low-fat cheese, slice – 1 (Day 3), 1 cheddar (Day 5) = 2

Nonfat milk, cup – 1 (Day 3), 1/2 (Day 5) = 1 1/2

Whole wheat bread, slice – 2 (Day 1)

Whole wheat tortilla (approx 70 cals) – 1 (Day 2), *1 (Day 3), 1 (Day 4) = 3

Brown rice, uncooked, Tbs – **3 (Day 2)

Black beans, cooked, cup – *1/2 (Day 3)

Quinoa, cooked, cup – *1/3 (Day 3)

Whole wheat waffle (appox 100 cals) – 1 (Day 5)

6-in whole wheat pita – 1/2 (Day 5)

Wild rice, dry, Tbs – **3 (Day 5)

* – original recipe was quadrupled to serve 4

** – original recipe was doubled to serve 2

You can also have tea and coffee sweetened with stevia if desired.

LET’S DO THIS!!!

Food Journal – 5/19/11 Double Dose of Goodness to Combat the Bad

After noticing yesterday that I tended to reach for more calorie-dense foods at night out of habit I was determined to make an effort to fill up on more veggies. I did better, although there’s still some room for improvement. One big step in the right direction was having the burger patty with just A-1 sauce instead of putting it on a 180 calorie bun. Yay for me!

1 “Cutie” mandarin orange – 35

1 angus beef patty with 1 Tbs A-1 sauce – 215

1 roma tomato and 1 large cucumber with 1 Tbs Wishbone dressing – 90

1/4 bean and cheese quesadilla – 150

1/2 oz tortilla chips – 70

9oz edamame including pods – 150

whole wheat and turkey and cheese – 200

p90x Cafe Mocha protein bar – 250

Once I went to bed at 4am and then got back up a little after 7am, I threw my whole schedule off by venturing out for a walk instead of going back to bed. When I returned I posted 55 of the photos I took. It was a gorgeous day and I just had to share. As soon as I got back from the walk I had some Shakeology which was a great start, but the weird schedule really threw me off.

Breakfast – Chocolate Shakeology, Bananas Foster Recipe:  6oz water, 4oz Silk Vanilla soy milk, 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology, 1/2 large ripe banana, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4-1/2 tsp rum extract (didn’t measure), 1 scoop Fiber Boost, 4 ice cubes. – 275

I was in the zone posting all those photos and completely forgot to eat. When I was done I was HUNGRY (and tired which always makes hunger feel 10x worse) so I started grabbing food. My husband also came home hungry (it was about 3:30pm by this point) so I made food for both of us.

Lunch + whatever I shoved in my mouth while making lunch – 1 slice whole wheat bread and 1/4 c. hummus – 210

2 slices American cheese – 120

Yakisoba noodles with chicken, green beans and sauce – 350

Another burger patty, but this time I did eat the stupid bun which wasn’t that good and definitely NOT worth the extra calories and another slice of cheese with ketchup and mustard – 550 ugh!!!

Dinner – I decided to just have another Shakeology because I knew I needed something a lot healthier than what I’d been eating. This time I made a Mocha recipe because even though I don’t normally drink coffee I knew I needed to get some more things done and I was really feeling the lack of sleep. Plus, it was quite warm and I just wanted something cold and refreshing. It definitely hit the spot and gave me the energy I needed to deal with the rest of my day/night. I used 8oz Silk Vanilla soy milk, 1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology, 1 rounded tsp instant coffee, 1 scoop Fiber Boost and 5 ice cubes – 275 and delightful!

Total calories – a whopping 2940!! Yikes! Good thing I took that nice, long walk which burned around 800-900 calories so I probably broke even for the 24 hour period. Just goes to show how much easier it is to eat right when you get enough sleep, plan ahead, and eat every few hours instead of going for long periods of time between meals. Well, tomorrow is another day!

Easy Turkey Meatballs – recipe with photos

This recipe originated as one of those “dump everything in a bowl and hope it turns out ok” experiments. I’ve found that ground turkey can seem a little “wet” even after cooking so adding quite a bit of bread crumbs and only dry ingredients other than the egg seemed like a good idea. Turns out is was. Great flavor and texture. This is my attempt at coming close to actual measurements.

1. I started with a package of 93/7 ground turkey (about 1 1/4 lbs).

2. Then I broke up 4 slices whole grain white bread and pulsed it in the blender to make crumbs. It totalled about 2 cups. I added the crumbs and 1 large egg to the turkey in a large bowl.

3. Next I added about 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried basil, 1-2 tsp Italian seasoning that included rosemary and sage (crushed to break up the rosemary), 1/4-1/2 tsp granulated garlic and 1 tsp dried minced onion.

4. You can’t make meatballs without getting your hands dirty so I mixed it all up with my hands then shaped the mixture into balls. This batch made 48 that were about 1 inch in diameter.

5. While I was shaping the meatballs I was heating a large skillet on medium. Just before adding them I poured in 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil. Then I browned them by swirling the skillet every few minutes. During that time I cooked pasta according to the package directions.

6. Once the meatballs were cooked through I removed half to save for another meal and added Prego Heart Smart Sauce which has less sodium and let it simmer for a few minutes.

7. I added the pasta to the skillet and tossed to coat, then served it with grated parmesan cheese. Yummm!!

I Think I’m Turning Japanese – Noodle “Recipe” with Photos

I love that song. If fact, here it is for your viewing and listening pleasure.

Ok then, back to the food. This was one of those Ok, I Have Some Yakisoba Noodles and Random Vegetables So Let’s Throw Them Together “recipes”.  So let’s get to it!

1. First, I said a word of thanks for living in a town with a Trader Joe’s because they have organic tofu for well under $2/lb.

2. Then I cut one block into cubes. Yeah, I know my cuts were kinda uneven. Oh well. While I was cutting the tofu I was heating about 1 Tbs. oil (canola and corn blend, but use whatever you want as long as it holds up well to heat) in a large skillet. Just a note here about tofu – if you have time and you’re planning on browning it, press it first. You’ll get much better results and it won’t stick to the pan as easily. I was in a hurry so I didn’t do it this time.

3. I added the tofu to the skillet, giving it a quick shake to keep the cubes from sticking and cut 2 medium carrots into strips. Kind of like wide matchsticks, but feel free to cut them however you want. Go on…go crazy.

4. Then I sliced 1 yellow onion into strips about 1/4 – 1/2 inch wide. I also check on the tofu because it was starting to brown. Once most of the moisture has evaporated from the pan it’s important to check it every few minutes so it doesn’t stick. Or you could use something other than tofu. Whatever you want.

5. Once the tofu had browned on most sides I removed it from the pan before adding the carrots and onion because this was a particularly soft block and I knew it would fall apart if I left it in while cooking the other ingredients. If I had mushrooms I would’ve used them, too, but I used them all in the Turkey Tetrazzini the other day.

6. While the carrots and onion softened on medium heat I cut 2 large celery stalks and about 3 cups green cabbage into thin strips. Some other veggies that would be nice to add if you have them on hand are zucchini, Napa cabbage, baby corn, water chestnuts or snow peas.

7. I added the cabbage and celery to the skillet (I’d love to have a wok, but don’t have room to store it) and continued cooking it all for a couple of minutes.

8. You may be wondering, “Where’s the garlic??” Don’t worry, it’s coming. Next I broke up the noodles a bit with my hands before placing them on top of the veggies. I don’t know the exact measurement of the noodles, but I got them at Costco and they come in a two pack. I used one of the packages.

9. Let me just apologize in advance for this section. I made the sauce while the noodles steamed over the veggies and just like every other time I’ve made this I didn’t measure anything except for the 1/4 cup light soy sauce I used as the base. I added maybe 1 Tbs mirin, 1 Tbs sugar, 1 tsp seasoned rice vinegar, 1/4 tsp ground ginger (fresh is so much better, but I didn’t have any), 1/2 tsp black pepper, 6 cloves minced garlic (fresh, that I minced myself) and enough water so the whole thing equalled 1 1/2 cups. Just be sure to taste the sauce before adding it to the pan. It’s a lot easier to adjust before it’s mixed in. I stirred it until the sugar dissolved then poured it over the noodles, mixing it in and breaking up the noodles with the spatula. Then I added the tofu back to the skillet and tossed with the noodles and sauce, heating the whole thing through.

10. I topped the finished product with sesame seeds. Yumm! This one’s a family favorite.