So….

I got married! And obviously the dress fit!

We spent the summer in Idaho which basically reduced any time I would spend meal planning or even blogging.

We got back at the end of August and I had knee surgery in October to repair an old ACL/meniscus tear.

Many weeks later – I’m back. My knee is still sore and I am still limited but it feels great to be back a semi-stocked kitchen.

This week, my menu is as follows:

Mushroom Bourguignon

I make this a little healthier by using whole wheat egg noodles but, this is totally like a bowl of comfortable beef stew

Sausage & Bean Casserole

I made my “own” navy beans in the crockpot, subbed in Turkey kielbasa, and I’ll top with 1/2 the breading amount using Panko.

Veggie Lasagna

Peppered Pork Stir Fry

I didn’t have green peppers so used 1 full bag of frozen cauliflower and 1 full bag of frozen snap peas

Potato Chowder

Somewhat modified — adding a little bacon, onions for leeks, and red peppers are too expensive to add. Maybe I’ll sub in a 1/2c milk?

Bad Choices

So, um, right after I exchanged my size 16 wedding dress to a 14, I proceeded to eat (over 4 days)….

Pizza (like 1 1/2 Medium over the course of a day)
An ice cream cone (it was sugar/fat free!)
12″ Subway Turkey Sub (hold the cheese, extra veggies, WW bread)
McDonald’s small shamrock shake
Lara Bar
HUGE bowl of peanut butter puffins (not buying these again)
10 sugar cookies
Tortellini pasta
peanut butter (on an apple, crackers, etc)
Handful of chocolate chips
1 cup blueberries
….yada yada…

This is insane. I don’t know why I sabotage myself. It’s like as soon as I am coming close to a goal, I stuff myself.

No more. Done.

Weekly Menu

Week of 4/19 – 4/26:

Chicken Piccata (from last week): with mushrooms, salad, and maybe a sweet potato?

Spinach Pasta: kind of like this but with more spinach, onion, and sundried tomato

Talapia (broiled) with a salad

Italian chicken sausage, peppers, mushrooms, onions, and pasta.

Baked Oatmeal

Belated Weekly Menu

With all the holiday laziness, I was late in posting my weekly menu!

This week at the farmer’s market I bought a ton of beets, 2 heads of romaine, apples, limes, avocado, giant baking potatoes, asian pears, 4 little sweet potatoes, asparagus, tomatoes, 3 vidalia onions, 3 little red peppers, head of cabbage, and carrots. And kettle corn……

Week of 4/12 to 4/19:

Roasted Chicken w/asparagus, beets, and a baked sweet potato

Pork Tenderloin (marinated in yellow mustard, soy sauce, and stuffed with garlic) served with a salad. Might have baked potato or WW cous cous.

Breakfast for dinner! Buttermilk pancakes with fresh fruit.

Pulled Pork (from the freezer) w/ homemade coleslaw

Stuffed Cabbage Modified

Fajita Pasta

Perhaps the chicken piccata I was going to make last week….

In other recipe news, I love making homemade larabars. I am saving a ton of money and I think mine are softer than the original. I’ve made 3 batches up to this point. I get about 10-12 bars for around $11. My ratio is 12 ounces dates, 3 ounces cashews, 4.5 ounces pecans, and a good splash of cinnamon.

I am eyeing Tina’s Peanut Butter Blondies.

And Smitten Kitchen’s Amaretti Cookies

5K, 40 mile bike ride, fat clothes

In August of ‘08 I managed to become, again, 194 lbs. This wasn’t an easy task — it took a knee injury, grad school, beer, and macaroni and cheese to gain 30 lbs in a year. The entire time the scale was creeping up I kept comparing myself to the person who was, for the first time as an adult, 165ish lbs.

After a few months of being engaged and the humbling experience of wedding dress shopping I have never been more dedicated to getting healthy again.

In January (thanks for the 6lbs, Holiday Season), I was 189 pounds.

Today, April 5th ‘09, I am 167!! In approximately 12 weeks, I’m down 22 pounds. Word!!

While the soon-to-be-hubby was out of town this weekend, I cleaned out my closet and played dress-up with my wedding dress. It was really nice shopping in my closet and having pants to wear again as I spent a year in sweat pants. I have a good sized box of size 14/16 clothes that will be donated.

When I found the wedding dress I loved at the end of December, the largest size, 16, would not zipper. A month and 10 lbs later, the dress zipped up and I bought it. However, technically, the seamstress said it did not fit as it needed to sit lower on my waist. Whatever, it fit! Fast forward to this weekend, my dress is sort of too big. Thankfully, it can be altered. Looking at pics of when I tried it on and later bought it, my arms, shoulders, and back look much more defined. I am really happy I have 4 more months to continue my weight loss before we get married.

On another victory note, my sister and I decided to sign up for a 5K (maybe 10k) in May. I do spinning 4 days a week and figured I am in good enough shape to start casually training. The other day I went to run intervals on the treadmill (60 sec at 5.4, 60 sec at 3.7 – 2% incline). Instead, I ended up running 31 minutes straight — 3.2 miles! WHAT?! I’ve never done that. Ever. It felt easy but I was exerted like spin class. Today I tried it again and I went for 34 minutes. I don’t want push myself too hard as I still have a damaged knee but, BOY DOES IT FEEL GOOD TO RUN FOR MORE THAN 5 MINUTES!

With my new found confidence and love of biking, I am considering signing up for the Tour de Cure 40 miler in June. We’ll see. I’m not too sure how to train for it at the moment. I currently ride for 2 hours at a time for about 16-22 miles, casually. I know I can pick up the pace and do 40 in under 4 hrs. We’ll see.

Weekly Menu: Week of April 5th – 12th

Homemade Pizza — I did not make the homemade pizza a few weeks ago because of time constrains so I thought it sounded good. To save on time, I bought a Boboli whole wheat crust. I’ll also add fresh tomato, frozen spinach (thawed and drained) 4-6 ounces light mozzarella, and caramelized onions. We’ll probably serve this with a salad.

Mushroom Bourguignon – that that 5x real fast!

Enchiladas – I’ll use enchilada sauce, WW Tortillas, cheddar cheese, onion, green pepper, olives, and ground turkey. Top with some fresh cilantro

Chicken Piccata – very thin chicken breasts dipped in egg wash, WW flour, spices, sauteed for a few minutes on each side, add chicken broth (12-15 oz) continue to cook for 10-15 minutes. You can thicken the sauce by adding cornstarch or flour (make into a paste with water first!) and cook for 2-3 more mins. Add lemon if you like. Also, lots of black pepper!!

Breakfast for dinner – Budget saving strategy! I’m thinking WW crepes? serve with eggs, sausage, and fruit. This is still TBD.

I’ve been eyeing The Pioneer Woman’s Migas for a while. We’ll see.

Weekly Menu: Week of 3/29/09

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny, and relatively warm day for Upstate, NY. After a 2 hour spin class (seriously!) we decided to hit up the farmer’s market. It runs all year ’round but I am not brave enough to go when it’s super cold. We used the farmer’s market a lot last year. On a side note, this year we joined a CSA so we will supplement with the farmer’s market.

I found meal planning best AFTER our purchases as it can be hit or miss either in quantity or quality. Either way, for $28 we bought a loaf of bread, free range eggs, 4 tomatoes, a ton of little red potatoes, 10 beets, spaghetti squash, button mushrooms, 2 zucchini, cilantro, 4 lemons, 5 heads of garlic, 6 giant fuji apples, 3 red peppers, 4 small orange peppers, 1 head of romaine lettuce, and 1 bunch of asparagus…..I don’t know if I missed something….

Anyway, with all of our finds, my menu is as follows:

Homemade sauce (will try in crockpot) with a spaghetti squash. I have turkey sausage, peppers, onion, garlic, tomatoes, etc. that I will cook up on the stove, drain, and put in the crockpot

Stuffed Peppers – instead of rice, I will try bulgar to improve the nutrition. Also, I am using 8 oz of ground turkey, onion, tomato, spinach (frozen block) and celery over 4 peppers

Talapia (my standby frozen fish) with butternut squash

Chickpea patties with salad

Shrimp & Veggie Tempura. I found this recipe for tempura and *have* to try

I think that’s it for my menu. The other nights are leftovers, cereal, soup, etc.

I am obsessed with larabars and might try this recipe to make my own.
http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2008/02/home-made-lara-bars-energy-bars-part-3.html

Also, my new favorite food item is a “Green Monster” smoothie. I found this idea from Angela at Oh She Glows. Basically, it’s 8oz almond milk (or any type of milk), bunch of fresh greens (I like spinach), tbsp of flax seeds, and for optional sweetness, 1/2 a banana. Yum!

100 Calorie Packs vs. The “Real” Thing

In my opinion, I find 100 calorie packages of most things to be expensive, filled with chemicals, and less than satisfying.

I used to buy them but as they became $3.49 for a box of 6 I stopped. In addition, the amount of additives and chemicals in most of those products is less than fantastic.

I started buying the “real” versions of some similar items. I was scared at first — could I control how much I was eating, was 140 calories OK (versus 100 calories), and of course, would it be as good?

I find that buying the real versions of things have saved me money and became more filling. I have also made peace with the full package.

In the beginning I counted out servings but now I use a food scale. Sometimes I feel a bit obsessive but for me, it works. I also have moved to snacking on a smaller plate. Research has proven that eating on smaller plates helps people manage their intake and feel more satisfied. I definitely enjoy eating a small bowl/plate of a snack instead of eating out of a 4″ package.

Some of my favorite snacks are veggie chips, cheddair puffs (like cheese poofs but healthier), 1 oz. of nuts, stove top popped popcorn, celery or apples with peanut butter (organic), and kale chips. For sweeter snacks, I pull something I baked out of the freezer, grab a single serving Ghiardelli chocolate, portion out ice cream, an organic/somewhat healthier poptart (forgot the brand name!), or occasionally sugar free jello.

We also have kashi granola bars, luna bars, larabars (expensive but amazing), kashi crackers, fruit leather, popsicles, and tortilla chips. I like these items but, we eat them sparingly or on the go.

I know I cannot be on my best behavior with some foods like cookies, chips, etc. So, I don’t buy them.

I encourage you to break away from the pre-packaged pack and portion out your own food. Your wallet and wasteline might thank you.

Weekly Menus!

As I am learning how blogging works, I’ve decided to remodel. Below are previous weeks’ menus:

Week of March 15th:

** No Corned Beef & Cabbage **
BBQ Pulled Pork in the crockpot (had 4# leftover from the last time in the freezer that needed to get used)
Split Pea Soup w/ham

Turkey Burgers — marinate 8 oz turkey in worcestire, garlic, red pepper flakes for an hour or so. I pan fry to cook. I think I am serving this with homemade sweet potato fries and a salad

Chili Burgers

Week of March 8th:
The Most AMAZING Beef Stew
with Easy Homemade Bread (made a few weeks ago, frozen)

Shrimp Scampi made with white wine, several cloves of garlic, fresh parsley, fresh spinach, and tomato. Pasta is angel hair made with bazil/tomato/artichoke flour

Stir Fry: Frozen mixed asian veggies, wild alaskan salmon, maybe brown rice

Homemade Vegetable Pizza (Didn’t make last week) – using this crust

Salisbury “steak” — never tried, still have staples in pantry

Grilled Cheese w/tomato soup — didn’t make the previous week

Week of March 1st:

Chicken Makhani in the Crockpot

Homemade veggie pizza with this crust

Pork Chops with Mushrooms (see below for link)

Homemade tomato sauce with spaghetti squash

Week of February 22nd:

Veggie Lasagna — sub in low-fat cottage cheese, 5oz mozzarella on top, tons of veggies – 2 peppers, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, 5 cloves garlic, 1 zucchini, 10oz mushrooms, and 1 tomato (chopped in food processor, sauteed to reduce moisture), TJ’s no-boil noodles, and 1 jar Ragu Light sauce. Serves 6: 305 cal. a serving.

Crustless quiche: 2 eggs, 2 egg whites, 1 cup + skim milk, 4 oz full fat Jarlsberg swiss, 8 oz Plainville Turkey Ham (for bottom), 1 box frozen spinach, 1 red bell pepper, and 1 onion. Served 8: 95 cal. a slice.

Leftover BBQ Chicken made into Chicken salad

Didn’t do salisbury “steak” last week – might do this week

Tomato Soup w/grilled cheese

Week of February 15th:

Crockpot Taco Soup

Salisbury “Steak” – did not make last week, only requires pantry supplies

Roast Pork Tenderloin w/butternut squash

Chicken BBQ Tortillas or English Muffin Pizza (Shredded Chicken, 1 oz cheddar, BBQ Sauce, and Onions broiled for a few minutes to melt cheese) with salad

Oat Crusted Tilapia with sweet potato fries

Back-up: BLTs with salad

Week of February 8th:

Meatloaf
Serve with Baked Potato, Baked Sweet Potato, or Rice. Brussel Sprouts.

Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy
Serve with salad and yellow rice.

Salisbury “Steak” with Noodles
Serve with salad or broccoli.

Turkey Soup with WW Cous Cous
Leave in the fridge for quick lunch.

Naked Chicken Parm
Serve with WW pasta and salad.

My Useful Tips & Hints

A few things that save me money, time, and calories (not necessarily all three simultaneously!):

- I make my own nut butters when possible. This allows me to control the ingredients and save a few dollars. It’s very simple to do. I buy roasted/unsalted nuts in the bulk bins of my grocery store (you can do raw and roast yourself in the oven). Typically I use 8-16 ounces or 1 – 2 cups. Place in the food processor and let it go for 4-5 minutes. It will seem grainy if you stop after 1 – 2 minutes. Sometimes I add cinnamon, honey, etc. for a different flavor but plain is good. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

-I think a lot of people do this but, I buy meat in bulk and freeze into individual portions. For ground meat, I place in a freezer bag, flatten, and let as much air out as possible. This allows for easy storage and easy thawing. I started labeling my food a few months ago to help me stay better organized.

- I seldom used canned beans and opted to make my own. Organic canned beans can be $1.49 per can. I buy a bag of dried organic beans for $1.29 and make 3 cans worth. The time and money saver comes from using the crockpot. Great how-to instructions can be found here:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/cooking-dried-beans-in-crockpot.html


Again, I freeze and label the beans for quick future use.

-I buy almost all of my seafood frozen. I worked for a seafood restaurant for a long time and learned a lot about seafood distribution. Shrimp always comes frozen — even when you buy it “fresh”. Save $5 per pound and buy it frozen yourself. I prefer the pre-cooked, peeled, and deveined.

I would prefer fresh fish, however, it is very unlikely my grocery store will get fish within two days of being caught. Also, we like wild caught (ethical choice, better nutrition, good for the environment). My grocery store sells “fresh” Alaskan Salmon for $17 per pound. I bought a frozen pound for $5.

-Since there is only two of us, I freeze individual portions of leftovers. I label the portions with the item description, date, and calories. This is especially useful for baked goods. I make an entire cake but freeze 3/4 of it for a quick snack later. This is also good for homemade breads — freeze after 2nd rising.
Tip: Freeze your soups/stews flat for better freezer space.

- Use a food scale for more accurate measurements/portions. $30 on Amazon

-Make your own air popped popcorn. A bag of kernels is $1 and a 100 lunch bags were $1.50. I can make around 30 servings of popcorn without any extra chemicals or oils. Put 1 serving of popcorn, 36g at 130 calories, into paper lunch bag. Fold the ends for a good seal. Microwave for 2 – 4 mins. until popping stops.

- Drink tea! This definitely keeps me from snacking. I have a wide variety to choose from. I found by tearing off the box tops, accessing the tea bags was a little easier.

- I stopped buying bagged lettuce and started using a salad spinner. 10 ounces of bagged lettuce is $2.49. I buy organic romaine hearts for $2.99 and get 16 ounces.
I usually prepare the lettuce when I get home from the grocery store (or when I run out) to make it more likely that it will be eaten.

- This one sounds really silly but, I will tell you anyway! Save the rubberbands from your produce. Celery and lettuce usually have a thick band around them. I keep them and place them around open bags and boxes. It keeps the air out and possibly saves $1 a year. Not to mention it’s recycling

- I love using fresh herbs — especially cilantro (coriander) and flat leaf parsley. To increase its use, I pluck the leaves, wash them, dry them in the salad spinner, wrap them in paper towels, put in a ziploc bag, and stick in the refrigerator! Making dinner gets a little easier.

- I love drinking carbonated water. It keeps my mouth busy and reduces my urge to snack. The bottles I buy are $.50 each and I drink one per day. Make sure to buy Sparkling Water and not tonic water — Sparkling or carbonated water is sodium and calorie free!