Horribly Delinquent

I've been terrible about posting; it just goes to show you how difficult it is to stick to something when you are the only one holding you accountable.

I'm coming up on 2 months post-RESET, and many of the things I learned that week still hold true.  I started adding exercise last week, but I was at the major conference of the year for my profession, so I also ate out every meal, every day, since we were in San Diego.  That's ok though; I came back a mere 2 lbs heavier, which I think will go away pretty easily once I get back to my routine.  I even ate carb heavy breakfasts a few days (I'm a sucker for blackberry pancakes) but a number of days I stuck with higher protein optionsof eggs and beans.

I averaged 20,000 steps every day for the past 9 days, which is MUCH better than my typical 3,000 steps here at home.  While I don't know that I'll be that high, I am not going to let myself slip back into the lazy routine I was keeping.

I'll be back to post again soon; I need to go outside and see what's ready in my garden so I can develop my menu for the week.

Tips & Tricks: Shakes, Salads and Other Stuff Around the Kitchen

Some random tips and tricks I've been collecting for a few weeks now....


Strawberry Ice Cubes
I bought four quarts of fresh strawberries two weekends ago, but I only had time enough to turn two quarts into strawberry jam for the upcoming year.  The remaining two quarts were losing quality fast--they were super ripe to begin with, so the shelf life was really short. I had tossed a few into my morning shakes last week, and while they were a wonderful addition there was no way I was eating 2 quarts of strawberries before they turned bad.  So I had this ingenious idea that ACTUALLY WORKED.  I pureed the berries in the blender, and then froze the liquid in silicone ice trays. And my wonderful strawberry ice cubes were born!!

So today when I went to make my breakfast shake, I popped two strawberry ice cubes into the blender with everything else!  The silicone trays released the frozen fruit very easily.

Simple Seasonings
I've been eating about one salad a day now for over a month, and I've found the one thing that really dresses it up is freshly ground salt & pepper.  I picked these grinders up at my local grocery store during a 2/$4 sale and I keep them at work in my desk drawer.  A few twists of fresh salt and pepper really adds dimension to a salad, and I find I use less dressing when I have salt & pepper than when I don't!

Re-purposed Bread Basket
A number of years ago I went through a Longaberger basket phase...I haven't purchased any new baskets in quite some time, and it is a non-negotiable requirement that I use the ones I have purchased.  I have my bread basket (technically the bagel basket) on the kitchen counter, but since I've been trying to limit refined carbs I haven't been buying bread.  So I turned my beloved basket into a mini produce stand.  I keep my onions, garlic, jalapeno peppers, and in this photo, grape tomatoes in the basket on my counter.  Keeps everything handy, and the basket stays purposeful!

On the Menu: June 20th - June 25th

Last week's menu is going to mostly carry over into this week! Although I planned, several nights ended up being completely off schedule.   We ate out several nights, only one of which was planned.

Monday, June 20th:

• Breakfast: strawberry nutrimeal shake made with strawberries, blueberries, water and ice
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg & romaine lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, black beans & leftover steak
• Snacks: yogurt, USANA oatmeal snack bar
• Dinner: pesto pork chops, stuffed eggplant (tomatoes, squash, mushrooms, onions)

Tuesday, June 21st:

• Breakfast: dutch chocolate nutrimeal shake made with water and ice
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg & romaine lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, black beans & shredded chicken
• Snacks: apple & yogurt, USANA oatmeal snack bar
• Dinner: Greek chicken with feta, spinach, olive and tomatoes

Wednesday, June 22nd:

• Breakfast: dutch chocolate nutrimeal shake made with water and ice
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, olives, red beets, mushrooms and hard boiled eggs (2)
• Snacks: apple & yogurt, USANA chocolate snack bar
• Dinner: dinner out...U2 concert!!!!!

Thursday, June 23rd:

• Breakfast: strawberry nutrimeal shake made with strawberries, blueberries, water and ice
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, olives, red beets, mushrooms 
• Snacks: apple & yogurt, USANA oatmeal snack bar
• Dinner: fish & veggies on the grill

Friday, June 24th:

• Breakfast: dutch chocolate nutrimeal shake made with water and ice
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, olives, red beets, mushrooms 
• Snacks: apple & cottage cheese, USANA chocolate snack bar
• Dinner: steak & grilled veggies

Saturday, June 25th:

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach, onions, tomatoes and a little feta cheese
• Lunch: too be determined...
• Snacks: USANA chocolate snack bar
• Dinner: My high school class reunion...hard to say what they'll feed us!

On the Menu: June 13th - June 18th

I stuck with last week's menu about 75% of the time.  My deviations came with eating out two nights and eating lunch out two days, all of which stemmed from the bf being away.  

Monday, June 13th:

• Breakfast: dutch chocolate nutrimeal shake made with water and ice
• Lunch: skipped 
• Snacks: cottage cheese, USANA oatmeal snack bar
• Dinner: Grilled Italian sausage packets with veggies

Tuesday, June 14th:

• Breakfast: vanilla nutrimeal shake made with water, ice and fresh strawberries
• Lunch: corn & black bean salad on a jalapeno tortilla
• Snacks: apple & cottage cheese, USANA oatmeal snack bar
• Dinner: Greek chicken with feta, spinach, olive and tomatoes

Wednesday, June 15th:

• Breakfast: dutch chocolate nutrimeal shake made with water and ice
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, olives, red beets, mushrooms and hard boiled eggs (2)
• Snacks: apple & cottage cheese, USANA chocolate snack bar
• Dinner: pesto pork chops, green beans

Thursday, June 16th:

• Breakfast: vanilla nutrimeal shake made with water and frozen mixed fruit including wild blueberries, pineapple, mango, peaches & strawberries
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, olives, red beets, mushrooms 
• Snacks: apple & cottage cheese, USANA oatmeal snack bar
• Dinner: dinner out; to be determined

Friday, June 17th:

• Breakfast: vanilla nutrimeal shake made with water and frozen mixed fruit including wild blueberries, pineapple, mango, peaches & strawberries
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, olives, red beets, mushrooms 
• Snacks: apple & cottage cheese, USANA chocolate snack bar
• Dinner: fish & veggies on the grill

Saturday, June 18th:

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach, onions, tomatoes and a little feta cheese
• Lunch: vanilla nutrimeal smoothie made with water and frozen fruit including wild blueberries & strawberries
• Snacks: apple & cottage cheese, USANA chocolate snack bar
• Dinner: cook out...

The Importance of Planning

Planning is crucial to so many aspects of life; while it may seem glamorous or carefree to fly by the seat of your pants, it really isn't a healthy or effective long term strategy.  In my own life, I can say with certainty that my lack of planning has negatively impacted my emotional, physical and financial health at various points in time.  I also recognize that it isn't always easy to plan; just look at the money that project managers make in any industry.  It takes a certain level of diligence to make a plan, and even more to stick to it. But it isn't impossible; it just takes practice.

Last week I put together a menu for the week, and even though I didn't stick to it 100%, that simple exercise gave me a baseline to compare my choices to as the week went on.  Sometimes I made better choices than I had planned, and other times I made worse.  By having the baseline, I can at a minimum measure and track my choices and their subsequent consequences.  Last week, my positive adjustments out shined my negative adjustments and I am happy to report weight loss of another pound down this week.  I even ate out a few times--twice for lunch and twice for dinner--which just goes to show it is possible to make decent choices at restaurants.

This week I am embarking on the same exercise.  I even picked up a new recipe magazine at the grocery store on Saturday.  The magazine caught my eye because of the number of recipes that used fresh veggies and herbs, and it is perfect timing since our local farmer's markets are in full swing.  I'm looking forward to dinners this week, and I even have a few new salads to try out for lunch.

Well Timed Article: What sugar actually does to your brain and body

From Lifehacker:  http://lifehacker.com/5809331/what-sugar-actually-does-to-your-brain-and-body

On the menu: June 6th-June 11th

I know I've published a lot of posts today, but I've had a ton on my mind for the last week and just too little time to let it out of my finger tips.  I want to try to post my weekly food plan for the week every Monday, so this will be my first one.  Next week when I post another, I'll let you know how the previous played out.


Monday, June 6th:

• Breakfast: vanilla nutrimeal shake made with water and frozen mixed fruit including wild blueberries, pineapple, mango, peaches & strawberries
• Lunch: leftover Maryland Crab Cake, carrots & leftover buffalo chicken dip (about 1/3 c)
• Snacks: pear & cottage cheese, USANA chocolate snack bar
• Dinner: feta & spinach stuffed chicken breaks, roasted veggies

Tuesday, June 7th:

• Breakfast: dutch chocolate nutrimeal shake made with water and ice
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, olives, red beets, mushrooms and hard boiled eggs (2)
• Snacks: pear & cottage cheese, USANA oatmeal snack bar
• Dinner: Steak, grilled onions & mushrooms

Wednesday, June 8th:

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach, onions, tomatoes and a little feta cheese
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, olives, red beets, mushrooms and hard boiled eggs (2)
• Snacks: apple & cottage cheese, USANA chocolate snack bar
• Dinner: pesto pork chops, green beans

Thursday, June 9th:

• Breakfast: vanilla nutrimeal shake made with water and frozen mixed fruit including wild blueberries, pineapple, mango, peaches & strawberries
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, olives, red beets, mushrooms 
• Snacks: apple & cottage cheese, USANA oatmeal snack bar
• Dinner: dutch chocolate nutrimeal shake made with water and ice

Friday, June 10th:

• Breakfast: vanilla nutrimeal shake made with water and frozen mixed fruit including wild blueberries, pineapple, mango, peaches & strawberries
• Lunch: green salad made with iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots, olives, red beets, mushrooms 
• Snacks: apple & cottage cheese, USANA chocolate snack bar
• Dinner: Headed to the Orioles game with my best gal Marion; might eat at the ball park but I'm really not sure yet. 

Saturday, June 11th:

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach, onions, tomatoes and a little feta cheese
• Lunch: vanilla nutrimeal smoothie made with water and frozen fruit including wild blueberries & strawberries
• Snacks: apple & cottage cheese, USANA chocolate snack bar
• Dinner: dutch chocolate nutrimeal shake made with water and ice

Some notes on the menu:  the bf is teaching a class in neighboring state Thursday & Saturday, so I will most likely be cooking for one those days/nights.  And that means I will most likely NOT cook, and instead I will replace those meals with shakes just for simplicity's sake. 

My frozen fruits are from those big bags you get at the discount stores like BJ's.  I love having that handy for mixing in with my shakes.  And try tossing some fresh or frozen spinach in as well; you won't notice a difference in taste or texture as long as you are also using frozen fruit, but you are supercharging the vitamin content. It will be an awful color green though, so if you are a visual eater like I am, opt for a solid color cup with a lid.  I've found a half of a fresh or frozen ripe banana can mask the taste of 1 1/2 c of frozen spinach.  But definitely check your teeth before heading into the office or out to the shop...the spinach is notorious for sticking.