Monday, February 28, 2011

Monday

Breakfast - grapes
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - creamy tomato pasta; cookies

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Somewhat Healthy Cheat

Well, first off, let me say a little about last night... I don't know what happened but my stomach revolted late last night :-( I was on and off the toilet, in pain, and up till after 130am. Apparently whatever caused it expelled itself. I ate some crackers (Townhouse wheat) and drank some green/mint tea and this morning I felt better. I ate a few crackers before I ventured out of bed to be sure. So far so good today but that may change...

I've been craving a PBJ. I went to eat one tonight but I didn't have anything other than whole wheat bread (and I'm pretty sure whole wheat doesn't agree with me anymore). I used to like plain potato chips with a PBJ so I ended up improvising...

Breakfast - crackers; 1/2 cup coffee w/usual later
Lunch - Greek-seasoned ground beef in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - organic peanut butter (peanuts and salt) mixed with blueberry Simply Fruit jelly; plain potato chips; apple w/caramel dip

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Saturday

At lunchtime I was starving and craving a cheat meal and cheese :p So we ended up eating out lunch today instead of tomorrow.

Breakfast - nothing (slept off and on)
Lunch - Italian buffet; 1/2 cup weak coffee w/sugar and 1/2 and 1/2
Supper - 1/2 wheat bagel w/cream cheese

Hormone Issues... Again

I had cramps the day I started. For the first time in a while. Not unbearable, but I spent most of the day sitting in the recliner because they weren't as bad when I was sitting. About day 15, I started feeling like I was PMS'ing - sore boobs, not sleeping, anxiety, exaggerated emotions, etc.

So when I picked up my supplements yesterday, I talked to my natural health place about it. I've been taking their wild yam extract (natural progesterone) days 12-26 of my cycle per their recommendation. They helped me muscle test (will post how to do it in another post eventually) my dosage, and I tested at a dosage of less than half of what I had been taking! So starting last night I went down on my dosage.

It should only take a few days to see if it helps. My body is super-sensitive to anything I put in it, so it makes sense that the dosage I was on may be too much for me now. They said my hormone levels are likely re-stabilized from the pregnancy and that my body may be soon making enough progesterone on its own. Which would be nice! I'd rather not have to take anything, even if it is natural. But since I need it right now, I'm really glad I have this formula as an alternative to synthetic hormones :)

Friday

Breakfast - apple
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Before supper - cookie
Supper - Amy's frozen black bean burrito w/avocado and drizzle of ranch; fries w/mayo and ketchup; Cal veggies w/butter; Better Than Crunch (1/2 and 1/2)

Thursday

The boys and I went to the produce stand. We ended up with $35 of fresh produce! Red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, avocadoes, celery, limes, green onions, grapes, dried apple rings, peeled garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and potatoes, fresh parsley and shallots for the herbed potatoes I've been craving! That's in addition to the almost $20 I bought spent earlier in the week for Romaine, apples, and red potatoes.

1/2 cup coffee w/usual
Breakfast - dried apple rings (unsweetened, fresh, from produce stand)
Lunch - homestyle buffet (incl. spinach salad and dessert)
Supper - instant grits w/butter; Grands buttermilk biscuits w/butter (and I think a Ghirardelli square)

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Wednesday

Both boys weren't feeling good this afternoon and Jesse and I each ended up holding one while they dozed and cuddled. It was nice getting to hold my big "baby" for so long!

Breakfast - nada (bought some apples yesterday, need to slice and core them before bed)
Lunch - tuna salad salad; Ghirardelli square
Before supper - 3 Nilla wafers (supper was late and I was too hungry to think!)
Supper - heart-healthy dip w/oven fries; 2 cookies

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Mixed Day

Food was okay today. My mom gave me money to get the boys and me donuts and coffee while she was at PT. I only ate one donut, but it was double-sized. And filled. And iced with chocolate. Oh well...

I think the lack of sleep at the retreat caught up with me. Either that or the influence of hormones. I couldn't sleep last night so have had 3 days out of 5 with only about 4 hours sleep. Not good for me! Hoping to get a lot more tonight!

I had planned on getting a workout in but by the time we got home and ate lunch and it settled, I only had a little time before I had to start supper. Right as I was getting up to change into my workout gear, Ethan accidentally stomped hard on my foot. Wouldn't have been too bad except he landed full weight on my big toe that only has half a toenail grown back in. I put on my shoes and only walked a few steps before I had to take them off from the pain. So no workout for me today :(

Breakfast - large eclair filled w/bavarian creme and iced with chocolate; coffee w/sugar and liquid coffee-mate
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - heart-healthy supper dip w/oven fries and avocado; leftover pancakes w/butter and drizzled w/grade B maple syrup

Monday, February 21, 2011

Monday Food

Breakfast - nothing (boys and I didn't wake up till after 11!)
Lunch - chicken salad salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - pancakes (100% oat flour, recipe on dry buttermilk container, will post another day) w/butter and grade B maple syrup
Later - Better Than Crunch (made with 50/50 semisweet and bittersweet)

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Greek Seasoning

GREEK SEASONING

2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Mix all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

Past Week

It was crazy! And Thursday through Saturday I was at a ladies' retreat. Such a wonderful time with wonderful sisters in Christ! Food has been, well, a lot of cheats :( Breakfast all except one day was on plan though. And after leftover pizza and a salad for lunch today, I was back on track for supper :)

Speaking of supper... Nothing sounded good. I was going through my recipe binder (which needs an upgrade to one with more capacity!) and saw filling ideas for burritos. I didn't have tortillas but it sparked my creativity. About halfway through throwing together my creation (Heart-Healthy Supper Dip), I remembered that this week's mini-challenge included posting a heart-healthy recipe. And my creation definitely qualified! Woohoo!

While I was at my retreat, I did a C25k workout on a beautiful trail (and ended up with "beautiful" abrasions all over my leg from a fall LOL). Need to blog about that when I have more time.

Hoping to get back to posting my food journal everyday like I'm supposed to starting NOW!!!

Heart-Healthy Supper Dip

Another let's-see-what-I-can-throw-together-using-what's-just-hanging-around-in-the-fridge-and-pantry ;)

HEART-HEALTHY SUPPER DIP

2.25 oz sun-dried tomatoes
8 oz baby carrots
Small bell pepper, seeded and quartered
Small onion, peeled and quartered
2 cans pinto beans, drained
1 can diced green chilies, drained
1/4 c. ranch dressing
Handful parsley flakes
Salt to taste
Avocado

Soak tomatoes in boiling water to cover until softened (5-10 minutes). Place with carrots, bell pepper and onion in food processor. Process until very finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until desired consistency.

Serve with dippers - tortilla chips, fresh veggies, wheat crackers, etc - and avocado.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Top 10

I'm a part of an online healthy living forum. We had a challenge this week of posting our top 10 tips for weight loss/healthy living. Here are mine:

1. Eating plans are NOT one-size-fits all! Just because something worked for your friend doesn't mean it will work for you and vice versa. The important thing is to find what works for YOU.

2. Ditto for exercise plans ;)

3. Eat more protein! http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20060905/protein-triggers-weight-loss-hormone

4. Satisfy your chocolate cravings with dark chocolate. The darker, the better! It takes much less to satisfy the craving, plus has antioxidants and mood elevators. My favorite is Ghirardelli 72% Intense Dark. I buy it in individually wrapped squares - less tempting than breaking off pieces of a whole bar.

5. Organic carrots and Romaine are much sweeter than their nonorganic counterparts. Yummy!

6. Make homemade 100% whole grain pancake mix. Just as easy as Bisquick and a lot healthier! (The recipe I use is http://cmlhealth.blogspot.com/2010/09/100-whole-grain-pancake-mix.html) Find grade B maple syrup to dip them in - more minerals, more healthy, more delicious :)

7. Brew green/mint tea for tummy troubles - equal number of bags of green tea and herbal mint (I use Bigelow Mint Medley and decaf green).

8. Stay away from artificial sweeteners! Truvia included. Google to find out why. Stevia is a healthy alternative (it's an herb) and is available as a liquid or powder.

9. If you're going have a cheat meal, eat it at lunch so it has more time to digest before bedtime.

10. Don't be afraid to experiment in the kitchen! Just always have an alternate plan if it doesn't turn out like you expect - eg leftovers or a healthy takeout option.

Sunday

Breakfast - 1/2 cup coffee w/usual; apple later
Lunch (late) - homestyle buffet
Tonight - small piece cake (friend's birthday)

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Productive Day!

Got a lot done around the house, and ate on plan :)

Breakfast - apple
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - instant grits w/butter and fresh diced tomatoes; raw veggies (celery and red, orange, yellow, and green bell peppers) w/ranch
Later - Nilla wafers coated on one side w/melted chocolate chips

Friday, February 11, 2011

Busy Day

But no cheats! The boys and I left after lunch to get my mom and run errands. Suppertime came and we got takeout and brought it here to eat before heading right back out to finish what we needed to do. Then we didn't get home till late. Gabriel slept restless last night, which means I didn't sleep good either. Pretty sure he has a tooth on its way. Then our tiels decided they were in rare form and screamed all morning till we got up (they're in our bedroom). They tried to convince me they were STARVING but they all got their usual portions last night :p

Breakfast - 1/2 cup coffee w/usual
Lunch - tuna salad salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - Chili's - black bean burger on sesame seed bun (took off the top layer of bun w/the seeds) w/lettuce, tomato, avocado, mayo, mustard; fries w/ketchup; Ghirardelli peppermint bark square

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Hungry

The boys and I slept in and by the time we got up and I got milk and vitamins and fed Gabriel his bottle, it was time to cook lunch! Then shortly after lunch I got hungry again. Jesse and I were both really hungry today. Wonder if supper wasn't enough fat last night? I was starving by supper so ended up cooking a cheat meal :( Wind chill stayed in the 30s today so no run.

Breakfast - nothing
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Later - apples w/homemade caramel dip
Before supper - Ghirardelli dark caramel square
Supper - semi-homemade hamburger helper-ish - brown rice pasta, green beans, ground beef, cheese packets from Annie's elbows w/4-cheese; Ghirardelli square w/almond butter and sea salt

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Back on Track... Hopefully for Good

Breakfast - apple
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - Rice Dream/cream sauce (seasoned w/garlic powder, parsley, salt) w/brown rice pasta; roasted butternut squash
Dessert - pie crust wedge w/homemade chocolate sauce and Reddi-Wip

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Catching Up

Saturday and Sunday we were out of town. Went to a funeral Saturday, stayed the night at a hotel, then visited my dad on the way back home and ended up staying for the Super Bowl :)

Saturday I had raisins during the drive there. Coffee w/usual. Lunch and supper were food people brought for the family.

Sunday morning I ate a waffle w/butter at the hotel. Coffee w/sugar and 1/2 and 1/2. I could tell I ate white flour for breakfast. I had the munchies all day! Super Bowl snacks - raw veggies w/ranch; apples w/homemade caramel dip; cheese w/Ritz; Ghirardelli square. Sausage gumbo w/white rice for supper. Coffee w/sugar and whole milk before driving home.

Monday - no breakfast, just coffee w/usual. Lunch was chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square. Before supper - small fast food fries. Mom's Night Out for supper - Mexican - chile relleno; shrimp chimichanga; chicken burrito (ate most of it); little bit of rice and beans; queso. Frozen coffee drink (w/chocolate) and whipped cream after.

Tuesday (today) - no breakfast (slept in!). Lunch - tuna salad salad; Ghirardelli square. Supper - IHOP - egg (over easy); hash browns; pancakes w/butter pecan syrup and butter-like substance.

Was hoping to run today but it didn't happen :(

Need to get back on track with eating...

Friday, February 4, 2011

Friday

Breakfast - nothing
Lunch - chicken breast in usual salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - roasted butternut squash; canned biscuits w/butter; few bites chocolate ganache

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Chicken Stew

CHICKEN STEW

Not so much a recipe, but how I did it this time...

The last 3 times we've had rotisserie chicken, we've eaten the breast/wishbone, thighs, and legs. I've put the rest in a freezer bag and frozen it. So today I had 3 rotisserie carcasses. Added 2 double-sized organic veggie bouillon cubes, 1 lb carrots, 2 onions, and parsley. Would have liked celery in it too but didn't have any. Covered everything with (filtered) water in a stock pot, brought to a boil, and simmered for a couple hours. I added salt and pepper to taste to our bowls.

Even Ethan, who is on a vegetarian kick, ate it!

EXHAUSTED

I've gotten so little sleep this week and it caught up to me today! Even a cup of coffee couldn't wake me up much :( I managed to cook lunch but by this afternoon I could barely stand up, was tripping over nothing, etc. So no way I could cook :( I know (and Jesse knows) what happens when I try to cook when I'm like this. It's a toss-up whether the food or me ends up burned - or both!

Breakfast - coffee w/usual
Lunch - chicken stew; Ghirardelli square
Later - chocolate peppermint Ghirardelli square
Supper - pizza - small slice w/everything, mostly ate one w/shrooms, bell pepper, onions, olives; garlic cheese bread; cheesecake

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

It's COLD!!!

We were supposed to make it up to 40 today. When it got close to 40, I was going to run. Well... We only made it up to 33/34, and the wind chill stayed in the 20s all day! So no run :( It will be like this the next few days. I guess I'll try to get a full week of workouts in next week finally. Sigh...

I brought my mom to the doctor this morning (temp in the 20s, wind chill in the teens!) and grabbed enough groceries etc to last us the rest of the week. By the time I headed home, it was time for lunch! Jesse had had the boys all morning so I just picked up lunch. Besides, it was our birthdays ;)

Breakfast - raisins
Lunch - plate lunch - seafood-stuffed chicken breast; green beans (seasoned w/bacon); bread pudding
Later - 1/2 cup coffee w/demarara and cream
Before supper - plain piece of french bread (Gabriel took a late nap on me and I was getting weak!)
Supper - leftovers - carrots w/butter; roasted butternut; Chili's fries w/mayo and ketchup; Ghirardelli square

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

(Early) Birthday Dinner

Jesse and I decided to eat out for our birthdays tonight instead of tomorrow for various reasons, partly because of the weather. There's a good seafood buffet not far from us, and you eat 1/2 price the day before, after, or of your birthday. And since Jesse and I have the same birthday (2 years apart), we like treating ourselves to the buffet while it's basically B1G1F ;)

Breakfast - apple
Lunch - tuna salad salad; Ghirardelli square
Supper - seafood buffet; cheesecake