Posts Tagged ‘diet’

Better Late Than Never?

Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

Oh hey, so remember when I had a blog where I wrote words? Yeah I don’t either but my husband assures me it was how he kept track of our family so I should post again. True story.

I’m not doing New Year’s Resolutions because it’s way past January 1st, nothing I’ve “resolved” to do is special and…well, I don’t want to. I never keep them, I’m totally bored with reading everyone’s “word of the year”, and you don’t really care if I want to have a garage sale this spring. Which means this is not a New Year’s Resolution post. But I do feel like I should admit this SOMEWHERE, if only so I don’t let it happen again, so here goes.

I’ve gained 13 pounds since December 15th – most of it in my arms and face, but somehow my jeans don’t button either. I’m not pregnant. I don’t have a thyroid problem. I just ate a ton of feelings – the Newtown tragedy, Caroline turning 2, the holidays, E’s stressful schedule, blah blah blah etc etc etc – and they all tasted like pie and spiked hot chocolate. Plus I did zero working out (or any sort of moving, really, my couch has a permanent butt imprint). The whole thing is entirely my own stupid fault so now I’m paying for it.

Lucky for you, I won’t be blogging about trying to lose weight (again) because it’s boring (again) and I’ve done it way too many times before and I don’t want to fail publicly (again). I just hope in a couple months I’ll be writing another (boring) post about how great I feel now that I’m 30 pounds lighter (boring AND annoying).

The second way you can tell this isn’t a New Year’s Resolution post is because I’m not going to vow to blog more. In fact, I’m probably going to blog less. Or at least post fewer tutorials and crafts and time consuming stuff and a lot more photos. I’ve discovered I really like taking photos and I don’t like worrying about blog traffic, so it was any easy call. I can’t promise I won’t bore you with photography talk, but I hope you’ll at least stick around for the ginger pictures.

Here is a photo of Caroline looking at an iguana. Happy 2013!

Caroline1

What’s For Dinner: Primal/Paleo Edition

Thursday, September 27th, 2012

I’m going to talk about this paleo/primal thing for a minute. Feel free to skip to food pictures.

Short update: I love it. I eat so many eggs I’m afraid I might turn into a chicken. I’ve lost 5 pounds, eat real butter and real cream, and am shocked at how little I miss most of my old diet.

Long update, in bullet point form because I keep thinking of things to add:

1. I am not technically following a Paleo diet because I still eat cheese. It’s closer to the Primal Blueprint diet, but I’m not sure I’m even doing that correctly. I don’t actually care very much about whether or not a caveman would have eaten it – I care whether or not it’s going to give me a migraine or make me feel like I’m dying (both things that happen now if I eat the wrong stuff). Being sort of lax with the rules mean I’m not getting all that magical fat-melting the interwebs seemed to promise, but it also means I don’t want to jump off a bridge.

2. Once I got through a few days carb/added sugar/Diet Coke-free my cravings for said things dropped off the map almost entirely. It’s like all the willpower I’ve lacked my entire life just SHOWED UP. Oh hey, Willpower, nice to see you. I could have used you back when my pregnancy cravings had me eating McDonald’s fries twice a day but whatever. I’m really glad the desire is gone because I am NOT making the whole family stick to my diet. Caroline basically does it on her own – she’d rather have eggs for breakfast than cereal – but Evan would starve without carbs. Thanks to my new willpower when I bought the kids special treat donuts after the Fresh Beat Band concert, I managed to bring one home, look at it for a while, then leave it for E to eat. I NEVER could have done that before.

3. I’ve thrown out all the rules about breakfast, lunch and dinner. Steak at 10 am, eggs and bacon for dinner, and eating any time I feel hungry is the new plan. Since I can’t count on easy, instant food I also do a lot more cooking (and dishes) and eat a lot more leftovers. Also, eggs. All the time.

4. I sometimes get this weird burning in my nose, like I accidentally inhaled water. I have NO idea if my new diet is to blame but it happens 3-4 times a day and it’s something that has never happened to me before (unless I really did get water up my nose). Dr. Google seems to think it’s an unrelated sinus infection, but I swear I’m not sick and haven’t been for a while. It might be my face rebelling against my diet (although my skin and hair seems to like it.)

5. My exercise schedule has been pretty sad (or non-existent) since E’s schedule changed back in August. I stopped running and haven’t been going to Stroller Strides. Now that I’ve seen a little success with the diet change I’m more motivated to see if I can amp it up with some workouts. I think it would make a big difference in my shape/jeans size.

6. I’m going to stick with it. It’s not so much that it’s some sort of magical cure-all weight-loss miracle plan, but just that I like it. I like drinking my coffee with real cream and I like putting steak on top of my lunch salad and I like eating eggs – all things I WASN’T doing before because I thought I needed to eat low fat to lose (or even maintain) my weight. This is better.

7. Still no plans to turn this into a blog about paleo/primal stuff, but if you want to talk about it I’m more than happy to on email or Facebook. Thank you to people who emailed me suggestions and recipes and blogs to follow – it’s been SUPER helpful!

8. Who can tell me where to get coconut flour? Don’t say Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods – we don’t have those.

So, to answer the title question, here’s what’s for dinner (complete with a lot of Google-fu to find the recipes):

 

1. Thai-Inspired Scallop Soup – The Primal Blueprint Cookbook (I KNOW I found this recipe online somewhere but can’t re-find it. It was totally amazing, so I might remake it and blog it)
2. Turkish Eggs – Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals (basic recipe can also be found here)
3. Smoked Salmon, Egg and Asparagus Roll-ups – Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals (just what it sounds/looks like)
4. Bison Chili – The Primal Blueprint Cookbook (just basic chili, no beans)

5. Artichoke & Green Olive Dip – Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals (almost the same as this one)
6. Nut Crackers – The Primal Blueprint Cookbook (This one IS online – recipe #2 here.)
7. Deep Dish Pizza Casserole – A Girl Worth Saving
8. Meat sauce over roasted eggplant – I made spaghetti for everyone else and just threw some eggplant in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. It was better than noodles.

9. Coconut Almond Coleslaw – The Primal Blueprint Cookbook (I was most meh about this one)
10. Bacon & Mushroom Dip – Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals (online here)
11. Zucchini Carbonara – Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals (someone blogged it here)
12. Chicken & Artichokes With Garlic Sauce – Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals (REALLY good, really easy, I’ve made it twice. There’s a version online here, but I used anchovies instead of fish sauce.)

I’ve also eaten a lot of broccoli made with this recipe I found on the Girl’s Gone Child blog and successfully replaced rice with grated cauliflower in both fried rice and jambalaya. Plus eggs. Did I mention eggs yet?

(Links in this post are not sponsored or affiliate links, just stuff I’ve read or bought on my own.)

P.S. ALSO, I made Jalapeno Popper Quiche last night (minus the crust) and it was SO FREAKING GOOD I didn’t even take time to eat a picture before E and I ate it all.

Let’s Get Physical

Monday, September 3rd, 2012
Let's Get Physical!

So…I signed up for an 8 week weight loss challenge and fitness training my friend Wendy is holding.

I’m going to phrase this post as if someone emailed me to ask these questions – I’m having trouble framing it on my own – but really I’m talking to myself. That’s totally normal, right?

What is the Let’s Get Physical challenge?

It starts tomorrow! You can check out the details on her blog, but here’s the gist: Wendy signed up 40+ women who are all working on their fitness (tm Fergie Ferg) to motivate each other. We all bought into the challenge for $25 and there are cash prizes for the people who lose the biggest percentage of weight, plus other prizes along the way. I’m aiming for 12 pounds (realistically) but would be THRILLED if I got to 20. I figure I’ve thrown a lot of money at Weight Watchers and Slim Fast and diet pills in the past – how about this time I motivate myself with a chance to win it back?

What kind of crazy diet are you going try this time?

I’m going to try Paleo. If you’ve read any of my ramblings about finding a diet and lifestyle that works for me long term you might have noticed my friend Erin in the comments trying to convince me to join her cult of bacon. I started reading this website and bought his book (plus the cookbooks) and I’m going to try it. I actually started last week, to see if I could make it even 24 hours without bread and the answer is definitely yes…as long as I can replace it with bacon. I’m also not going to follow it perfectly and I’m not trying to win any “please explain EXACTLY what the reasoning behind this paleo thing is” debates so if you absolutely HATE paleo feel free to tell me but don’t expect a fight. Although if you’re interested/do it too/have questions I would looooove to talk about it on Facebook or email.

Are you going to post before pictures?

Maybe when I have nice thin after ones to show. My before picture was an unpleasant wake-up call at how much weight I’ve put back on since losing 30 pounds last year. I am hoping these are the last “before” pictures I ever take.

This isn’t going to turn into a paleo/diet/cross fit/healthy living blog, is it?

No way. I might tell you about some of the stuff I get to eat (because you’ll be totally jealous) and I’ll probably update in a couple weeks (because hopefully I’ll have exciting! news! to share about how much I’ve lost!) but regular diet updates are a) boring and b) super boring. The group doing the challenge has a private Facebook page so we don’t annoy everyone we know. But like I said, I’m happy to talk to anyone who actually WANTS to hear about it.

So, yeah. I think this is going to be good for me. It might end up being another in a long line of schemes I start and don’t follow through with. And it might turn me into a crazy obsessed dieter who never shuts up. And there’s a distinct possibility I won’t be able to stick to it and I’ll end up cheating and gain 20 pounds from all the bacon. But it’s a new month, we’re starting a new phase in our lives, and it feels like a challenge I’m up for. Wish me luck!

What’s For Dinner? Volume 11

Monday, June 11th, 2012

More dinner ideas, right here! I’ve been on the hunt for dinners I can make for the kids and myself that E can easily take out of the fridge and/or reheat when he gets home from work at 9.

1. Lemon and Herb Pasta Salad – Rachel Ray
2. Spaghetti with Turkey-Pesto MeatballsParents Need To Eat Too (I LOVE this cookbook!)
3. Chicken Andouille & Shrimp Jambalaya – Rachel Ray
4. Thai Chicken Pizza  – Me! I was out of carrots so I used cucumber. Still delicious!

5. BLT Pasta Salad – The Big Book of Backyard Cooking
6. Grilled Nachos – I bought this tray at Williams-Sonoma with my Christmas gift card and it’s AMAZING.
7. Chicken Satay Naan – Rachel Ray
8. Mango Lime Couscous – Idea from the Weight Watchers Points Plus Cookbook, but I ignored most of the recipe. It’s just whole wheat couscous cooked in vegetable stock, mango, red onion, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice and a little olive oil, all to taste. I served it with baked Cajun chicken.

I’ve been working towards changing my attitude towards food – redefining “good” food and “bad” food and what I’m “allowed” to eat – so suddenly a whole new world of recipes are open to me and I’m pretty excited. My friend Erin might even have sold me a little on the whole Paleo thing. She sold it with promises of bacon. At this point I feel like I’ve tried every diet in the world and they all WORK…but only until I get bored. I need to figure out what to eat forever.

What’s For Dinner? Volume 10

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

Dinners have been my downfall when it comes to Weight Watchers – I can eat healthy, reasonable portions all day but by 6 pm I’m incapable of eating less than my body weight in pasta and cheese. It doesn’t help that my husband thinks ketchup is a vegetable and would rather starve to death than eat a nice spinach and goat cheese salad. But between my Weight Watchers cookbook (see What’s For Dinner? Volume 8) and healthy recipes I’ve found online, I’m doing pretty well so far in 2012.

This week’s recipes are almost all from Skinny Taste, my newest obsession. Luckily she’s got years of archives plus new posts every week so I don’t think I’ll get tired of the recipes any time soon.

1. Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice – Skinny Taste
2. Chicken with Leeks Sun-Dried Tomatoes in White Wine Sauce – Skinny Taste
3. Carne Bistec – Skinny Taste
4. Chicken Panini with Arugula, Provolone and Chipotle Mayonnaise – Skinny Taste

I also made Pollo in Potacchio, which was so delicious I forgot to take a picture before shoving it in my face.

1. Spinach Lasagna Rolls – Skinny Taste
2. Skinny Baked Macaroni and Cheese – Skinny Taste (I chopped up the broccoli really tiny and even the most veggie-adverse members of my family ate it.)
3. Dr. Weil’s Broccoli (for those who think they don’t like broccoli) – Girl’s Gone Child (I hate broccoli, I LOVE this – I made it without the olive oil so it was only 1 Weight Watcher’s PointPlus for a huge bowl)
4. Chicken Pizza Quesadillas – I used the leftover chicken thighs and tomato sauce from the Pollo in Potacchio , threw in a little basil and some cheese and put my quesadilla maker to use. SUPER fast and I was so proud of myself for using up leftovers (We have a real leftover problem in my house – no one eats them).

And for dessert:

Phyllo Fruit Tart – Skinny Taste

So what have you been eating in 2012? Any really amazing new recipes? Found anything on Pinterest you’re dying to try (or want me to try first)?

(Sorry for the terrible, terrible pictures – it’s winter and my kitchen s a cave by 5 pm.)