I'm still here...

OK, so it has been a few days since my last post...I'm not going to make excuses for not posting, life just happened!

Moving on, I've ordered a few things that I'm excited to share with you. The first and second are two books...'The Maker's Diet' and 'The Coconut Oil Miracle.' I've lightly skimmed through both and can't wait to try some of the ideas. I'm thinking of trying 'The Maker's Diet', it's a 40 day challenge to replace the 'American diet' with whole nutritious foods that are not man made. Real food. I've also received some kefir grains and I'm loving kefir smoothies right now! I also have been sprouting like crazy...home-grown zesty sprouts that is. We received a 3 level sprout kit from my MIL, and all I can say is...I will NEVER buy store sprouts again! These don't even compare! They are soooo yummy and crunchy and they last longer in the fridge ;-)

Well, I'm off to practice Zumba ;-)

Day #9

Breakfast: 1/2 c granola, 1/2 c milk, 1 banana

Snack: 10z. cheddar cheese, 1 apple

Lunch: 1 whole wheat english muffin pizza w/ turkey pepperoni & mozzarella, 1 cup lettuce salad 2 tsp. homemade ranch

Snack: green monster smoothie ~ YuMmY!!!

Dinner: 1 cup Parmesan tuna leftovers, lettuce salad w/2 tsp. ranch dressing, 1 chipotle sundried tomato bread stick.


I have been doing awesome with my water intake, I'm actually craving water now!!!! Also after I eat I'm noticing that I don't have that over-stuffed feeling that comes with mindless eating. YaY!

Day #8

Breakfast: 2 cups cantaloupe, 1 Oroweat toasted w/ 1 T organic peanut butter

Snack: 10 cocoa almonds, 1 apple

Lunch: 1 cup of bean salad, 4oz. chicken breast

Snack: 1 cup strawberry yogurt

Dinner: 1 cup of Tuna Parmesan, 1 cup lettuce salad w/ veggies, 2 T homemade ranch dressing, 1 slice french bread, 1 glass of wine




I did 30 mins. of Turbo Jam today!

Day #7

Breakfast: 1 1/2 c raisin bran w/ 1 c milk, 1 banana

Lunch: 1 c bean salad w/ 4 oz. chicken breast

Snack: 1/2 c homemade mango salsa with tortilla chips

Dinner: 1/2 c homemade sloppy joes on 1/2 a bun, 1/2 c crock pot potato fries


This morning I did 40 minutes of Turbo Jam. I'm feeling great and my energy is improving!

Day #6

I posted on my other blog about how hard it's been homeschooling with a toddler in the house...but I'm determined not to let this affect my eating plan!

I've also decided to up my exercise plan to working out 2 times a day. Now don't get all excited...the first workout of my day will be the intense one, the second will be more like an afternoon walk or bike ride. I'll let you know how it goes ;-)

My focus for this week...drink lots of water, no coffee, and exercise more.

Breakfast: 1/2 granola, 1/2 c milk, 1 banana

Lunch: 1 cup of bean salad w/ 4oz. chicken breast (from last night's dinner)

Snack: 10 cocoa almonds, 1 apple

Dinner: 2 slices of garlic chicken pizza, spinach salad w/ feta and raspberry vinaigrette

Chai tea w/ 1/4 c milk


~ Today I did 40 mins. of Turbo Jam ~

Confetti Bean Salad

Ingredients

• 1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped, optional
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, cilantro, peppers, onion, jalapeno if desired and garlic.
• In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, oil, chili powder and sugar. Pour over bean mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 12 servings.

Editor's Note: When cutting hot peppers, disposable gloves are recommended. Avoid touching your face.

Nutritional Analysis: One 2/3-cup serving equals 179 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 7 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1 lean meat.

Recipe and image from http://www.tasteofhome.com

Day #5

Breakfast: 1 c raisin bran, 1 sliced banana, 1/2 milk

Snack: 1 c pumpkin pie pudding & 1 cup coffee w/ cream & sugar

Lunch: grilled cheese sandwich, 1/2 c clam chowder

Snack: 10 tortilla scoops w/ 1/4 c homemade mango peach salsa

Dinner: oven roasted chicken breast, 1/2 c baked sweet potato w/ 1 tsp. butter, spinach salad w/ feta cheese and a drizzle of raspberry vinaigrette ~ Yummy!




Today at church a friend and I brought snacks for fellowship time. One of the things that I made was pumpkin pie pudding....sooooo good!!! I decided to have some because if I told myself it was off limits, I probably would of fell off the wagon, big time! Anyway, I'm very pleased with how I ate this weekend, much better! Tomorrow I will do a weigh in, so I'm a little excited to see how I've done.

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can fat free evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup organic sugar or sugar replacement
  
• 1/2 cup fat free biscuit/baking mix
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Whipped Topping (optional)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Transfer to a slow cooker coated with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees. Serve in bowls with whipped topping if desired.

Recipe and image from http://www.allrecipes.com

Day #4

Weekends are usually hard for me to eat well...you know how it goes...the hubby is home...everything is off schedule...but I did really good! I didn't have any snacks today but I wasn't really hungry.


Breakfast: 1 1/2 cups raisin bran w/ 1/2 c milk, 1 c cantaloupe

Lunch: ham sandwich loaded w/ veggies, 1 c clam chowder

Dinner: 4 oz. BBQ steak, corn on the cob, yukon gold baked potato w/ 1T butter