Tips to Stay on Track

Everyone asks me, when they see the progress that I am making, "What are you doing?  How are you losing this weight?"  I try my best not to make it sound like a sales pitch when I say, "I am doing the Shakeology and the 21 day fix plan"! Most of the time they want details, and then they see the price and freak out!! And so did I, the first time I saw the price.  So let me tell you this.  You can do this without both of those tools.  I am using shakeology and 21 day fix, but they are just what I stated above, "tools".  And you need those...tools...to get you started.  Prepare you for victory.  You don't go to war without a gun and you don't fight a battle without being prepared.  Plenty of people have lost weight and got healthy without shakeology and 21 day fix, just because that's the way I'm doing it, doesn't mean you have to do it that way.  And I could do it without it too, if I wanted to.

Losing weight and getting healthy is logical.  We put so much thought into it though, that we get overwhelmed and quit.  That's what makes it hard.  So here are few tips to get you started on your way.

1. Have a game plan. As I said before, if you aren't prepared, you will surely fail.  You need a week long outline of what you will eat.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner....two or three healthy snacks.  You need a workout plan.  Even if it's only 3 days a week for 20 minutes a day.  
2. Be prepared!  I will never forget the night I got stuck in traffic on the interstate at 7 pm after working a 9 hour shift and driving an hour to and from work.  My tummy was screaming at me.  There wasn't a thing in my lunch bag to eat except a green apple.  So now, I pack a little more protein than needed.  And I make sure that I have a snack for on the way home from work.  Otherwise, you'll be more likely to end up in the McDonald's drive thru.  And that's not good.
3. Never skip breakfast.  I am the worst for this.  I am not a morning person, so lots of times I roll out of bed with very little time to eat.  By lunch time, I'm willing to eat whatever I see.
4. Make your food taste good.  Just because it's "diet food", doesn't mean it has to be bland and flavorless.  Honestly, that fast food I was eating has less flavor than the yummy food I make now.  We eat out much less than we used to.  There are lots of ways to flavor your food.  My favorites are Mrs. Dash (lots of different flavors), Cajun spice, and garlic powder.  Also, Frank's hot sauce is good on EVERYTHING!
5. It's all in the math.  I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I wasn't able to lose weight for a long time.  A coworker shared this very valuable information with me.  

Multiply your weight by 9.  This is how many calories your body needs every day to maintain the weight you're at right now.  Now, multiply your weight by 7.  This is the amount of calories you need to eat in order to lose 2 pounds a week.  

example:

My current weight:  260 x 9 = 2,340 (Calories needed to maintain my weight)

My current weight: 260 x 7 = 1,820 (Calories needed to lose 2 pounds a week)

*A pound of fat = 3,500 calories

So, to lose 2 pounds, your body must consume/burn 7,000 less calories per week.

Also, it's safer to lose your weight slowly.  You didn't gain it over night...you won't lose it over 

night either.

Most importantly, NEVER GIVE UP.  You may have a long way to go, but the time will pass whether you succeed or not. 

This is a salad I made yesterday.  It was so good, not bland at all.  I could eat it every single day for lunch.

 Buffalo Chicken Salad:

Romaine lettuce
spring green mix
celery sticks
carrot sticks
raw banana pepper
boneless, skinless chicken breast grilled or baked (I used the george forman)
2 tablespoons of feta
2 tablespoons of Frank's red hot sauce

Directions:  Cut the chicken into cubes and toss with the hot sauce.  Assemble the salad with all other ingredients, and top with chicken and any excess hot sauce.  I didn't use any other dressing.  It was very good.

Smashed Cauliflower

I am a very big potato eater.  I like potato chip, baked potatoes, fried potatoes, potato soup....  In the past, if it was a potato, I would eat it.  But now, trying to change my life, I am forced to find alternative things to satisfy my craving.  Today, I tried my hand at mashed cauliflower.  I have to say, it didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it, but I know what I did wrong and how I plan to correct it, so I would call it a success.  It really did taste really good, it just wasn't pretty.

Ingredients:
a head of cauliflower
onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and chili powder (all to taste)
a steamer or a double boiler
a food processor or blender

My husband bought me a food steamer probably 3 or 4 years ago.  I used it maybe twice and it went in the back of my cabinet where bad gadgets go when I run out of ways to use them.  But I pulled it out for this task.













Directions:
Cut your cauliflower head up and place it in your steamer.  Season with your spices, and steam for 30-45 minutes.  Put cauliflower into your food processor and process until smooth.




















(This is where I went wrong.  I thought that, like potatoes, you would need milk or chicken stock to make the cauliflower get smooth.  I added just a little of milk and it made the cauliflower way too runny.  It tasted good, but it looked more like a puree.  But it was really good, and I didn't miss the mashed potatoes, and that makes me happy.

Easy Breezy Homemade Salsa

So my favorite thing in the world is a good salsa and some tortilla chips.  It's hard to give that up after you start trying to eat healthy and make better choices. So I went looking for a way to have this without throwing myself off track.  This is not the best time of year for fresh salsa, so here is an easy way to have your salsa without fresh tomatoes. I eat my salsa with the whole wheat tortilla chips that I posted here.  It's a great snack for someone who has a soft spot for salty chips and yummy salsa.

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice
• 10 oz. can of rotel with juice
• the juice of 1 lime
• half of a medium white or yellow onion 
• 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
• a handful of cilantro
• 1 tsp of salt (season to taste, but this is about what I use)
• 2 tsp tequila lime flavored Mrs. Dash
• *Some people add ground cumin to their salsa instead of the Mrs. Dash, I don't.  I don't care for the taste of cumin. But if you would like to add it, you will need about a half teaspoon in place of Mrs. Dash.

Add all ingredients to you blender or food processor and pulse until all ingredients are combined and at desired consistency.  It's very good.  

Southwest Chipotle Bowl

So I don't have a picture of this amazing recipe because it didn't last that long.  Something that I've learned on this journey is if I learn to make yummy food, then I won't be so tempted to eat out all the time.  It saves us a lot of money in the household, and it feels more satisfying knowing I can make food that tastes just as good as a restaurant at a much lower price.  

This recipe started out as a fajita recipe, but I put it on the tortilla and it wouldn't even close.  That's when I decided to just throw it all together.  

Here is what you'll need.

• top round steak cut into strips
• a box of quinoa or couscous whichever you prefer (I made couscous)
• a can of black beans
• medium vidalia onion sliced
• poblano pepper, sliced
• a handful of cilantro
• 1/4 cup of greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup pace picante sauce (i used medium)
• Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning
• 2 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Cook quinoa or couscous according to box directions and set aside.  Also cook your black beans until warmed and set aside.  In a large skillet, warm 1 tsp. olive oil and sear your steak until its done, seasoning to taste with Mrs. Dash Chipotle seasoning. Be careful not to over cook this steak, it gets done very quickly.  You can also grill your steak for less fat. In another skillet, warm 1 tsp olive oil and saute onions and peppers. 

To assemble your chipotle bowl, you layer as follows,  1/2 cup quinoa/couscous, 1/2 cup black beans, 3/4 cup of the steak strips,  and 1 and 1/4 cups of onions and peppers.  Then I top with a dollop of greek yogurt (used as sour cream), 1/8 cup of picante sauce, and some cilantro to garnish.  

When I'm done there are lots of left overs.  Enough for at least a day or so, so I store it in containers for lunches for work and dinners after work.   

Hope you enjoy!!

21 Day Fix Turbo Fire Chili

So some days, when it's cold and yucky outside, I get the hankerin' for some chili. Traditional chili is great, but this chili is much healthier.

*I did not come up with this recipe.  This recipe came from the 21 day fix book that I base my daily diet on.

I freeze this recipe as well.  When I'm in a hurry, I just grab and go.

Ingredients:

1 pound of lean ground turkey
1/2 C. diced tomatoes
8 oz. whole kernel corn, canned
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
8 oz. black beans, canned
8 oz. chili beans, canned
1 TB. tomato paste
1 package of your favorite chili mix
4 oz. low fat shredded cheddar cheese (Optional)

Directions:

Brown turkey.  Drain and discard any fat.  Place all ingredients except the cheese into slow cooker.  Cook for 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high.  Top with 1 oz. cheese or slice avocado.

Each serving should be 1-1.5 cups. No more.

Calories: 386/ Protein: 36 g./ carbs: 33 g./Fat:  13 g./Fiber: 8.5g.

It really is good stuff!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

It's been a pretty mild January for Tennessee.  The flurries today made me wish for chicken soup to warm by bones.  So I came home and I warmed me up a bowl of this yummy stuff.

I usually make a very large pot of this soup just like the vegetable soup.  I separate it into servings and freeze it for later.



Ingredients:

1 bag of whole wheat egg noodles
1 box of low sodium chicken stock
4 carrots, (Peeled and sliced into 1/4" rounds)
4 celery ribs, ( cut into 1/4 slices)
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into slices
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8-10 quart stock pot
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder (all to taste)

Directions:
Place chicken breasts into your stock pot and add water until chicken is covered.  Salt the water to flavor.  Then boil the chicken on medium-high until done.  While chicken is cooking, slice your carrots, celery, and onions and set aside.  In a separate pan cook egg noodles according to package directions. Do not cook the noodles with the soup because they will over cook and be mushy.  When the chicken is done cooking, pull them from the water and let them cool.  (I strain the broth that I cooked my chicken in to get rid of any fat that has settled into the pan, but this is optional).  While you are waiting for your chicken to cool, add the chicken stock, the sliced vegetables, and all the spices to your chicken broth. (If I had to guess on the spices, I would say that I normally use 1-2 Tablespoons of each) Reduce heat to simmer.  After your chicken has cooled, cut it into chunks and add it back the stock pot.  Last, add the cooked noodles to the stock pot and continue to let it simmer 10-15 more minutes allowing all of the flavors to marry. Enjoy!

Cilantro Dipping Sauce

*This is not fix approved.  But it is 100 percent better than salad dressing, or mayo. 

Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1.5 Cups of non fat greek yogurt
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
1 avocado
1 package of hidden valley ranch dip mix
juice of 1/2 lemon
a handful of cilantro chopped finely
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
A blender or food processor (I use a Ninja)

Put all ingredients into the food processor/blender and blend until smooth.  You can add water to this to make it more of a dressing consistency.  I normally leave mine thicker and use it as a sauce/spread.

This makes about 10 servings at 2 TB. a serving and is approximately 55 calories per serving.  Lots better for you to!!