A few things I know about grilling asparagus:
1. It doesn't take long.
2. It dries out fast.
3. Solve that by rolling in EVOO and sprinkling with pepper prior to grilling.
4. Snap off ends instead of cutting! (Thanks Phil Curtis for that tip!)
5. You may lose some (ground or bottom of grill or otherwise!)
6. It will be the hit of the party.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Ingredients and Labels
The guidelines for food in your kitchen, according to www.precisionnutrition.com, are close to three ingredients on a food label, and to recognize how many steps of processing the food went through to make it to that state! (for example, from tomato to ketchup or from a natural grain to sliced bread, etc)
I have to admit...I used to be that person who grocery shopped at Walmart MAYBE twice a month. I would steer clear of food that would spoil too fast because we NEVER ate the groceries I bought anyway!
Think of that food in your stomach. If you can leave it in your refrigerator for over a month and it still be ok...I wonder what that month old food looks like at the bottom of my gut??
I now go to the grocery store at least twice a week! I have totally enjoyed it. Who else hates the grocery store? Come on, I see you shaking your head. But what is it that we hate about it? (I was in that boat with you shaking my head! We almost tipped over! LOL) Stay there for hours? Hate checking out? Lugging the groceries to your car? Lugging the groceries in the house? Then having to put them all away? uuuugggg...I know!
BUT, picture this...I never get more than 3 or 4 bags full. (now, maybe not on that trip to get cleaners, toilet paper, paper towels, shampoos, etc! Make your spouse go with you on that trip!) I only have to go to the produce and meat sections, and it is kind of fun! Have noticed the sweet little vegetable men and meat guys that are there to assist you in anything you are looking for? They do not have these guys in the frozen food sections! We try to get food that does not have a label at all! Check out our meal the other night!
(Eeeekk...ok...we wrapped that chicken with bacon, but most of it fell off and we fed it to our puppy anyway! And maybe that is the tip to juicy chicken breasts...wrap with bacon while cooking and not partake it in....more on this grilling at a later date!)
Chicken breast (about the size of my palm) on a bed of asparagus. Go ahead, have as many as you want! With a side of zucchini, mushroom and bell pepper slices! mmmmmmm
What is your favorite meal that includes all foods without packaging or a label?
I have to admit...I used to be that person who grocery shopped at Walmart MAYBE twice a month. I would steer clear of food that would spoil too fast because we NEVER ate the groceries I bought anyway!
Think of that food in your stomach. If you can leave it in your refrigerator for over a month and it still be ok...I wonder what that month old food looks like at the bottom of my gut??
I now go to the grocery store at least twice a week! I have totally enjoyed it. Who else hates the grocery store? Come on, I see you shaking your head. But what is it that we hate about it? (I was in that boat with you shaking my head! We almost tipped over! LOL) Stay there for hours? Hate checking out? Lugging the groceries to your car? Lugging the groceries in the house? Then having to put them all away? uuuugggg...I know!
BUT, picture this...I never get more than 3 or 4 bags full. (now, maybe not on that trip to get cleaners, toilet paper, paper towels, shampoos, etc! Make your spouse go with you on that trip!) I only have to go to the produce and meat sections, and it is kind of fun! Have noticed the sweet little vegetable men and meat guys that are there to assist you in anything you are looking for? They do not have these guys in the frozen food sections! We try to get food that does not have a label at all! Check out our meal the other night!
(Eeeekk...ok...we wrapped that chicken with bacon, but most of it fell off and we fed it to our puppy anyway! And maybe that is the tip to juicy chicken breasts...wrap with bacon while cooking and not partake it in....more on this grilling at a later date!)
Chicken breast (about the size of my palm) on a bed of asparagus. Go ahead, have as many as you want! With a side of zucchini, mushroom and bell pepper slices! mmmmmmm
What is your favorite meal that includes all foods without packaging or a label?
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Preparedness
as defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary online:
My husband and I are attempting to set ourselves up for success! We are human...obese humans at that! We have to be especially prepared for lean meals! We need to not be able to find an excuse to eat out or to eat unhealthy!
We did a kitchen clean out about a month ago! Yes! We threw out food! I hated to do it, but it was junk and it was killing us slowly. We used to rarely grocery shop, so no worries, we MAY have had half a brown grocery sack full of groceries to throw out. The top things that heart our hearts as it went to the dumpster were two boxes of Velveeta Shells and Cheese and one half-eaten jar of Jif Crunchy peanut butter! (I will post more about peanut butters as soon as I gather more info! I am researching this, folks!)
Now we grocery shop at least twice a week. And we set ourselves up for success...
Our daily goal is to eat 5 servings of veggies each day. This is so fun! Try it! Veggies will fill your stomach up faster than that snack-sized Snickers you had yesterday! Yeah...you! :0)
One serving of a vegetable in a snack bag, ready to grab, is so awesome when you feel a little rumbly in your tumbly!
1 serving is about:
5 broccoli trees
10 baby carrots
1/2 a sweet potato
4 slices of onion
1/2 bell pepper
1 cup greens for salad
15 grape tomatoes <------- my personal favorite! My new quote is, "I guess I will go force 15 grape tomatoes down!"
You will notice I have 6 strawberries in a baggie above too! Fruits are a great snack also! Just make sure you have more veggies than fruits!
For lunch most days, I grab an assortment of three personally-packed snack bags from the arrangement above and throw in a palm-sized piece of grilled chicken breast or roasted turkey. (If I feel real hungry in the mornings, I will pack some wheat thins, but I normally do not have room for them after I eat my meat and veggies first. Timing the carbs last is part of the preparedness for success as well. Just do it for yourself! Your body will love you for it. It will show you the love by dropping at least 2 lbs the first week you eat veggies each day!
My husband and I are attempting to set ourselves up for success! We are human...obese humans at that! We have to be especially prepared for lean meals! We need to not be able to find an excuse to eat out or to eat unhealthy!
We did a kitchen clean out about a month ago! Yes! We threw out food! I hated to do it, but it was junk and it was killing us slowly. We used to rarely grocery shop, so no worries, we MAY have had half a brown grocery sack full of groceries to throw out. The top things that heart our hearts as it went to the dumpster were two boxes of Velveeta Shells and Cheese and one half-eaten jar of Jif Crunchy peanut butter! (I will post more about peanut butters as soon as I gather more info! I am researching this, folks!)
Now we grocery shop at least twice a week. And we set ourselves up for success...
Our daily goal is to eat 5 servings of veggies each day. This is so fun! Try it! Veggies will fill your stomach up faster than that snack-sized Snickers you had yesterday! Yeah...you! :0)
One serving of a vegetable in a snack bag, ready to grab, is so awesome when you feel a little rumbly in your tumbly!
1 serving is about:
5 broccoli trees
10 baby carrots
1/2 a sweet potato
4 slices of onion
1/2 bell pepper
1 cup greens for salad
15 grape tomatoes <------- my personal favorite! My new quote is, "I guess I will go force 15 grape tomatoes down!"
You will notice I have 6 strawberries in a baggie above too! Fruits are a great snack also! Just make sure you have more veggies than fruits!
For lunch most days, I grab an assortment of three personally-packed snack bags from the arrangement above and throw in a palm-sized piece of grilled chicken breast or roasted turkey. (If I feel real hungry in the mornings, I will pack some wheat thins, but I normally do not have room for them after I eat my meat and veggies first. Timing the carbs last is part of the preparedness for success as well. Just do it for yourself! Your body will love you for it. It will show you the love by dropping at least 2 lbs the first week you eat veggies each day!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Easy Quesadillas
I made these quesadillas Wednesday night. I used the left overs to make more this afternoon.
I am still new at the eating healthy thing, so please do not feel like I know all about it. I do know that I am not a patient person, and if you remember back to my first post, I used to pull up to Taco Bell or Wendy's and get dinner in less than 5 minutes. Cooking has been more of a challenge, so I am helping myself by finding easy BUT YUMMY things to make! I have to give credit to my sister here! She taught me how to create these quesadillas! http://mcreynoldsmcblog.blogspot.com/
Ingredients:
turkey breast (I get an already roasted breast from a local grocery store!)
black beans (low sodium...I believe these were Progresso...not sure...left overs!)
Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
shredded cheese (I used a 2% milk Sargento mexican blend this time.)
fajita sized tortillas (...these were La Tortilla Factory brand Heart Healthy fajita size)
Enjoy the pictures! My apologies for your instant hunger! ;0)
I spray my old, old flat griddle with a small amount of canola oil spray and start with a small layer of GLUE, aka cheese. (I have tried making without cheese, but they fall apart when you flip them.)
Then add a layer of black beans, attempting to use little juice from the beans.
Then add a layer of the shredded turkey breast. If you like pepper, grind fresh grounds here!
Then a layer of Rotel tomatoes. (The more you use, the spicier they will be!)
Then I top with a small pinch of shredded cheese for more "glue."
Fold over and let warm on griddle for about 4 minutes on each side, flip as often as you like. (it is kinda fun!) Crispier tortillas come from more time on the griddle. The browning you see here is just from the time it took me to load the half up!
These are about the size of a taco. I cut in half and we usually eat three small triangles. (so I use three tortillas that cut into 6 little quesadilla parts!) Avocado slices are nice as a side here.
I am still new at the eating healthy thing, so please do not feel like I know all about it. I do know that I am not a patient person, and if you remember back to my first post, I used to pull up to Taco Bell or Wendy's and get dinner in less than 5 minutes. Cooking has been more of a challenge, so I am helping myself by finding easy BUT YUMMY things to make! I have to give credit to my sister here! She taught me how to create these quesadillas! http://mcreynoldsmcblog.blogspot.com/
Ingredients:
turkey breast (I get an already roasted breast from a local grocery store!)
black beans (low sodium...I believe these were Progresso...not sure...left overs!)
Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
shredded cheese (I used a 2% milk Sargento mexican blend this time.)
fajita sized tortillas (...these were La Tortilla Factory brand Heart Healthy fajita size)
Enjoy the pictures! My apologies for your instant hunger! ;0)
I spray my old, old flat griddle with a small amount of canola oil spray and start with a small layer of GLUE, aka cheese. (I have tried making without cheese, but they fall apart when you flip them.)
Then add a layer of black beans, attempting to use little juice from the beans.
Then add a layer of the shredded turkey breast. If you like pepper, grind fresh grounds here!
Then a layer of Rotel tomatoes. (The more you use, the spicier they will be!)
Then I top with a small pinch of shredded cheese for more "glue."
Fold over and let warm on griddle for about 4 minutes on each side, flip as often as you like. (it is kinda fun!) Crispier tortillas come from more time on the griddle. The browning you see here is just from the time it took me to load the half up!
These are about the size of a taco. I cut in half and we usually eat three small triangles. (so I use three tortillas that cut into 6 little quesadilla parts!) Avocado slices are nice as a side here.
Due Dates and Late Payments
I had a doctor tell me one time about making time for a healthier me..."What happens if you don't pay your mortgage? or your cell phone bill? or your car payment?"
He compared that to making time for exercising. Well, I would eventually lose my house, my car, and my cell phone would be turned off! What, then I couldn't play Draw Something or Scramble with Friends! LOL I had to start asking myself what was important here! Feeling healthy makes you sleep better, work better, be in a better mood, feel sexier, love others deeper, and makes you smile inside and out!!! That doctor was asking "What happens if you don't exercise?"
So, on Sundays I make due dates for my "bills" in my healthier lifestyle change. I have to tell myself and physically put it on the calendar that "This week, you have to..."
Most weeks are the same. I am a creature of habit and really like to have a plan for the week. I have a hard time sticking to the gym if I guess all day if we are going to go or if Josh will be off work in time to go with me, etc.
Monday - Body Pump at Zachs
Tuesday - walk Winston at the park
Wednesday - Body Pump at Zachs
Thursday - volleyball at Memorial Park
Friday I am leaving early to meet Josh in Abilene, so I will not work out at all this weekend. Life happens. We have planned to go out of town for a few months now, and we will definitely eat some great food with friends in Abilene, but it will be ok.
That brings me to being too hard on yourself. I did this for the first few weeks. If I ate french fries, I would starve myself for the next 12 hours. If I didn't go to the gym, I would get so down and mad at myself, which in turn made for not going again the next time because I was being so negative.
Late payments are a very smart concept that businesses use to make you pay your bills on time. I think my late payment on my mortgage is like $22.00. This is a very small fraction of the total bill that was due. Just a little slap on the hand to make yourself try harder to be on time next time.
So if you miss a healthy meal or a workout, don't be so hard on yourself. (I am speaking to myself here too! lol)
Try to make a plan today for the week. Make a few due dates on some great exercise and pay them like you would your bills!
He compared that to making time for exercising. Well, I would eventually lose my house, my car, and my cell phone would be turned off! What, then I couldn't play Draw Something or Scramble with Friends! LOL I had to start asking myself what was important here! Feeling healthy makes you sleep better, work better, be in a better mood, feel sexier, love others deeper, and makes you smile inside and out!!! That doctor was asking "What happens if you don't exercise?"
So, on Sundays I make due dates for my "bills" in my healthier lifestyle change. I have to tell myself and physically put it on the calendar that "This week, you have to..."
Most weeks are the same. I am a creature of habit and really like to have a plan for the week. I have a hard time sticking to the gym if I guess all day if we are going to go or if Josh will be off work in time to go with me, etc.
Monday - Body Pump at Zachs
Tuesday - walk Winston at the park
Wednesday - Body Pump at Zachs
Thursday - volleyball at Memorial Park
Friday I am leaving early to meet Josh in Abilene, so I will not work out at all this weekend. Life happens. We have planned to go out of town for a few months now, and we will definitely eat some great food with friends in Abilene, but it will be ok.
That brings me to being too hard on yourself. I did this for the first few weeks. If I ate french fries, I would starve myself for the next 12 hours. If I didn't go to the gym, I would get so down and mad at myself, which in turn made for not going again the next time because I was being so negative.
Late payments are a very smart concept that businesses use to make you pay your bills on time. I think my late payment on my mortgage is like $22.00. This is a very small fraction of the total bill that was due. Just a little slap on the hand to make yourself try harder to be on time next time.
So if you miss a healthy meal or a workout, don't be so hard on yourself. (I am speaking to myself here too! lol)
Try to make a plan today for the week. Make a few due dates on some great exercise and pay them like you would your bills!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Hillary's Take on a Rachel Ray
One thing I have learned from www.PrecisionNutrition.com is that I can still have yummy food! I cannot believe I used to think that Burger King french fries were good, or that ranch dressing on Subway sandwiches was good!
We started watching what we ate around the first of February. I STILL drive around LOST if there is a time when we have to get something quick to eat and we have no groceries.
We ALL have those days that we MUST get something on the go. I recently pulled up to McDonalds to see if they had maybe a yogurt cup or apple slices I could have for breakfast! NOPE! (Well, maybe they did but the guy at the speaker was very impatient with me wanting to look the menu over!) I just drove off. Anyway, onto Rachel Ray...
I saw an episode of her 30 minute meals show recently and thought I could adapt this recipe pretty easily! (For those that may not know, when I cook, it is just for my husband and myself. I will post if we cook for others so you will have an idea of how many the recipes will feed!)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/poquito-and-grande-taquitos-and-burritos-recipe/index.html
Adaptation:
1. Skip making the "poquitos" or the taquitos.
2. Get large romaine lettuce leafs instead of tortillas for the "grande" or burritos.
3. I buy low sodium black beans and do not "re-fry" them the way Rachel says.
4. I use skim milk cheese or Weight Watchers brand cheeses are ok too.
4. I do not add the extra shredded lettuce to the burritos because of our wraps!
5. I use a 14 ounce can of roasted tomatoes for the dipping sauce, so I half all the other ingredients and I skip the sugar. This is an amazing sauce!
This makes a meal for two nights for us, or a meal for 4 on one night. It is amazing! I am a fan of black beans AND always love spicy things! This meal beats the socks off a Whopper and lame french fries any day! We ate this Thursday night and then went to the park and played a few games of volleyball. Try it! It is so light, but so fulfilling! MMMMMMMMMM
I will post a picture of the meal next time we make this.
Planning is a big part of the important step of changing how you eat. We try not to get stuck in a situation without groceries. I am a little OCD about my planning meals now...stay tuned Sunday evening for a post on that ritual!
We started watching what we ate around the first of February. I STILL drive around LOST if there is a time when we have to get something quick to eat and we have no groceries.
We ALL have those days that we MUST get something on the go. I recently pulled up to McDonalds to see if they had maybe a yogurt cup or apple slices I could have for breakfast! NOPE! (Well, maybe they did but the guy at the speaker was very impatient with me wanting to look the menu over!) I just drove off. Anyway, onto Rachel Ray...
I saw an episode of her 30 minute meals show recently and thought I could adapt this recipe pretty easily! (For those that may not know, when I cook, it is just for my husband and myself. I will post if we cook for others so you will have an idea of how many the recipes will feed!)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/poquito-and-grande-taquitos-and-burritos-recipe/index.html
Adaptation:
1. Skip making the "poquitos" or the taquitos.
2. Get large romaine lettuce leafs instead of tortillas for the "grande" or burritos.
3. I buy low sodium black beans and do not "re-fry" them the way Rachel says.
4. I use skim milk cheese or Weight Watchers brand cheeses are ok too.
4. I do not add the extra shredded lettuce to the burritos because of our wraps!
5. I use a 14 ounce can of roasted tomatoes for the dipping sauce, so I half all the other ingredients and I skip the sugar. This is an amazing sauce!
This makes a meal for two nights for us, or a meal for 4 on one night. It is amazing! I am a fan of black beans AND always love spicy things! This meal beats the socks off a Whopper and lame french fries any day! We ate this Thursday night and then went to the park and played a few games of volleyball. Try it! It is so light, but so fulfilling! MMMMMMMMMM
I will post a picture of the meal next time we make this.
Planning is a big part of the important step of changing how you eat. We try not to get stuck in a situation without groceries. I am a little OCD about my planning meals now...stay tuned Sunday evening for a post on that ritual!
Me and Food
Welcome all! I come to you 20 lbs. lighter than I was on January 4th when I signed up for the coached group with Precision Nutrition. I had a friend request a blog about what I have been eating and how I changed my eating in order to lose weight! Here I will post new recipes we try and the outcome.
A little bit about me and food prior to 2012:
I was addicted to fast food.
I added up all debits one month in late fall of 2012, and over $900 in one month was spent on eating out.
I always ate around 8:00am, 12:00pm, and 6:00pm, even if I felt hungry or not.
I had not felt my stomach growl in over 3 years probably.
I THOUGHT I was hungry at times because I felt a faintish feeling and would get headaches.
I would sleep a lot of the time after my humongous meal at 6:00 in the evening.
I always ate everything on my plate.
(My dad was wrong when he told me that was the right thing to do!)
Today:
IF we eat out, I order lean protein and veggies.
I can NEVER finish a whole meal.
I LOVE the feeling of my stomach growling.
I bought a small refrigerator for my classroom so I can have small snacks.
I RARELY take naps now, except if we decide we NEED Taco Villa and then regret it after a carb-loaded coma, aka nap! (That happened today, so it is fresh in my mind! We still eat junk sometimes, but we have noticed that we feel BAD afterward!)
A little bit about me and food prior to 2012:
I was addicted to fast food.
I added up all debits one month in late fall of 2012, and over $900 in one month was spent on eating out.
I always ate around 8:00am, 12:00pm, and 6:00pm, even if I felt hungry or not.
I had not felt my stomach growl in over 3 years probably.
I THOUGHT I was hungry at times because I felt a faintish feeling and would get headaches.
I would sleep a lot of the time after my humongous meal at 6:00 in the evening.
I always ate everything on my plate.
(My dad was wrong when he told me that was the right thing to do!)
Today:
IF we eat out, I order lean protein and veggies.
I can NEVER finish a whole meal.
I LOVE the feeling of my stomach growling.
I bought a small refrigerator for my classroom so I can have small snacks.
I RARELY take naps now, except if we decide we NEED Taco Villa and then regret it after a carb-loaded coma, aka nap! (That happened today, so it is fresh in my mind! We still eat junk sometimes, but we have noticed that we feel BAD afterward!)
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