Meal planner week: June 25th–July 7

I am just a bit late again with this.

• Sat: Roasted Chicken with Pasta veggies**See Below
• Sun: Chicken Panzanella
• Mon: Chicken Quesadilla**See Below
• Tues: Chicken Lettuce cups**See Below
• Wed: Pork Steaks
• Thurs: Gilled haddock
• Friday: Hamburgers/Hot dogs
• Sat: Make your own Pizza
• Sun: Chicken Pockets
• Mon: Steak
• Tues:Talapia Tacos
• Wed: Burgers
• Thursday: Shrimp Kabobs

**My plan for this week was to follow this as a guide.  It was 5 days worth of cooking that was suppose to cost just $28 worth of groceries.  Problem 1) a few we didn’t think we would like 2) I can not follow a recipes I always deviate.

None the less I did my best.   Saturday I roasted a 7 pound chicken.  we were suppose to have Roast Chicken with Creamy Polenta And Mushroom Ragout but I have never had or cooked polenta.  I didn’t even know where in the grocery store it was.  So we ended up having (just this package not the recipe the link below shows)

Lightly Sauced Penne & Vegetables with Alfredo Sauce (12 oz) >

After dinner we cut up the chicken and had a quart size bag full for the next few nights!

Sunday I made the Chicken Panzanella salad and 21 calorie garlic bread.  The leftovers were my lunch on Monday! 

Monday we did try to make Chicken Goat-Cheese Quesadillas.  But I again deviated.  In a grill pan on one tortilla I added thinly sliced red peppers, scallions and chopped chicken.  I sprinkled Monterey Jack cheese before topping with another tortilla.  For mine I used the Arnold's flat sandwich bread only 100 cal.  For the kids and mine I did it in the sandwich maker they came out cute:

Then it was Tuesday the final day to use our 7 pound chicken.  we made Chicken Lettuce Cups..well kind of.  I knew David wouldn’t be into eating a lettuce wrap!

I thinly sliced a sweet onion and added it to a heated pan with 2 tablespoons of EVOO.  sauté for 3 minutes ( I added a little thyme and pepper to the onions). Reduce heat to low.  Then I added 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce,  my remaining chicken chopped up, a dash of celery salt and garlic powder.  I stirred everything and then mixed in 1 cup of cooked brown rice.  Once everything was heated I topped with sliced scallions. 

Then we just put it on a roll with crisp lettuce.  its was really yummy!  I will certainly make it again

21 Calorie Garlic bread

 

On Sunday I was making this, chicken Panzanella Salad. You are suppose to put wedges of bread in a panzanella salad.  I really didn’t need the carbs that come with giant wedges of bread.  So I had to come up with an idea to swap it out with.  Then I found these in my bread drawer:

And the light bulb came on!  (info on these can be found here)

I took one and opened it up so it split into 2 pieces.  I brushed some EVOO on it and sprinkled garlic powder and basil on it.  Then I put it in the oven under the broiler. it only takes a minute or two to toast up.

Then I cut each 1/2 into 2 rectangles and each rectangle into 8 triangles!  So doing the math quickly I said they were 13 calorie garlic bread (100cal bread / 8) but I forgot to added in the EVOO.  That raises it up to 21 calories.

Per Serving:
21 calories; 3 carbs; 1 Fat; 1 Protein

You can see them here in this photo:

enjoy!

shhh for a few extra calories sprinkle with parm. cheese.

Chicken Panzanella Salad

 

Well I was suppose to be making this but you all know I can not follow receipts I end up off on my own after about 5 minutes.  So here is what I came up with:

So I am trying to cook one night a big dinner and then turn it into multiple nights worth of food. I will tell you more about that when I get around to posting my menu for the 2 weeks.  Basically yesterday I roasted a big ass chicken.  Tonight we had a great salad dinner with it. 

The salad consisted of:

• a mix of hearts of Romaine and baby spinach
• Thinly sliced red peppers, and cukes
• 1/5 cups of left over chicken from yesterday
• The worlds greatest and easiest dressing
• 12.5 calorie garlic bread triangles ***
• 1 sliced Avocado
• and watermelon

It was really yummy and so easy with todays busy events!  the best part, I get to take the leftovers for lunch!  If I made it again I think I would add sliced onion or scallions, and maybe some mushrooms or hard boiled eggs?!!

Enjoy!

***Garlic bread posts will come tomorrow I need to go to bed!

The worlds greatest and easiest dressing

 

Here is all you need (sorry about the cell phone photos):

In a measuring cup add:

• 2 tablespoons of mustard ( I like a spice brown mustard and typically use a Irish stout mustard by Hannaford's
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder or crushed garlic
• Basil
• onion salt
• 2 tablespoons of Lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of rice vinegar

Mix everything together with a whisk (or spoon) and then I drizzle in my EVOO.  I don’t use a lot in mine maybe about 2-3 tablespoons. 

I serve mine right out of the measuring cup because it makes it easy to pour onto your salads.  This is also great with pork tenderloin salad.  FYI Some people like to add sugar to their dressing I wouldn’t add anymore then 1 tsp.  It really doesn’t need it.

Enjoy it and play around with flavors. try different mustards and seasoning combinations.

Grilled Shrimp Kabobs

 

Looks yummy right?!!  So simple and Easy!

If you use wooden sticks remember to soak them in water first! I made mine in the morning so they could marinated while I was at work.

• Slice 2 medium zucchini into 1/2” slices
• Using Large raw shrimp, peal the shell off just leaving the tail

Then assemble!. My pattern was 1 zucchini, 2 shrimp, 1 zucchini 2 shrimp, 1 zucchini

The marinade was:

• 1/4 cup (my best guess estimate – I don’t measure) of EVOO
• salt and pepper
• the juice of one Lime or lemon
• Garlic powder or crushed garlic
• 1 tsp of Lake George Blend seasoning (found here) or I may try this sometime

Brush the marinade onto the kabobs and let them get happy in the fridge!  Then grill at dinner time!  Start the grill and put on a medium heat.  You will only need to grill them for 2-3 minutes on each side.

I served mine with Wild Brown rice!  It quick and easy – great for summer!

Just wondering….

Do you think 13 years from now when he is 18 and going off to college I will still see this little boy standing outside the high school?

I can not believe he is going into Kindergarten.  He calls it “kindiegarten”

Growing up! and Moving on

This was September 2009.  Tyler’s First day of preschool!  (Flash Back to my blog entry from that day here)

This was the last thing we saw ..tyler and Jenna just standing there!

Here is today, our little graduates!

Where did the time go?  Emma wasn’t even 2 months old that September day and now she is almost 2 years old.  Tyler has come so far.  He knows how to count, rhyme, add and subtract.  He is just so smart!  He wants to be a UPS drive, a police man or a racecar drive!

It wasn’t always easy.  What do you do with a boy born in November to parents that both suffered from a learning disability?  We both struggled in school, we didn’t want that to happen to our children.  I swore the day he was born that he would wait an extra year, be the oldest in his class not the youngest.  But then came the time to take that step.  was I doing the right thing? would he be bored?  Should I send him to kindergarten, will he even remember that he went to preschool 2 years?  Thankfully I went with my gut and waited.  This year in preschool was awesome!

He did so great! He had such a great time and made some great friendships!! (including a Girlfriend!!).  His favorite things..gym, crafts, and play time!!

This is his awesome teacher Mrs Murphy!  I told her to rest up, she has a year before its Emma's turn!!  Each kid was voted class something as they were given their diplomas.  Tyler was voted Most likely to succeed!

It was great day! Now to prepaid Mommy for kindergarten.   My biggest fear for kindergarten is the lunch issue! tyler is so picky with food!  But I am so glad I am not worried about how tyler will do in school!

Here is our great Family photo!  I wish everyday could be like today!

Menu planning

So I don’t know why this didn’t post but lets try again.  Like it wasn’t bad enough I was a few days late!

• Saturday: Steak and Grilled Red Potatoes
• Sunday: Party! NO COOKING!
• Monday: Chicken and Broccoli Pasta (See below*)
• Tuesday: Grilled Haddock or leftovers
• Wednesday: BLTZ (teeball and soccer photos)
• Thursday: Minute steak Fajitas
• Friday: Hamburg and hot dogs
• Saturday: Chicken Cheese Steak (See Below**)
• Sunday: Fathers day..tbd
• Monday: Sandwich's
• Tuesday: Shrimp Kabobs
• Wednesday: Tilapia Tacos
• Thursday: Portabella Burgers

I found a great 5 day menu plan that I am so looking forward to try in 2 weeks so stay tuned it will get interesting.

Here’s the 411 on some of the items above:

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta:

2 oz wholewheat
penne with 2 oz cubed baked
chicken or firm tofu, 1 cup steamed broccoli
florets, 1 oz part-skim mozzarella, ½
cup low-fat tomato sauce

Chicken Cheese Steak

I want to try this!

Italian Artichoke & Leek Salad

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch leeks (about 3 stalks), leaves discarded and chopped
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 can/jar artichokes, quartered, drained and rinsed
• 1 oz toasted pine nuts
• 2 tbsp Oregano & Garlic-Infused Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

OREGANO & GARLIC-INFUSED OLIVE OIL

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 2 tsp oregano

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a nonstick skillet, sauté leeks in extra-virgin olive oil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. In a bowl, combine artichokes, leeks and pine nuts. In a separate small bowl, stir together Oregano & Garlic-Infused Olive Oil, vinegar, lemon zest and pepper. Pour oil-vinegar mixture onto vegetables and stir until evenly distributed. Leftovers can be stored in fridge for 4 to 5 days; don’t freeze.

OREGANO & GARLIC-INFUSED OLIVE OIL

Pour oil, garlic and oregano in a bottle. Cover and store for 1 day in your pantry before using to allow flavors to meld and become more pungent. Oil can be kept for up to 2 weeks.
Tip: This oil is great as a dip for whole-wheat bread, a marinade for meats and fish or a dressing on any salad.

Nutrients per 1-cup serving: Calories: 140, Total Fat: 9 g, Sat. Fat: 1.5 g, Omega-3s: 130 mg, Omega-6s: 1,690 mg, Carbs: 12 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 2 g, Protein: 3 g, Sodium: 180 mg, Cholesterol: 0 mg

menu planning coming soon!

I dont know why my menu plan didn't post. I will try to repost tonight.

Weigh In Day!!

I rocked the scale today.  I came in at 3.4 pounds lost!!

I don’t know how it happened last week I was having little binges at night.  Not that I was blowing my calories but I was over 1500 once, mostly in the 1400.  But I was active all week and drank my water! 

I will take it! I have lost 15.2 pounds in 6 weeks that amazing results. 

This puts me at

• 76.2 pounds lost
• 3.8 pounds from weighing in less than hubby!

I feel so good.  I am pushing myself harder in my workouts.  tonight I even did the Black KB on the G-squat to press. I wanted to die at the end but I did it. I am just driven right now and I don’t want to lose this drive!

This afternoon I realized a few things about when I started my journey:

• The target weigh I wanted to get under is now that is 7.6 pounds away
• I hoped to hit 100 pounds lost that is just 23.8 Pounds away
• I dreamed to get to a normal BMI weight that is 32.8 pounds away.

For the first time the end kind of feels like its near.  Its as if I am on the last mile of my race but I know I have never run this course before.  Each turn can be a surprise and I never know when I will have an uphill battle.  These next 7.6 could be my hardest, the next 23.8 could take a year, the 32.8 may never come.

But I know my work ethic, I know my drive, I know my desire and motivation.  I know how I FEEL!  I know I am in the drivers seat and I have the gas to the floor!  Only I can push myself..My results depend on me.I will get there…..I know it!!!

Tilapia Tacos and some food reviews

 

Sorry this photo was taken by my cell phone quickly because I was so hungry I wanted to dig right in!

This is a great meal!  You only need:

• Taco Shells**
• 1 tilapia fillet per taco
• Romaine lettuce
• Grilled veggies of choice (I used left over asparagus and zucchini)
• Tabouli Salad or (Salsa)
• Southwest Seasoning or Old Goat Lake George Spices

Simply start by seasoning your fish with the seasoning, while your grill heats up.  It’s a thin fish so its best to grill it in a grill pan or George Foramen type grill.  Follow the instructions for heating the taco shell (I put mine in the microwave).

The fish will only take a minute or two on each side.  Then I break up the fish into the taco shell and layer in the lettuce, veggies and top with tabouli.

This has such a light summer taste. its great you have to try it!!

It comes in at about 205 calories, 16g carbs, 7g Fat and 23g Protein

**The taco shells: you could use any thing here! Wraps, soft taco shells. whatever!  I follow a 90-10 rule with my food 90% of the time I eat great 10% I eat to satisfy the fat kristen! lol.  I have been using the El Paso stand n Stuff taco shells.  They taste great and they don’t have too much crap like some other options I saw at the store.  Plus it makes hubby happy!!

Speaking of 90-10 here are some Food reviews I would like to share with you:

Being and Upstate NY I love Buffalo Style anything!  So I had to try these.  They came in at 130 calories per link.  The ingredients were great, nothing I couldn’t pronounce.  They had good taste with a bit of a bite to them.  I liked them they could satisfy a craving for Buffalo sandwich or wings. you can find more info on them here

Then I found these.  They are only 70 calories per link.  I don’t think they had as strong of flavor but I did like them. They also had less fat at 2.5g vs 6g for the one’s above.  This too had good ingredients which can be found here.

I will purchase both again. I think the Thin n trim is a great for dinner or lunch – and to be added to a dish.  If I really wanted a sausage and peppers sandwich I would use the al fresco.

I rec’d several questions about the make your own pizza night.

I used these pizza crusts/shells for our pizza night.  Information can be found here.  It has enriched flour and whole wheat flour – remember that 90-10 rule!!

You get 2 shells per package. but the serving size is jacked up.  One service is 2oz. but one shell is 4.5oz.  so you have to do a bit of math to figure out how much you are eating!  Stupid they should do it per shell or per 1/2 shell not 44% of one.

Well off to bed! enjoy the food!

Little Chicken, Big Chicken

 

Our chickens are doing so great! the kids really love them!  So here are some photo updates for you!

This is Whitey.  We don’t know what he is.  He puffs his neck up!!  Ty loves him.

This is my favorite.  We call him shorty.  Notice how close to the ground he is…he is standing.  Its like he’s missing part of his legs. Nothing above the knee!   But don’t feel bad for him…He was the first one to learn to say Cock-a-doodle-do.  And he says it all the time. He reminds me of a few little mouthy Italians I know!

One of our bar rocks

This is Oscar, he is another mystery.  He really looks like a crow to me. We actually have 2 but tyler only named one of them – which ever one he sees first gets the name for the day!

Here is ty feeding them some weeds

They love watermelon, weeds, peppers, corn and squash. they didn’t eat the asparagus I gave them.

They seem bigger then I expected them to be! ha ha. We don’t expect to start getting eggs till the end of July.  We thin we have 5 roosters.  We have someone taking 2 of them, I want to keep shorty! we will see what happens!!

It's the great push (up)!!

Most people who know me, know i hate my arms.  Always have but hopefully someday I will say I have accepted them.  My goal for the month is to work on my arm strength and hopefully the side effect will be appearance. 

My trainer gave me some pointer on building strength at home.  Basically i do real push ups really slow going down and then i drop to my knees - get into the pillar position and start over.  I have a problem where i drop my hips while doing this.  The best way to overcome this to build my core strenght.

On Monday (I think -crazy week not sure what today is) Karen at waisting time posted about a plank challenge on fitblog.  So i have decided to do it.

Bootcamp last night gave me the jump start:  2 rounds:  Plank, Side Plank (left), Side Plank (right)  45 second hold on each.  Killer

So by the time July rolls around i hope to have great results to speak of!!

The Lawn Mower story

This is a great story that I am going to tell in order it happened!

After returning from camping last Monday, we realized that the lawn needed to be mowed…..again!  Well everything that could of gone wrong did on Monday.  I told David I would mow the law on Tuesday when I was off.

He looked at me like I was nuts, not believing that I really was going to do it.  He simply told me..the mower needs gas.

I took the gas tank to the gas station and filled it up.  Damn thing spilled in the back of my car.  After getting some of my things done I started mowing a little before 3pm.  This day was crazy hot in the 90’s with humidity.  But I figured it was a great way to tan!  So I put on a strapless top and my bathing suit bottom and headed for the shed!

My mom was here to witness it.

In the dark shed I sat on the mow reading the directions.  I like a good little student first read thru all the directions before taking action. In the 3 years we have had the mow I have never been allowed to mow or even drive it.  Tyler probably knows how!

I got the mower started and out of the shed without breaking anything!  I turned on the PTO/Blades and away I went! See below (warning scary photo below)

Grass clippings were coming out and it wasn’t too bad after I got use to it!  I had a little less then 1/2 the lawn done when I went to back up to get a spot I missed.  And then the mower turned off – Obviously I was out of gas because I hadn’t added it before starting to mow.

As I carried the gas down to the mower David called because Mom had texted the above photo to him.  I had to search for where to even add the gas but rest assured it only took me a moment to figure it out.  That’s when I noticed the tank still had gas? hmm well to be sure I added more gas!  Ugh  I spilled gas everywhere. wtf.

David was in shock that I was mowing!  I double checked where the throttle should be when he asked “How low is the blades?”

Me:What? 

David: you didn’t lower the blades to the yellow arrow??? 

Me Um no its not listed on the directions – WTF???

David: thanks for trying to help but you didn’t mow a thing.

Me: Seriously Double WTF

What was John Deere thinking leaving that off the directions- obviously they know their customers are males and they don’t read!! so it must of saved them some costs on printing!

So I started over –determined to mow!  Thank god I was doing the backyard so nobody would notice lol!

Every time I tried to back up the damn thing would stall it was annoying so I just stopped going backwards and did a little u turn when needed.  My u turns became donuts!  As I finished the last 500 sq feet my mom tells me that David called to say: if I need to backup there is a button on the dashboard I have to press.  GRRRRRRR Seriously. 

So I only mowed the back lawn – parts twice! BUT I did get a great tan!

Asian Chicken Slaw

This is the photo that inspired my Asian Chicken Slaw

The recipe can be found here!  I was a bit annoyed that I couldn’t find the nutrition facts.  Most of your calories are going to come from the serving of peanut butter, the 1/2cup of oil and the optional cashews.
I did a quick search and found this giving you a 2 cup serving  for 290calories…it uses a lot less oil, no peanut butter and no nuts.
So here is my version that I made for a graduation party but I have not figured the calories.

Ingredients

• 1 (16-ounce) bag coleslaw mix
• 1 pound cooked chicken, shredded
• 2 cups broccoli florets, I did mine raw
• 1/2 red, orange and yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch thinly sliced scallions
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews and sliced almonds

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup of Rice  vinegar

• 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar – I used splenda
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup canola oil or EVOO (depends on how you like your dressing)
• 1 tsp of celery salt
• black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, toss together the coleslaw mix, chicken, broccoli, peppers, nuts and scallions.
2. In a medium bowl, wisk the soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter, sugar, minced garlic, and seasoning until well blended. Slowly whisk in the canola oil and sesame oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toss the salad with the dressing.

It’s like riding a bike……

Sorry its been so long for an update! I am not off the wagon honest! I was camping!  One thing I noticed that old habits can come back fast.

As a tradition we stopped at the best restaurant in the world on the way up but instead of ordering the traditional hot roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and extra gravy I had a grilled chicken sandwich with cottage cheese.  Okay this weekend will not be a problem:

Then came the m&M cookies, smores, pulled pork, amazing summer salads, ice cream, pistachios and I don’t know what else.  Saturday I hit over 2K in calories, sunday I think I was at 1700.  I was just plain bad with larger then normal portions and a sneak treat here and there

But like riding a bike it was easy to get on track.  Once home upped my water, stopped eating anything processed again and just gained control of myself.  Boy at tuesdays bootcamp did I sweat that shit out of me!  ugh.

While camping I was active with going for walks, and both Saturday and Sunday morning I ran 4.79miles in about 52minutes.  Tuesday when we got home I ran 2 miles then worked in the garden for 90 minutes and then that night went to bootcamp for a hell of a workout!

This was the recap of my 4.79 run:

As you can see in the photo above I did get a bike ride in too!  I have not rode my bike in close to maybe 6 or 7 years???  the tire always looked flat when my big ass was on the bike.  and really that seat didn’t feel good no matter how much fat I had.  But with all the camping we have planned this summer and my new active lifestyle I asked for a baby carrier for xmas.

She has that excited but nervous look on her face!!  I know she was thinking..mommy you really should go for a ride without me first!

But we took the bull by the horns and off we went on a family ride!

it took some getting use to.. if she moved around it would throw the balance off. but in the end she didn’t want to get off the bike!

We are totally going for more!!!

No weigh this week, I am off from work till tomorrow but I am going to weight till next Monday to get back on track!