Purple Power! Protein Shakes and 30 days until the beach!

I feel a bit like Barney, that purple dinosaur my boys used to watch, when I drink this shake!

Someone asked me about the protein shakes I am making and I thought I would share my variations here.  We had some various types of protein powder in the pantry that were from previous health oriented phases in our life, and so I am using those protein powders.

I have a Muscle Milk vanilla whey based protein powder and an EAS chocolate whey & soy protein powder mix that I use.

Using the vanilla protein powder, I mix different things in each time to make it more interesting. Usually, I pop in a 1/2 c. of frozen mixed fruit that includes blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. Totally yummy and quite colorful!

Sometimes I will add cinnamon instead, since I heard that spice makes you feel full longer, and other times I will add just frozen strawberries.

In the afternoon for lunch, I usually pick the chocolate protein powder and will toss in a bit of leftover cold coffee.  I add cinnamon to that too.  Alternatively, I will add a teaspoon of cocoa powder and ice cubes.

Great news! I lost weight again last week. Down 1.6 pounds. My new plan is working.  Over the weekend, I splurged and had couple of martinis, ate some pizza, and chocolate. Didn’t overload, but didn’t scrimp either. Now, it is Monday morning and I am hopping back on my 2 hour cardio target each day and shake routine. 30 days until the beach! I have to admit that I didn’t hit 2 hours each week day, mostly averaged 1.5 hours though and I count that a victory.

Do you like protein shakes? What do you do to make them more interesting?

10 Ingredient Salad Recipe

My aunt told my mom about this one and I took lots of liberties with it! The story is…my aunt lost LOTS of weight by eating this salad for lunch each day.

You know how things get passed around and you aren’t really sure if you got all the ingredients? Well, you don’t have to worry about that with this one! Just be sure you have a lettuce type thing in it and you’ll be fine!

Find 10 different things to put in your salad. Make them healthy things! Here is a list of some of our favorites:

• lettuce: iceberg mix, spinach, fancy greens, or whatever mix you like
• fruit: mandarin orange sections, strawberries, dried cranberries
• nuts: walnuts, pecans, pine-nuts (toasted, honey glazed, roasted, plain)
• colorful tortilla strips
• protein: grilled chicken breasts, sliced left over steak, strips of ham (oops! I mean that wonderful turkey I found that only tastes like ham!), boiled eggs, a tiny amount of bacon bits
• cheese: swiss cut in strips, grated cheddar, low fat skim mozzerella, laughing cow skinny cheese
• veggies: red, green, yellow, & orange bell peppers, red onion, white onion, green onion, carrots – chopped or whole baby ones, celery, fresh broccoli, fresh baby spinach

I usually look in the pantry and refridgerator and see what I have on hand. I try to chop up a bunch of veggies to have handy during the week, so it makes it super simple to pop together a salad at lunchtime me or for the hubby’s nightly salad prep for lunch the next day for him. I make the salads for my husband & I different from our boys by putting higher carb items on it for them.

Top with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing and YUM!  We all love this, though my older son likes a different dressing.

Last night’s salad was served as a side to a main course, so I didn’t include meat.  Here is what is in the picture above:

This particular salad included:

1. lettuce
2. boiled eggs
3. bacon pieces
4. cheddar cheese
5. Swiss cheese
6. strawberries
7.  red onion
8. carrots
9. red bell pepper
10. balsamic vinegar & oil dressing

Do you have a favorite salad combination you can share? Please do! I would love to hear how YOU make a salad!

Day 115 – Exercising…..huff, puff, keep going!

Today is day 32 in the countdown to the beach and I feel good. Can you hear the echo of that James Brown song?

This is the view from where we’ll be staying with our extended family in June. Isn’t it inspiring? Amazing? Wonderful?  I am popping it on here to remind me why I need to be able to wear shorts.

You know those little summer clothing items called skorts? They are a combination of a skirt and shorts and have a kind of flap over the front? I really want to find a comfy one to wear. I used to wear those all summer long! Of course, that was when I was probably 50 pounds lighter. Well, it is another goal.

Maybe I will dig my summer clothes out and sort through them today to see all my old favorites that I have saved. I probably have 4 different sizes in plastic storage bins.

I know I really should locate my swimsuit, but just can’t face it yet. Maybe in 2 weeks?  That being said, I have to admit that after only 3 days of this new intense cardio program (well, it is intense for ME) I can see a positive difference in my thighs. That is really hope inspiring.  32 days. What can I do in 32 days?

Last night’s Pesto Chicken was a huge hit again!  I can’t believe I haven’t included this awesome, yet simple, recipe I modified from the South Beach Diet yet.  Here it is!

Baked Pesto Chicken

Ingredients

• Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
• Pesto

Place 1/4 c. of your favorite pesto in the bottom of a baking pan large enough to hold your chicken breasts.

Flatten chicken breasts slightly and place in pan on top of pesto.

Top with more pesto. Cover, and bake for 40 min. at 375 degrees. (At this point the original recipe calls for uncovering, topping with swiss cheese, but we don’t miss it!)

Test with meat thermometer to make sure it has reached 165 degrees for safety, then enjoy!

Served with our favorite green beans. This time, I used fresh tiny haricot verts and quickly boiled them while I sauteed some chopped white onion until it was tender, threw in a few bacon bits for a splash, then put those on top of the drained green beans.

I got a huge surprise from my two boys also! Last time I prepared Pesto Chicken, they were less than complimentary about it. In fact, I remembered them saying, “I DON”T LIKE THIS!” So, I prepared one of my “10 Ingredient Salads” for them and they both were really disappointed they didn’t get served the Pesto Chicken! Those chicken breasts were large enough to share, so we did, and everyone was happy, plus they got the salad veggies.

Dessert was fresh fruit (strawberries & blueberries) served in parfait glasses! What a special looking treat. I think our tastes have definitely changed while on this program. After 115 days, I guess they should!

One thing about this meal I really loved was that it was so easy. I prepped the chicken earlier in the day and held it in the refrigerator. Green beans were just a “take them out of the bag and toss in boiling water” kind of thing while I sauteed the already chopped white onions and bacon bits. The fruit was the only thing that took a bit of time and I had help from my son. Do you have an easy “go to” kind of healthy dinner or recipe to share? I would love to hear!

Day 77 and still going….

Maybe not as stong as we were, but we are still losing weight! That is a huge accomplishment in this house.

I have lost 18 pounds so far, and it has not been too stressful. The first few weeks were due to figuring out the system and being a bit hungry, but now my appetite has dramatically decreased and we have learned a few things that are super helpful that I want to share.

Plan ahead.

If I take the time to plan our menu for the week, things go more smoothly. I don’t feel stressed because I am scrambling around to find the specific ingredients at the last minute. That is a much better way to live, don’t you think?  I know that we have a few staple items we can keep on hand to keep us going:

• Lean turkey that tastes like ham from Costco
• Fresh blueberries and blackberries
• Packages of grilled chicken breasts for instant salads and protein fixes
• Vegetables cut up and ready to toss together for a salad.
• Yogurt for snacks and desserts
• Boiled eggs that have been peeled and are ready to eat or slice and put on salads

Keep it simple.

Remember that people generally choose the path of least resistance. If it is hard to eat healthy, then I will generally fail.  If I have these items prepped and ready to go, then I have no excuses.

Keep the exercise going.

I know I should. We got out of our routine when our schedule changed and it has been too easy to slack off. You know that exercise has got to help in so many ways! I have to remind myself how good I feel after a Pilates class. You know, I always walk out of there smiling!  The cardio is not hard on the bike, but just easy to skip. I have to figure out a way to get myself back in the groove. I think that is the key for me. If I have a routine, then I typically will stick with it.

Jeff does a great job of continuing to go to his spin classes.  He took some time off too, but has jumped back into it this week. It really does help to have everyone following a similar program.

Treat yourself.

This is an individual thing, I know. My treats vary from a cup of International House Coffee Decaf Sugar-free Suisse Mocha when I want (no, make that….NEED) chocolate to scheduling a massage and being able to look forward to it. I got some nice soap to use in the shower after I exercise – LOVE it. If you can figure out the things that make you smile and feel satisfied, then work them in as little motivators. Download new music for your ipod, get outside to walk in the glorious sunshine and take in some vitamin D. Right now, I am looking forward to using a Groupon I purchased for a facial when I hit my 20 pound mark.

These are some of the things that we are doing. What do you do to keep yourself motivated? What are your “go to” menu items to keep it working for you? I would love to hear!

Update…

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post! I love taking pictures of the food I am trying out and sharing them. Unfortunately, my camera battery ran down, and I couldn’t find my battery charger. I had to buy a new one online and when it arrived, it didn’t work! I understand that a new one is on the way, and I will be up and running again. I have some great new recipes to share.

Our family has fallen off the healthy eating trend since we returned from Chicago. Truthfully,  we haven’t strayed too far away from the 17 Day Diet plan and both my husband and I continue to lose weight but very slowly….about 1 pound a week. I am happy with that because it is movement in the right direction!

We committed to getting started again today. So far, so good. Now, I better go chop up some veggies for our salads!

Stawberry Smoothie & Progress

Mmmmm, this is so yummy! It’s beautiful too with the strawberry flecks and vanilla bean specks.

Pop the following in your vitamix blender:

• 1 c. homemade vanilla fat free yogurt
• 4 frozen strawberries
• 3 packets of Splenda (or agave) or to taste

This will count as one probiotic and fruit.  Probably should have put more fruit in it to count it as a whole fruit serving!

We had a weigh in today and all moved down on the scale except for my son, Nathan. He’s really building teen muscle, and I think he’s redistributing is body fat into muscle. He gained .4 of a pound.

Jeff traveled this past week, so he wasn’t able to get his regular exercise in and didn’t lose as much as he’d like.

We have a trip to Chicago this upcoming weekend, and are concerned about how we’ll eat.  I think we’ll return and be ready to hop back onto one of the more rigorous cycles. We will be home for 2 days and complete this Cycle III, then be ready to go.

We have given ourselves permission to eat what we want without going crazy and know it will be challenging to stay on our plan. Sometimes you just have to live your life and we don’t get a chance to travel and explore like this very often. We want to enjoy every minute of it! I do worry about gastro issues though since we have been eating so healthfully for 45 days now. We may have tummy troubles from fat in that Chicago style pizza, but really want to eat it!  Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Savory Chicken in a Crock pot with Spring Vegetables

Another keeper! We all loved this recipe and wouldn’t change a thing!  Thanks to Stephanie over at A Year of Slow Cooking for this awesome and easy dish!  I meant to take a picture, but we were so hungry we gobbled it up! I will take one next time, I promise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balsamic Chicken with Spring Vegetables

–4-6 boneless skinless frozen chicken thighs  (I used thigh strips since that is what the store had that day)

–1 whole head of garlic

–2 zucchinis

–2 yellow squash

–1 orange bell pepper

–1 yellow bell pepper

–1 red onion

–1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

–2 t Worcestershire sauce

–salt and pepper

Salt and pepper your chicken pieces. Mine were still frozen, so a lot of it fell off, so I had to just dump it on top.

Put the chicken into the crock.

Wash and cut all your vegetables and put into a mixing bowl. Peel the head of garlic, but keep the cloves intact.

Toss the vegetables with balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour the vegetables on top of the meat.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

I cooked this for 6 hours and the temp reading was right where I wanted it to be – 165 degrees.

We ate this on top of saffron rice and it was heavenly!

Day 37: Vanilla Bean Yogurt

I decided to try making homemade yogurt again in the new crock pot.

Improvements:

• Used a real vanilla bean. Thanks to Zoe over at zoebakes.com for info on how to use a vanilla bean and the invaluable advice about what to do if the bean is hard as a rock!
• Different yogurt starter
• More powdered skim milk

I think they are improvements, but will have to wait and see! It is fermenting now and will be ready about 4 pm.

Below are some pictures of the milk while it was heating and you can see all the yummy vanilla bean specks!

I scraped out the insides of the vanilla bean and put those oily specks in the milk along with  the vanilla bean husk. Strained the husk out afterwards.

Also, at the bottom of this post is a picture of my new crockpot set up with the warm vanilla infused milk poured into the warmed crock-pot. Next I wrap in two heavy beach towels, make sure the power is off and timer is set!

Will have to report back later on the results!

Update:  After 6 hours I poured it into the storage containers and it smelled yummy! The consistency looks good too. Now, if I can just manage to be patient while it chills!  Looking like dessert tonight!

Update 2: Had some of this yogurt yesterday and it was fine. Not as awesome as I had hoped and a bit thinner than I want. Next I will add a packet of gelatin to the mix and see if that thickens it up to where I want it to be. It had a nice gentle mill  flavor with the vanilla and it was better than plain, but I still added Splenda to it and the fruit.

Turkey Chili – this one is a keeper!

I had some left over ground turkey with taco seasoning from my taco salad, and thought, “What can I do with this?”  That is when I remembered Dr. Mike’s Turkey Chili!

I used that prepared turkey in the recipe and could not believe how easy and tasty and QUICK it was! I substituted red kidney beans for the black beans and used a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes instead of the 2 c. of tomato sauce because that is what I had on hand!  Totally yummy!

Tonight I made a “keeper” notebook and this recipe went into it!  Also put the Power Cookies in it and made a double batch today.

Day 32: More Yogurt & New Healthy Granola Recipe

Today I am in heaven! I made some healthy granola and am eating it on my homemade yogurt! Truly wonderful.

Thanks to the healthy habits coach for sharing the healthy granola recipe. I made half of her recipe to give it a first go and  the way I made it is below:

Healthy Homemade Granola

Dry Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats  (you can also use a combination of rolled grains)
• 1 cup of raw pecans chopped
• ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds & sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• ¼ cup wheat germ
• ½ Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ½ Tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• ¼ cup dried cranberries

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 individual cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/6 cup agave nectar
• 1 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients together, and then stir into dry ingredients.  Stir well to mix thoroughly.

Spread the mixture on one baking pan. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until evenly golden brown.  Stir every 10 – 15 minutes to ensure even browning.

If you use fruit, stir once it is cooled.  Store in the refrigerator.