Monday, September 26, 2011

Weigh in Monday and a FREE recipe!!

Hey ladies!!

Today was weigh-in day.. and while I wasn't expecting much of an improvement from my horrendous weigh in last week, I was pleasantly surprised to see a 5 lb loss this morning.  

(Ignore my jacked up polish on my toes... I have the new "closed toe shoe" policy at work to thank for that.)


Down to 223, from 228.  While the good news is that I'm down 5 lbs in a week, the bad news is that I'm still up 12 lbs from my lowest.  Boo!!!   But - moving in the right direction, so I'll take it.

This weeks goal.. In addition to 5 days at the gym (300 minutes for those of you counting)  I'm aiming for 220, a 3 lb loss by next Monday.

Thanks to my friend Pam, I'm also signing up to run my first 5K, on October 29.  The "Monster Mash Dash". I guess I'll stop smoking for real this time...  Anyway - I signed up for Komen back in June, but as some of you may remember, I had a little drunken mishap and fell (slid) down a flight of stairs, injuring my tailbone and I was unable to run it.

Moving on.. at the request of most of you, here's the soup recipe.

Yesterday I noticed I had some potatoes that I had to use, so I decided to make a loaded  potato soup.   We just dont eat potatoes in my house quick enough.  Never thought that'd be an issue, but it is.  Anyway...   I Googled a few recipes, and they all called for stuff I didn't have in the house, and I was not running to the store to purchase anything additional.   So - this is what I came up with...

Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup
  • 5 russet potatoes (sliced long ways, then chopped into cubes)
  • 1 cup shredded carrots (because all I had was 1 cup, however I wouldve added more)
  • 1 cup broccoli florets (again.. same as the carrots, I wouldve added more)
  • 4 cups skim milk (instead of heavy cream)
  • 2 packets Lipton Onion Soup Mix
  • minced garlic (I used one whole clove, I LOOOOOVE me some garlic)
  • 1 stick of butter (sliced into pats)
  • Creole white gravy mix (instead of flour)
  • Ragu Cheese sauce

  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Chop your potatoes, place in the crockpot.

Mince your garlic and add it to 4 cups skim milk, along with 2 packets of Lipton Onion Soup Mix, 1 cup Ragu cheese sauce, and 1/4 cup Creole Gravy mix, whisk and pour over potatoes.  Stir ingredients together.
Add your shredded carrots and broccoli florets, then lastly top everything with your butter pats.

I cooked this soup on high for 2 hours, just until the potatoes were soft enough to mash.  I only mashed some of them, and didn't mash them all the way (if that makes sense).   I changed it to the low setting for another 4 hours and it was perfect.  

This made 12 cups of soup.   I figured it out to be roughly 250 calories per cup, which is about the same as a cup of soup from Panera.   The Broccoli Cheddar is 200 calories and the Creamy Tomato is 300 calories per cup.  Both of them are my favorites, so this isn't too shabby.  I added some shredded cheddar today when I heated it up for lunch, and it was delish!

I put 6 cups (2 cups each) into containers for lunches this week, then I froze the other 6 cups.  

Enjoy!

As always... thanks for reading guys!! 






Saturday, September 24, 2011

Weekend Fat Bitch

How was everyone's week???   Full of fitness I hope!!   Mine actually was...  the food on the other hand, not so much.   But we all know that when you have to get back on track, it's difficult.

I had the exercise in the bag this week.  I've gone 3 days, as soon I finish typing this, I'm headed to Gold's for day #4, and I plan to go tomorrow too, for a full 300 minutes of exercise this week.  That's my perfect number for active weight loss, as long as I keep my calories under control.  Which lately, I've struggled with.

The eating however, has been less than stellar.   Actually, if I'm being honest, which I always am... the eating has been pathetic.  But - one thing at a time right??

Weigh in Day is Monday... last week, if you remember, it was UGLY!!  I was up a full 17 pounds from my lowest of 211.  But - a friend of mine said to me the other day, that "The setbacks are what make us have comebacks".   So true!    I'm not hoping for a specific number lost by  Monday morning... just something less than 228.   Ughh that's a nasty number.

So - with that being said, let's discuss your Weekend Fat Bitch.  Each and every one of us has her in our lives.


If she shows up... slam the door in her face!!

Tell her to go away, and that you don't want anything she has to offer.

Make it that much easier, by hittin the gym, or going for a walk.  Do something!  Just MOVE!

Here's an article in case you need that little extra push.  It's good advice and I'll be taking some of it this weekend.

Controlling Weekend Eating

Keep it in check ladies!!!  Have a good weekend!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tuesday Reviews (as promised)

LOOOOOOKEY HERE!!!  Woohoo it's Fall, and my Coffeemate Pumpkin Spice Creamer is out!!!! 

 for 35 calories, you get 2 tbsp.  I can have 2 - 20oz cups of coffee, 4 tbsp of creamer in total for 140 calories.  That's less than HALF of a Venti Pumpkin Spice from Starbucks.  Yep!!! I'll take it!

As I mentioned yesterday, I picked up the NEW Kraft Sizzling Salad kits at Walmart.

I made the Southwest Chicken flavor with the BBQ Ranch dressing, and took it for lunch today.



I added shredded carrots, and shredded colby jack cheese, and also some Durkee Salad Topping mix. 

It was very tasty!!  The directions say to saute the chicken in oil, then top with the sauce.  I just baked my chicken sans oil, then chopped and microwaved it at work.  

Dinner tonight was this....


I used the other kit, and make the "Chicken Ceasar".  However, as you can see here I used shrimp instead of chicken.  This one is far better in my opinion, but I LOVE a good ceasar salad.  The sauce to cook the chicken (or shrimp) is a blackened pepper sauce and is REALLY spicy.  LOVE it!!

I'd also like to say that I stayed on track today and kept my hand outta the cookie jar... figuratively speaking of course.   I made it to the gym and completed 50 minutes of cardio... 30 of that was spent on the stairclimber, for 101 floors, then I "cooled down" on the bike for 20 minutes and 5 miles.

Have a good evening guys!!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Told ya it was gonna be ugly... Monday Weigh In Day

Yep.. and I was right.


OUCH!!!

Up 8 pounds from last week, of 220 lbs... and up 17 lbs from my lowest of 211.   Oh my.  I have some work to do, eh??

Good news is, I just got home from the gym.  I spent 80 minutes kickin my own ass, Jaclyn style, the only way I know how to do it and I feel great.  SO - back on track...??  My god, I sure hope so.  I cant keep yo-yo-ing like this.

Onto other things...

I found these at WalMart over the weekend and I'm excited to try em.

Each "box" was $2.18 and it comes with a sauce to cook the chicken in, and a salad dressing.  I got my favorite, ceasar, and another one... southwest chicken.  I made the southwest chicken for lunch tomorrow.  I'm putting it over romaine lettuce and some shredded cheese.   There are 8 servings in each bottle, so it'll last for awhile unless you make it as a meal for the fam, which of course I wont.  My family is more a meat and potato kinda bunch.

I'll let you know the verdict tomorrow.

Have a good night guys... Happy Monday!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

I HATE Excuses!

But, I've been finding myself "excusing" my food choices lately.  I'm usually pretty with-it when it comes to my eating and exercising.  You all have been around with me long enough to know that I'm spot on about 80% of the time.  I make the right choices, I hit the gym hard, and I lose weight.  How easy, right!!??

Lately things have been much tougher for me.  And by "lately", I mean during the last month or so.  I've fluctuated with the same 5 lbs in both directions, between 215-220 and my god I'M OVER IT.  I'm SO over it!  Yet I continue to do it.  I know there's a word for that... stupidity maybe???

What's going on with me you ask....


Yep...


Stress.  Ugh.   Stress is another "excuse" right?   Well, in my book it's for real.    Work has been stressful, some things at home have been stressful, and this week I've decided that it has to come to an end. 

I'm vowing to myself that I cannot let the stress get in the way...As simple as this may sound it's not easy, so I'm gonna need some help.   I'm gonna need random texts/calls/emails/Facebook messages, etc to remind me where my head is.  And let's hope it's not shoved far up my ass where it's been recently.

Tomorrow is weigh in Monday.   I'm dreading it.  I promise you, it's gonna be ugly.  But the truth hurts and the scale doesnt lie, so maybe I NEED to see that number.

So - with that I'm leaving you...   And when I want that 2:00 pm cookie or bag of Doritos (mmmm Doritos) I'm gonna grab an apple, turkey stick, or my 32oz bottle of Smart Water instead.  That's the promise I'm making to myself.   I'm too damn close to199 lbs to see the scale continue creepin back up.

No matter how ugly that number is tomorrow, I promise to share it with you.  Not only because I've always been honest with you all, but mostly for my own accountability. 

As always, thanks for reading ladies!!





Thursday, September 8, 2011

Monday...errr Thursday Weigh In Day

It was brought to my attention that I never posted my weight on Monday.

Whooops!!!  My bad!

Here ya go... down a whole ONE pound, which means I'm still up 5 lbs from my lowest of 213.





It's frustrating, but it is what it is.  This is just proof at how quickly the weight comes back on.


Since it's Thursday, I'll give you a mid-week check in while I'm at it.


My eating hasn't been perfect, but I'm trying.   I'm focusing on getting back into my gym routine, then next week once that's re-established, I'll crack down on the food aspect.

I just got back from the gym, this was day 3 for me this week.  I need to stay steady and go at least 2 more days, ideally.... I need to get there the next 3 days. 


I'm hoping to be down another 2 lbs by next Monday's weigh in.  That would be grand.


Sorry for the delay guys...   as always, thanks for reading!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

WooHoo Product Reviews!!

I LOVE finding and trying new things.  Who doesn't right?   And when I find things worth sharing, you know I do!  I also find things that aren't as good, and even those are worth sharing too.  So... here ya go!

One of the items I miss the most being banded is bread.  I miss a good grilled cheese sandwich, I miss a big juicy burger, but most of all, I miss a PB&J.  So, I mentioned the  Sandwich Thin Minis last week and just wanted to show you what I did with them... 



I toasted my minis and made myself a PB&J. It was SO good!!   It totally hit the spot and cured that craving for me!

Moving on...

 Yoplait Bites.  I found these in the novelty ice cream section.  They're frozen Yoplait yogurt rolled into little balls, and covered with granola.  Amazing right!!???   Well, they're just ok.   I expected a creamy consistency than what they actually are.  The best way to describe them is "icy".   They're not very smooth, and they're too hard to bite into.  But, they're too big to just pop in your mouth either.  1 little "ball" is 30 calories.   The bag was $3.50 and I wouldn't buy them again. 


 

 I LOVE Panera's soup.  Broccoli cheddar, loaded baked potato, vegetarian black bean, and my #1 favorite, the creamy tomato!!! MMMM How I love the creamy tomato.    The Lemon Chicken Orzo soup, pictured here is somewhat new and for a bowl it's only 160 calories, vs a bowl of my creamy tomato for almost 400 calories.  SCORE!! Right!!??  WRONG!   This is how Panera describes this soup  "A Mediterranean inspired soup with chicken, orzo, spinach, carrots, oregano and basil simmered in a lemon infused chicken broth and topped with a lemon wheel".     Chicken... yep!  Orzo.... yep!   Spinach... too damn much of it.. yep!  Carrots, oregano and basil????   Hmmm  I didn't see ONE carrot, and couldn't taste any basil or oregano..  it must sink to the bottom.  It was quite bland in my opinion, and I only ate half.    Lesson learned...  I'm sticking to my damn tomato soup.

So that night, I decided to say screw you Panera and went and got my own soup to keep at work.  I found this little gem.


 

Harvest Orange Tomato.  Interesting.  It was "NEW" and I figured for $1.25, and 220 calories, I'm trying it. SUCCESS!! It was fantastic!!  It had a slightly sweeter taste than regular tomato soup, and it was in fact bright orange, but it was delish!


I also made a TJ run this week. I picked up a few new things based on my friend Carolyn's recommendations.



Carolyn told me I needed to try the TJ Indian dishes.  I've never had Indian food, so I decided to try something that sounded like I might eat it.  The Chicken Tikka Marsala.  Looked pretty good to me.   Carolyn also told me to try the TJ Pulled Chicken in the smoky bbq sauce.  I opted for the pork instead.  I love me some pulled pork.  

 I also picked up another chicken marsala dish.   One of my all time favs!!!


And of course there's no way I can walk into a TJ and walk out without my favorite staples.   The Chicken Gorgonzola and the Seafood Stew. YUM!   

The hard part is going to be deciding what to have first... 

If there's something new that you find, share it with me!

Thanks for reading!