Tricking your mind...

Wednesday Recap:

8:00am:  Hot Lemon Water

9:30am:  Breakfast- Whipped banana oatmeal with sunflower butter

I was so excited to try out 2 of my newest purchases from my Trader Joe's stock up on Monday.  One was the newest health craze sweeping the planet:  Coconut oil....

Which, as soon as I opened the lid and got SMACKED by the smell of coconut, I couldn't figure out why I didn't jump on this ban wagon earlier!  I swirled a teaspoon into the hot oats and really liked (LOVED!) the subtle hint of coconut, while I'm sure my bod loved all off the health benefits!

And I topped the oats with a dollop of sunflower butter...

If you like sunflower seeds, you will LOVE this nut butter.  It is super flavorful with the taste of roasted sunflower seeds.  REALLY happy with BOTH purchases!  (and I wouldn't normally add 2 'fats' to my breakfast..but I was anxious to try em.  You know how it goesJ)

Who needs a program??J

10:30-11:45am:  Power Yoga class

12:30pm:  Lunch- Tuna with pretzel snaps & a pickle

1:30pm:  Coffee with Creamer

3:30pm:  Snack- Clementine & 5 dark chocolate almonds (I had already snuck one before I took this pic!)

I originally had TWO clementines...but someone had already staked their claimJ 

6:00pm:  Dinner- Thyme, Lemon & Sage Chicken, Polenta-crusted potatoes & peas

OK...so, don't tell anyone but I may, JUST MAY, have gotten a tiny bit excited for spring lately.  I almost can't believe I typed those.  NOT that I want winter to go, per-say,  but if spring is gonna come...well, OK maybe I'll play along for a bit.  

Maybe.  No promises. 

What does this confession have to do with dinner, you ask?  Well, since I was a little crazy wishing for these insanities called pastel colors & blooming flowers, I also was craving the bright flavors of lemons, thyme & sage.  So I just marinated some chicken breast in all of the above...

A quick saute & a quick pan gravy made of white wine and chicken stock and the main course was served...filled with the flavors of spring.  And I was HAPPY about it.  There, I said it.

However, our side dish STOLE THE SHOW!  Potatoes coated in polenta and roasted in the oven with whole cloves of garlic and MORE thyme... 

...and finished off with a sprinkle of Parmesan.  These tasted JUST like I hoped:  Soft potato on the inside & a double CRUNCH from the crisped oven AND the gritty polenta on the outside.  SO GOOD!

WEIGHT LOSS TRICK

Oh...and one more random thing to show you guys.  So you may notice that I pretty much use the same plate & bowl EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. around here.  It's because they are currently my 'perfect portioned plates'...and I have yet to fine others in the same sizesJ  I say 'perfect portioned' because my dinner plate is quite a bit smaller than our average dinner plates... 

I TRY to only place food on the white areas, but that doesn't always work outJ  I eventually want to work myself down to a salad size plate (although I do use them for pizza), but it's AMAZING how LARGE a regular dinner plate seems now.  And it's just SO much easier to portion out your food in smaller doses, WITHOUT feeling deprived, when it doesn't look like a peanut on a serving platter.  It really is the easiest way to trick your mind into thinking you're having a normal (HUGE) plate of food.

And I always have cereal, light ice cream (REAL ice cream gets served in a juice glass or small ramekin!), oatmeal, salty snacks in this bowl which is about 1/3 smaller than our normal bowls... 

Example:  A bowl of soup that nearly FILLS that pink bowl is about HALF once poured into the 'normal' glass bowl.  Just THINK how many calories you are saving, especially with something as calorie dense as cereal, which we all tend to eat completely mindlessly.  (And who doesn't have that urge to go fill up the bowl again...especially to use up that little bit of milk leftover??)

So hope that helps you guys.  I know it's been a big savior on my end...(and I AM on the hunt for MORE than just these 2 patternsJ) hahahahhhahaha...But ANY LITTLE BIT HELPS YOUR GOAL, so always keep that in mind!

Happy Thursday!  

Backwards and forwards...

Hey everyone...sorry for the delayed post, but these last few days have been a little TOOOO indulgent!  Saturday there was Five Guys burgers...(not our original "Valentines plan," but a pretty decent back up!)

Cupcakes...

...that unfortunately looked better than they tasted.  I am a lover of MOUNDS OF SWEET, SWEET icing...but these were WAY too sweet for me.  What does THAT tell ya???  (and I SO wanted to LOVE you Samoa & Chocolate covered strawberry cupcake!!)

Sunday was a bridal shower with more yummy eats & Monday was capped off with a Short Rib sandwich that was SOGOOD that I forgot to photograph it.  Ei yi yi!  Too much food & not enough exercise.  My body COMPLETELY revolted on me & I've had major headaches since Saturday night.  Thankfully, Monday night yoga pulled me back together and I'm jumpin right back on the horse this weekJ

Tuesday Recap:

6:45-7:25am:  Body by Bethenny- 40 minute yoga

8:00am:  Hot Lemon Water

9:30am:  Breakfast- Strawberry yogurt with 2 tablespoons sliced almonds 

1:00pm:  Lunch- Whipped banana oatmeal with peanut butter

Even though yesterday was all about moving forward, my day was completely backwards once lunch time rolled around and the ONLY thing that sounded appealing was a hot bowl of BREAKFAST OATS.  Oh well...as long as it was HEALTHY, who cares what the clock says??J

3:30pm:  Snack #1-  1 Cheese stick & 2 clementines

Yep..that didn't do too much for me.  So THIS had to happen:

4:30pm:  Snack #2- 1 handful Soy Crisps 

After that snack, I knew I wasn't going to be a raving lunatic for dinner.  Sometimes ya just gotta eat so you don't OVEREAT!

6:00pm:  Dinner- Quinoa Lettuce wraps with Chickpea Masala

I'm always looking for a good recipe from Aarti to try out.  This one was SO simple that the hardest thing was making the quinoa.  Which is as hard as waiting for water to boilJ

 

I used cashews in the place of pine nuts (LOVED the crunch!), skipped the diced cherries (didn't think Scott would like that) & subbed orange zest & juice for grapefruit (because that's what we had on hand.) 

OH!  And I also DOUBLED the spices!   Yes, ME, miss anti-spice actually went holy haywire with the tumeric and gama masala!  Just make sure you TASTE as you go along.

These were sooooooo light & delicious. If you need a good 'detox meal'...look no further than these guys.  Super simple, healthy and permeated with all those lovely Indian spices.  We didn't have a drop of the quinoa leftover!

Nor did we have any leftovers of this... 

Chickpeas simmered in a exquisite masala sauce made by the ease of a toss in the microwave.  I ADORE TJ's masala sauce...add that to some chickpeas and I'm a fan!  It made a great & simple side.

Well, that wraps up Tuesday.  Hope you enjoyed 'getting back on the horse' with meJ  Ya gotta splurge sometimes and then ya just gotta pull it back togetherJ

Have a good Wednesday, everyone!

A Sorrento Valentines...

Morning everyone!  Hope you guys had as sweet of a Valentines day as this faceJ

VALENTINES Recap:

6:45-7:15am:  Dance + Weights x2 + 1 minute plank

9:30am:  Breakfast-  Banana with Peanut Butter

Katie & I shared a nice breakfast yesterday to start the day.  Hers = mashed & Mine = Filled with peanut butterJ

She also did get to nibble on a couple mini chocolate chips (and a few pieces of dried oatmeal) while we tackled our baking project later that morningJ

12:30pm:  Lunch- Strawberry Salad 

And since I knew dinner was going to be CARB OVERLOAD CENTRAL, I knew I had to have a breadless lunch (and breakfastJ).  In this mix:

• Spinach
• 5 diced strawberries  (Katie got a few of those tooJ)
• Handful diced walnuts
• Feta
• Drizzle of olive oil

SO GOOD!!!!!!

2:30pm:  Snack-  Banana Oatmeal Muffin

While Katie & I were baking up our special Valentines dessert for the night, I decided to throw together these muffins for breakfasts/snacks for the week.  They are SOOOOOOOO good and have NO FLOUR & NO ADDED SUGAR.  Just bananas, almond milk, vanilla, oats, eggs, baking powder & mini chocolate chips.  They take about 10 seconds to throw together and they couldn't taste better.  Seriously, TRY THESE ASAP!  

6:00pm:  Dinner- Pasta e patate con provolone  (or in simpiler terms:  Pasta with potatoesJ)

So in keeping with our little Valentines tradition of cooking a dinner for Scott that has memories tied into one of our trips, tonight I took us back to a lovely little patio in Sorrento and attempted to make our absolute FAVORITE dish from Italy (and all of 2011!)

Like most Italian dishes, this was a dish with simple ingredients & simple preparation with excellent results.  I sauteed a diced onion in a pan with olive oil, then added 3 diced potatoes and enough boiling water to cover the potatoes.  I let that boil for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes were soft.

Next, I added a handful of ditali pasta & 1/4 pound of spaghetti broken into small pieces.  I added some heated chicken stock (or you can use vegetable stock), to cover the pasta.  I let everything cook together until the pasta was al dente (about 7 minutes...but the ditali took a few more minutes.  Just keep testing it!)  Stir occasionally to release the starches of the pasta & break up some of the potatoes to make a creamy 'sauce'...

Finally, I added a TON of shredded provolone & some Parmesan for taste...

So there's 2 things that separated my dish from the Italy dish (well, besides the lack of dining on the Amalfi coast & listening to an Italian church choir practiceJ):

1. I DID NOT add enough broth.  The Italy dish was party stew/part pasta dish.  I'll have to remember that the next time I tackle this.
2. The provolone was JUST NOT THE SAME.  Apparently the Provolone del Monaco used for the dish is region specific & is made under rigid standards to ensure it's perfection.  And perfection it is.  While my dinner was good...nothing beats the original.  My hats off to you AGAIN, La Stuzzichino!

Regardless, we enjoyed it.  As did Katie (who may have SLIGHT memories of this dishJ).  She particularly enjoyed the patateJ

After dinner, gifts were exchanged (someone lovvvveess getting cardsJ)

 And then dessert was served...

In ALSO keeping with my Valentines tradition of an ooey-gooey chocolate dessert, this year I went with a...

Well, you'll have to look HERE for the nameJ

A poked chocolate cake filled with a layer of melted salted caramel & condensed milk and topped with whipped cream & heath bar...

So when you sliced the cake, you had pockets of caramel & a 'drenched with goodness' cake.  (albeit, 4 bites in and I felt like I was going to go in a legit sugar coma!) 

We both liked it....but that's all we'll say about THAT!   

So that wraps up our Valentines day!  We're both excited for our Saturday day trip of "Valentines day by Scott."  I hear it involves BURGERS, so it should be a good one!

Have a great weekend & HAPPY FRIDAY!!