Milestone

Pin It I finally hit the 10lb mark! Lost a total of 2 lbs today, to bring my total weight lost in 4 weeks to 10.2lbs - wahoo! I would have been sorely disappointed if I'd not hit that 10lb marker this week!

well, off to put away my groceries that should be made of GOLD for the price I paid for them! Making Taco Soup this week and possibly also a batch of stuffed pepper soup - red and green peppers were on sale this week and I already have the hamburger cooked and in the freezer - likely enough for both recipes...it'll be a week of soup! Good think I love soup!

Tom Yum Soup

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Tom Yum Soup

4 Tbsp Tom Yum soup paste
6 cups water
3/4 carton chicken broth
1lb chicken breasts - chopped (raw)
2 cups slided mushrooms
lemongrass
lime leaves - 3
thai chilis - 3 (whole)
ginger (fresh) - about the size of your thumb to the first joint
galangal (I'll have to find spelling of this) - same size as ginger


Boil water and broth. Add paste, lemongrass, ginger, galangal and stir until paste is disolved. Add chicken, mushrooms, lime leaves (whole), and chlis. Cook until chicken is cooked. Remove lemon grass stalk, lime leaves and chilis (unless you WANT to bite into one!) and serve.

Now after I made this and ate it (and loved it!), I realized I was missing a few things that Bianca told me should go in - fish sauce, sesame oil and lime juice (fresh)...but I don't think I missed them! Next time I will add them to see if they add any more flavour.

Not lost

Pin It Nope, didn't get lost at Sobeys...got home around 2 and decided to make my Tom Yum soup right away...let me just say this...YUMM-O! I didn't add all of the spiciness that it called for (cut it back by about 1/4), but next time (um, maybe next weekend) I'll add the full shot. Pot made 5 servings at 4 points each - I could have added more mushrooms and broth to make it go further and cut down on the points - maybe next time.

My loss this week was 1.4lbs. Not what I had hoped for, but I'm averaging 2.7lbs per week so far, so I guess, by WW standards, I can't complain...my biggest issue is I'm watching The Biggest Loser where these people are losing upwards of 15lbs in a week! Now mind you - they have personal trainers for 6-8hours per day...and no outside temptations (other than the challenges)...

Nope, it's not time yet...

Pin It Have not gone to WW yet...just sat down and planned my menu for the week - going to sobeys after WW...here is the menu (no particular order, just meal ideas for each meal of the day):

Breakfasts:
Oatmeal (packet) with apple
Cheerios
Egg white/bacon/tomato omelet
Apple pancakes
PB and Banana sandwich on toast
Yogurt with berries
BLT

Lunches:
Tom Yum Soup
Frozen WW dinner
leftover stirfry
Turkey/Ham sandwich
leftover corn chowder
BLT
Asian Brown rice

Suppers:
Tom Yum soup
Stirfry (chicken)
Shrimp (garlic with tomatoes...maybe over brown rice)
Fish of some sort - likely tilapia or salmon
Chicken x 2 (BBQ enough for 2 meals)
Corn chowder

Off to shower and head to WW....hopefully by the time I return from the grocery store, my obnoxiously loud neighbours will have finished moving out...I am PRAYING that's what is going on up there...otherwise I'm gonna go up and knock some heads together!

Post three!

Pin It I did it! Three posts this week! Figured I'd better post tonight as my week officially starts tomorrow and I'm running out of time! The only other exercise I did this week was a walk over to the mall this afternoon for one of my bosses - only 15 mins, but more than I'd have gotten sitting at my desk! Today, veggie eating is not going so well...only had the fruit/veggies in my frozen dinner (spinach and mangos) and mashed potatoes at supper time...it's 8:30...I have from now til bed to have 3 more servings! and that's just to reach my minimum requirement!!

Weigh in day tomorrow...stay tuned!

Negligence

Pin It Ok, so I've been a bit negligent in writing...here is how I've done on my goals for the week so far:

My goals this week:

• 2 x 30 minutes of intentional exercise - so far, once- just got back from a 5.5k walk with Linda
• Blog x 3 - this is blog 2
• Try one new recipe - no new recipe, but have successfully planned my first "eating out" experience since re-joining WW - Tina and I are going to Swiss Chalet tomorrow night...I'm having everything I'd normally have except for the fries and I STILL will have points leftover! Can't wait to sink my teeth into that chicken :-)
• eat MORE than the 5 servings of fruit/veggies per day

• Saturday - 6
• Sunday - 8
• Monday - 5
• Tuesday - 6.5
• Wednesday - 5
• Thursday - 6 (maybe 7 if I eat this apple I've been carting around all day!)

Down again!

Pin It -2.2 this week for a total of 6.8. Was hoping for more, but considering I did little to actually MOVE my chubba around (ie, exercise), it's not bad. I stuck to the program like glue and intend to do the same this week, but will make more of an effort to do some intentional exercise. Stopped at Farmer Clem's and Pete's after WW today and got mostly veggies - a new squash to try (not sure what it's called, but it is white and green striped...), a new kind of apple (something gold...not my usual Jona gold, something else...) and some other stuff...Also picked up some veggie chips from Pete's - surely not "good for you", but better than regular potato chips I'm sure!

My goals this week:
2 x 30 minutes of intentional exercise (cleaning the tub doesn't count)
Blog x 3
Try one new recipe
eat MORE than the 5 servings of fruit/veggies per day

Down!

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Today I am down 4.6lbs! That's all I have to say. The week went well, even after having ladies' night last night, I stayed on program! I am about to sit down with my new cookbook (I have to replace my eating habbit with something...turns out it's gonna be buying cookbooks...again!) and plan my week. I'm also going to make a crust-less pumpkin pie for thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.

WW Recipes

Pin It Asian Chicken-and-Rice Soup
2 cups water
1/4 cup quick-cooking brown rice (I used the Uncle Bens Perfection)
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1 8oz package cremini mushrooms (sobeys didn't have these, so I used regular white)
4 cups baby spinach
1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast
1 carrot shredded
3 scallions
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp Asian (dark) sesame oil

Combine water and rice in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the broth and mushrooms and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is tender (10 mins).

Add spinach, chicken, carrot, scallions, soy sauce and ginger. Simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, 8 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil and serve at once.

Filling Extra: double the amount of carrots and scallions in the recipe, without increasing points.

2 points/serving
serves 4

Raspberry-Oatmeal Muffins with Orange Glaze
1 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup fat free vanilla
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
t Tbsp grated orange zest
1 cup fresh or UNTHAWED frozen raspberries

Glaze
3 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp orange juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, spray liners with cooking spray.

Whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients together. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until blended. Gently fold in frozen or fresh raspberries.

Spoon batter into the cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Bake until toothpick comes out clean. About 20 mins. Immediately remove muffins from pan and cool completely on cooling rack.

To make the glaze, whisk the icing sugar and orange juice in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over muffins with a spoon (make sure muffins are cooled). Let glaze set for 10 minutes.

1 muffin = 3 points

Day two

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Today was better than yesterday...yesterday I was starving by 5pm, today, not so much! I had a more filling breakfast, which I think made the difference. Here is what I have had so far:

Morning

medium banana(s)

1 cup(s) low-fat milk

Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins with Orange Glaze

1 cup(s) black coffee

2 tbsp whole milk

Lunch

1 serving(s) Rolled gold pretzel thins (1 oz)

1 small apple(s)

Chicken spaghetti squash spaghetti

Supper

4 oz pink salmon fillet (see photo - I know, it looks like an eggroll)

1 1/3 serving(s) Asian Chicken-and-Rice Soup (see photo)

16 oz low-fat milk

Snacks

1 cup(s) Honey Nut Cheerios

1 cup(s) low-fat milk

Have not had the cheerios yet - those were my anticipated snack for the evening...but even after I have them, I still have almost 6 points left! That's like TWO cans of REAL coke!! I may splurge...and have one...too bad it's after 9pm...do I really need to sleep tonight?? :-)

Day one

Pin It Day one has not been too bad. A bit hungry this afternoon, but it's not that I can't have enough food, I just need to plan better.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal Raspberry muffin with orange glaze
1 cup 1% milk
coffee with 1/8 cup milk






Lunch:
Knorr Yellow Soup
6 ritz crackers
2 slices bodywise multi-grain bread with 2 tsp margarine (man is this bread thin!!)
100 calorie vachon cake

Snack:
1 cup grapes
100 calorie pack of sun chips
coffee with 1/8 cup milk

Supper:
2 cups milk
chicken spaghetti squash spaghetti:

• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup mushrooms
• 4 oz chicken
• 1/4 diced green pepper
  

Snack:
1 oz rolled gold pretzel sticks

The deed is done

Pin It Originally my plan was to keep this to myself for a while - keep the pressure off a bit, try going it in stealth mode...but alas, I cannot keep it to myself. It's far too difficult to keep these things quiet when we live in such a social world that revolves around these things..."what is it?" you may be asking...I've finally broken down and joined Weight Watchers. Yes folks, I am a repeat offender. They really should lock me up and throw away the key. My hope and prayer is that this time I will stick with it. During my trip to the UK last year, I really felt like my "chubba" as my friend Ann calls it, held me back. I'm finally ready to get rid of my "wobbly bits" as another friend calls it (you know who you are!). Doing this in silence would really just be setting myself up for disaster...how easy is it to fall off a wagon that nobody even knows you're on...if they don't know you're on it, how can they kick you back on?!

Officially I joined on Thursday evening - Thursday was the day I finally decided to do it and, as it so happened, there was a special on for new (or new again) members where you get one month free (yay!). The catch was that the special ended today (Saturday) and Thursday's meeting was the ONLY one that would work for me this week. Because my schedule was a bit hectic between Thurs and today, I decided that my regular meeting day (and weigh in day) will be Saturdays, beginning next Saturday (three meeting options available Saturdays!), so tonight I went grocery shopping and tomorrow my plan to conquer the wobbly bits begins.

I have one beef with grocery shopping (well, more than one...but this is today's beef)...WHO in the world ever said that it was cheaper to eat healthy??? I spent over $100 at the grocery store tonight (picture below - in addition to this stuff, I have a few frozen items in the freezer)!!!! Thankfully I had a Sobeys airmiles gift certificate to cover part of it. The sad part is, I picked up a few groceries on Wednesday night too! Man oh man... I do have to admit that part of this grocery order contains stuff that will last a long time (fish sauce, sesame oil, cumin, chili garlic sauce, etc.). Some of these were kind of costly, but I do have several recipes that use them, so it should work out in the end. Now I know there are going to be those of you who will argue the "real" cost of eating cheap processed foods...that's not what I'm talking about. I live in Canada where I have "free" healthcare and I have a great health plan at work (which I pay my share of, regardless of whether I eat healthy food or junk food). I'm talking actual dollars out of my pocket cost :-)

I am going to try to be good about posting my food journal on here, as well as any new recipes I try (yes, I bought another WW cookbook to add to my collection!) I will also post my results on Saturdays to keep you posted.