One giant step... and a frittata that Popeye would be proud of

Pin It I took the plunge and went back to Step class tonight.  Overall it was great (I really do love that class), but my feet and my brain REFUSE to connect!  Oh well, there's always next week.  I did realize that I am probably not ready for the super-hard Wednesday Step class though...maybe in a few weeks after I get my "sea legs" back :)

Tonight's supper:

Spinach and Sweet Potato Frittata made in my Epicure rectangular steamer.  I cut up one small sweet potato, chopped about 1 cup of spinach leaves (remove stems) and microwaved them for 2 minutes in the steamer.  While that's cooking, mix two eggs and 3 egg whites with Epicure seasonings of choice (I used Herb & Garlic, 3 Onion and BLT dip mix).  Stir steamer contents and then add egg mixture and microwave again for 3-4 minutes.  Enjoy!  Super high protein meal that tastes great too!  I think it's missing something, but can't put my finger on it yet...maybe some chopped ham or something...  Stay tuned, I'll let you know if I figure it out!

Yet another odd meal combo!

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I have no name for this one yet.  My friend Lisa at WW inspired it and I modified slightly.  Cook spaghetti squash (I use the microwave), toss in the frying pan with some salsa (homemade Epicure Salsa, of course!) and a chopped onion.  I added some Epicure Maple Bacon Sea Salt, Epicure BLT dip mix and a bit of Epicure Mango Curry dip mix.  Sautée for a bit and then toss in a drained tin of tuna (packed in water).  Cook until heated through and then top with 1 oz of low fat cheddar cheese.  It might be an odd combo, but it totally worked!  Lisa used bacon bits when she made hers and she didn't add tuna (not sure about the onions) or the Epicure spices (at least I don't think so!).  I think this would be even better if I used feta cheese instead of cheddar...yum!!

Door number two

Pin It Walking through the door is the toughest part.  I feel like I've said this recently ;-)  Tonight's walk was through the gym door.  First time back since before I left for the UK... over a month!!  I went to Zumba and was SOO happy to see my Zumba buddies!!!  It felt great to be back.  Debating trying a new step class tomorrow night, but I might be dead after tonight, so I might have to wait for my next life ;-)

So tonight I took "door number two" and am officially back into the swing of things...back to WW, back to work, back to the gym...

Just walking through the door

Pin It They say that's the hardest part about going back to Weight Watchers.  Walking through the door.  I have taken this journey "through the door" many times in the past, only my return is usually years after my departure, not just a month.  I walked through the doors at WW yesterday for the first time since mid-December.  It was bad.  Really bad.  But it could have been so much worse.  I was up 8.3 pounds in just over a month.  I'm disgusted with myself, yet proud of myself at the same time.  In the past, I would have not gone back (for years).  This time I knew I had to.  This is just a blip in my life as a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers.  This is a new week and a new year, so I'm back on track and I accept that this will happen from time to time, but I will do everything in my power to stay on track.  My fridge is stocked with good foods and I even through out some perfectly good candy from Thornton's (if you've been to the UK, you'll understand how hard that was!).  Onward and upward (hopefully downward at the scales though!).

If you gained (or think you did) over the holidays or on vacation and are thinking about not going back until you get back on track - please go back.  Waiting to go back until you get back on track is like getting cleaned up to take a bath.  It makes no sense.  If you could have done it alone, you would have done it years ago.  Suck it up and just do it :)

Confessions of a chocoholic (yes, shopoholic too)

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Me at the Eiffel Tower in Paris...obviously!

I am officially back from vacation now and today was day two back to work.  I think I'm suffering from the post-vacation blahs...blech...can I go back?

I had a good vacation. It was great to spend time with friends, be away from the everyday and to relax.  I did some touring (Paris...oooh la la), did eating (LOTS OF EATING) and really did relax.  I'm always sad to leave my friends there, especially my buddy (some of you know her as Anonymous Ann).  It's OK though....I'll be back :)

I won't go into details on my bad eating, but I'll just tell you it was bad.  Very bad.  And completely my own fault.  For some reason when I'm on vacation I develop this awful sense of entitlement - as though I deserve to eat dessert every single day...as though I deserve to have that Starbucks muffin with my coffee... I don't do that at home so there really is NO reason I should be doing this away.  Believe me when I tell you that I was not coerced into it either.  That's it.  Story closed...  the scales will tell the true story on Saturday at WW when I have to pay the piper.  I am moving on and will get back on track.  It might be a significant gain, but it's by no means ALL of it, so I will recover.  I have to...I bought nice clothes in England that I still have to fit into!

I had grand plans to jump back into healthy eating and working out as soon as I landed back home.  The healthy eating has been a success (a minor slip-up, but I DID track it and I DID have the points available to cover it), but after two days back to work, I have still not hit the gym.  Missed step last night and am going to have to miss zumba tonight.  I'm just too doggone tired!  I will give myself this week to get the eating under control and to get over the jet-lag.  Next week - no excuses!

In case you missed last night's post, you should check it out - I made cauliflower pizza crust!  Yum!

BBQ Chicken Pizza with Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Pin It For ages I have seen recipes for this and thought it was something I would like to try making... it is also one of those recipes I put off making for some reason.  Tonight on the way home from work I was craving pizza...but the only carby/crust-like thing I had in the house for a crust was whole wheat Wonder Bread...not exactly enticing!  BUT I had a fresh head of cauliflower... so here it goes...

The recipe I chose was by Brittany Mullins over at Eating Bird Food.  I made her recipe for Healthy Pizza with a Cauliflower Crust.  As I always do with recipes, I made some modifications.  I did not have basil or oregano in the cupboard...but if you know me well, I do have a TON of Epicure spices :)  OF COURSE!  I actually used the brand new Seasoning for Pizza Oven Fries as well as Roasted Garlic.  I baked the crust on my Epicure baking sheet using my silicone baking mat.  In hindsight, I should have realized two things - one - cheese and eggs are very sticky, so it did stick a tiny bit to the mat...not a huge deal, but the second thing I realized is that the silicone baking mats are not to be used under the broiler... so I then had to transfer the crust to a broiler-safe pan (my brand new Epicure Crisper pan!!!! Check out the space-age design of it!)  In the end it worked out OK, but next time I will probably just bake it on the baking sheet on parchment paper as Brittany suggested in the recipe :)  I'm afraid using the Crisper pan with the raw dough would be a disaster as the dough itself is quite soft and a bit "oozy" :)  

The flavour overall was GREAT!  I am a bit concerned over how well it will reheat.  I am thinking it might be a bit like re-heated mashed potatoes...but I could be wrong.  I'll find out tomorrow night when I have the leftovers for supper!  If you are a die-hard, true pizza eater who insists on eating your pizza by hand, then this is not the crust for you.  It is truly a fork (and if you want to get fancy, a knife!) kinda pizza.  I topped mine with Bulls Eye BBQ sauce, chicken, peppers, onions and mushrooms (pre-sauteed) and a bit more cheese.  I ate half of the pizza (it was about a 9" crust I'd say).

Stay tuned for tomorrow when I will write my "true confessions" about what I ate over the holidays...