Paleo Eggplant and Check In

Yesterday was really good foodwise.  I was worried that the fill didn't do a whole lot until I realized that my lunch was still kind of slider-y and that I didn't eat from 11:30 a.m. to 6:45 pm and didn't feel like I was starving.  That fill must've done something...

Checking in for yesterday.
List of NO's:
No fast food. Check
No carbonation. Check
No Starbucks.  Check
No pasta, rice or bread. Check
No chocolate, candy or sweets.  Check
No juice, milk or sugary drinks.  Check

List of WILL's:
I will work out at least 4 times this week.  2/4
I will limit the amount of processed foods I eat.  Check
I will go to sleep at a decent hour.  Check
I will be kind to myself.  Check 
I WILL stay on plan.  Check.

I made it to spin last night.  Great class...love the instructor but my performance left something to be desire.  Thanks to "I'm going to make you do lunges and squats until you puke" lady, my legs just couldn't get at it as much as I usually do but I went and did my best so I'm happy with that.  Not sure if I'm working out tonight...we shall see.  

Truly a stellar day.  Let's see if I can log another one of those.  Made a really good dinner last night - Paleo Eggplant Parmesan and Spaghetti Squash with Marinara.  Hubby and I are truly part of the modern culture - I start dinner, he finishes it...I had the squash baking and the eggplant ready when he got home...All he had to do was heat up the sauce, scrape the squash and plate it.  So I'll give you the recipe but it's super easy.

Spaghetti Squash - Cut squash in half lengthwise, scrape out all the seeds and strings (like a pumpkin), place face down on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until tender.  When it's done you take a fork and scrape the flesh out in long strings like spaghetti.  Add salt and pepper and other seasonings to taste.

While that's baking, you can get your eggplant done.  Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil in pan (I used medium high heat but I'll warn you that my kitchen got REAL smokey).  Beat one egg in a bowl.  Put about a quarter cup of almond meal on a plate and mix it with some italian seasonings.  Cut eggplant into rounds (You don't have to take the skin off).  For each round, dip it in the egg and then coat lightly in the almond meal **side note:  If there's a Sprouts or Whole Foods near you...probably best to get your almond meal from there...you don't have to buy a lot since they have bulk aisles.  Love this for when recipes call for odd things that I don't have lying around my kitchen.**.  Place them in the pan, flipping once until they're nice and brown and eggplant is tender.

Spoon some spaghetti squash onto a plate.  Place 2 eggplant rounds on top of the squash and then finish it all off with marinara and parmesan cheese.  If you really want it paleo, skip the parmesan.  Here's a pic of the plate Hubby made for me last night and kept warm in the oven while I worked out.

Wetzel Pretzel

So paleo was just so/so yesterday.  Was doing fine...stuck to plan and then BAM!  Wetzel Pretzel.  I went to the mall to shop for a bridal shower gift and it called my name.  OK...maybe I went hunting around for it.  Anyway, I bought one bag of the wetzel bitz and ate about a third of it.  I'm not proud of it and it certainly wasn't worth it.  But I logged it in mfp like a good little girl and still came out 100 calories below my target.  The important thing is I got back on track by dinner.  And dinner turned out pretty good.  I made Apple Chicken and super easy and surprisingly good.  My girls liked it so that's saying something.  Here's the recipe.

Chicken Apple

INGREDIENTS

2	(4-6oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or use leftover chicken from another meal)
1/4	tsp sea salt (optional)
1/8	tsp freshly ground black pepper
2	Tbs coconut oil
1	large apple
1/2	tsp cinnamon or allspice

INSTRUCTIONS

1.	Dice chicken breasts. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
2.	Heat a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add coconut oil when hot.
3.	Add diced chicken and cook until slightly pink (about 150° F).
4.	Grate apple into pan.
5.	Add cinnamon or allspice.
6.	Continue to cook until chicken is done and apple is tender.

Here's a pic of how mine turned out.  Forgot to take it straight away so it's already been picked at a bit.

Anyway...pretty good eats.  So out of nowhere, we got this huge storm in Arizona and me, being mom of the year, let my kids go out and play in it.

So Food Plan today:
Breakfast:  Frittata and coffee (noticing a pattern here)
Lunch:  Apple Chicken with vegetables
Dinner:  Steak and mashed cauliflower
Snacks:  Nuts

I feel good about the plan and where I'm heading.  I'm not weighing myself until the 15th but I'm not expecting much.  I had gained 3 lbs from my lowest so I'm hoping just to see that low number again.  Toodles!

Early Birds Are Crazy

So I got a bug up my butt about going to the gym before work this week.  As I've been complaining about my schedule all summer long, I figured with only two weeks left, I should do something about it.  Better late than never, right?  So my gym opens at 4:00 a.m.  That's right... A.M.  I have to be to work by 5:30.  I figured if I got there right when it opened, I could work out for an hour...get ready in 10-15 minutes and then head off to work. I show up at 3:57 and there is a LINE...a LINE... of people waiting to get into the gym.  And they were all uberperky!  "Good morning!" with big smiles on their faces.  Seriously?  It's 4 o'clock in the freakin' morning.  Needless to say, I am not a morning person.  But I went and I worked out.  Did the elliptical and some weight training.  Took my shower and headed off to work.  I don't know how you people who get up so early to work out do it without feeling like you're going to puke.  I'm not trying to be funny.  By the time I was done with my workout, I felt seriously nauseous.  Note to self...must eat or drink milk or something if I ever attempt this again. Even now, sitting at work, eating my breakfast...I feel nauseous and probably won't get through half of it.  I salute you early birds...you're crazy, of course... but more power to you!

So while I was trying not to pass out at the gym this morning, Fox News was reporting how the Oregon State Board voted to cover bariatric surgery for citizens of Oregon. You can watch the story here.  Honestly, I wasn't paying close attention, but what struck me was Dr.  Sewell's opinion about the state paying for this service.  He gives an example of a woman who said she wanted the surgery "to be skinny and eat whatever I want because that's my lifestyle" as an example of how patients need to take some personal responsibility.  I bet he still let her self pay for the surgery and I bet he still performed it, knowing she was setting herself up for failure.  I'm sorry but this is a bunch of bull.  I'm sure there are people who get bariatric surgery thinking it's the magic wand that's going to fix all their problems but I don't think the majority of people are that way and for this doctor to say otherwise is insulting.  And the reasoning behind his opinion is obvious.  How many people whose insurance won't pay for it or who are just below the requirements for their insurance or state insurance or whatever end up scraping up the money or getting a loan to self pay?  And I guarantee you Dr. Sewell makes more money off self pays than he does the insurance companies.  So this doctor can prattle on all he wants about how "when government starts interfering with people's relationships with their doctors, their right to choose is taken away" (yes he actually said this) all he wants but for him, it comes down to how he can get paid more.  What Oregon is trying to do is help people pay for it, not force people to get it.  Now, whether or not taxpayer money should be spent to cover bariatric surgery for people is a topic for another day.  Personally, I think it saves money over the long run but I'm biased.  I was just really irritated that this doctor - who should know better than anyone how a surgery like this can change a life - got on television and used an idiot's reason to get surgery to put a few more bucks in his pocket.  He's a disgrace.

Now that I'm stepping down off my soap box, I have a recipe to share.  I made this last night and yes, it's a soup and yes, it's 105 degrees outside pretty much all over the country but it was yummy and maybe you'd like to try it in the Autumn.  This makes 4 servings (made 6 for us and my daughter had seconds) and I served it with a small side salad.  The picture below is close to what it looked like but mine was a bit more brothy and I used whole wheat noodles instead of the wide egg noodles.  I'd also recommend for bandsters to cut the meat a little smaller than recommended (I got a little stuck on the bigger pieces).

Beef Goulash Soup

6 oz beef top sirloin steak

1 tsp olive oil

1 medium onion (chopped)

2 c water

1 14 oz can beef broth

1 14.5 oz can low sodium chopped/diced tomatoes - undrained

1 medium carrot (sliced)

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 clove minced garlic (I used garlic powder)

1 cup cabbage (thinly sliced)

1/2 c dried wide noodles (I used a little more than this)

2 tsp paprika

1/4 c light sour cream

Snipped parsley (optional)

Paprika (optional)

Trim fat from steak.  Cut steak into 1/2 inch cubes.  In large saucepan cook and stir steak cubes i hot oil over medium-high heat about 6 minutes or until beef is brown.  Add onion; cook and stir about 3 minutes more or until tender.

Stir in the water, broth, undrained tomatoes, carrot, cocoa powder & garlic.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, unconvered, about 15 minutes or until beef is tender.

Stir in cabbage, uncooked noodles and the 2 tsp paprika.  Simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 7 minutes more or until noodles are tender but still firm.  Remove from heat.  Top each serving with some of the sour cream.  If desire, sprinkle with parsley and additional paprika.

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Nutritional Info

Calories: 188

Protein: 14g

Fiber: 3b

Total Fate: 7 g

Sodium: 397 mg

Carb: 16g

Sugar: 6g 

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Asian Flank Steak Roll-Ups

Just thought I'd post a recipe I tried last night.  Hubby and I liked it a lot but my girls weren't as thrilled.  If you have little kids, you may want to have a backup handy.  Of course, I can't just follow a recipe so I did change some stuff.  I used sirlion instead of flank steak, juice from 2 fresh oranges instead of orange juice concentrate and lemon juice instead of lime juice because that's what I had laying around my house.  Banded folks - I did eat this with the tortilla and could only eat about 1/4 of it.  My hubby had it without the tortilla and said it was still really good.  The picture below is from my cookbook - but mine did look awfully close.  Without further ado...

12 oz beef flank steak
3 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tortillas
1 red or yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings
1/4 c hoisin or plum sauce (I used plum - very yummy)
1 c shredded napa cabbage

1. Score meat on both sides.  Place meat in a plastic bag set in shallow dish.  For marinade, in small bowl, combine orange juice concentrate, water, lime juice, ginger, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper and garlic.  Pour over meat; seal bag.  Marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours, turning bag occasionally.
2. Preheat boiler.  Drain meat, reserving marinade.  Place meat on the unheated rack of broiler pan.  Broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 15 to 18 minutes or until medium doneness, turning once.  Thinly slice meat diagonally across the grain.
3. Wrap tortillas in foil.  Place beside the broiler pan for last 8 minutes of broiling meat.  Meanwhile, pour reserved marinade into medium saucepan.  Stir in sweet pepper and onion.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered for 5 to 8 minutes until vegetables are tender.  To serve, spread each tortilla with some of the hoisin/plum sauce.  Top with napa cabbage and beef.  Using a slotted spoon, spoon pepper mixture over beef and roll up.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Info Per Serving:
411 cal, 11 g total fat, 34 mg cholesterol, 673 mg sodium,
50 g carb, 5 g fiber, 26 g protein

Fruit Chicken Stir Fry

This week is going pretty good so far.  I made it back to the gym on Monday.  It felt good to back into it.  I took a walk with hubby and my parents' dog yesterday so got in a little bit of activity.  I'm hitting the gym again today so feeling good all in all.  I'm starting my C25k plan next week.  I wanted to download a couple pod casts that tells you when to walk and run so I don't have to keep staring at the clock.  That would drive me crazy and I think that's one of the reasons I had such a hard time the first time I attempted the C25k program.  The other reason being, of course, that I was 30 lbs heavier.  Hoping it's not quite as difficult this go 'round.



I made this and got mixed reviews.  I liked it a lot and hubby gave it an A+.  The kiddos liked the chicken and oranges but not the veggies but they're kids so what do you expect.  A couple tweaks: I used oranges instead of nectarines and added a bag of mixed steamed veggies to the dish.  Delicious!  I also didn't eat it with rice or couscous...just the protein and veg.  I think the calories listed include the rice.  Sodium is a little high because of the soy sauce so you might want to account for that throughout the rest of your day.  The recipe also suggests you can use peaches or plums instead of nectarines if you prefer.  Enjoy!

3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
4 tsp honey
4 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp hot sauce
Dash ground allspice
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size strips
1 small red sweet pepper, sliced thin strips
2 medium green onions, bias-sliced
2 nectarines, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 c hot rice or couscous

1. For sauce, in small bowl, stir together soy sauce, honey, vinegar, cornstarch, curry, hot sauce and allspice.  Set aside.
2. Pour oil into large wok or skillet.  Heat over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, sweet pepper and green onion.  Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes until chicken is no longer pink.  Push chicken mixture from center.  Stir sauce; add to center of wok/skillet.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
3. Add nectarine slices to chicken mixture.  Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.  Serve over hot rice or couscous.

Nutrition:
319 cal, 6 g fat, 66 mg cholesterol, 501 mg sodium, 35 g carb, 3 g fiber, 31 g protein

Tuscany Stuffed Chicken

Not my chicken - stole from another website but it looked very similar

Down 2 more lbs this week - 23 total so very happy about that.  This recipe was a big hit in our house.  I found Fontina cheese to be a bit expensive so I substituted fresh mozzarella and it was still delish!  I'm not a big fan of peppers but it really added some nice flavor.  Also, don't be intimidated by the whole "rolling meat" thing.  Just make sure you gently pound the chicken out pretty thin and it rolls up pretty well.  Enjoy!

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
Black pepper
2 to 3 oz fontina cheese, crumbled or sliced
1/2 c canned roasted red sweet peppers
12 fresh sage leaves (I used ground sage)
1/4 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp olive oil
2 c dry white wine

1. Place each chicken breast half, boned side up, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.  Working from the center to the edges, pound lightly with flat side of meat mallet to 1/4 inch thickness. Remove from plastic wrap.  Sprinkle chicken lightly with black pepper.  Layer cheese, sweet pepper strips and sage in center of each breast.  Fold in sides; roll up into a spiral, pressing the edges to seal.  Roll in flour.
2. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Cook chicken about 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.  Remove chicken from skillet.  Drain off any fat.
3. In same skillet, bring wine to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered until 1 cup of liquid remains (about 5 minutes).  Return chicken to skillet.  Cover and simmer 7-8 minutes until done.
4. Transfer chicken to a serving plate; cover to keep warm.  Strain remaining cooking liquid; return to skillet.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered until 1/2 liquid remains.  Serve over chicken.

359 cal, 19 g total fat (4 g sat fat), 98 mg cholesterol,
196 mg sodium, 8 g carb, 38 g protein

Lemon Tarragon Chicken Toss

Tried this recipe the other night and it was VERY yummy...

6 oz fettuccine or linguine
2 cups broccoli or cauliflower
1/2 c reduced sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground white or black pepper
12 oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size strips
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 c shredded carrot
1 tbsp fresh snipped tarragon or 1/2 tsp dried tarragon

1. Cook pasta, adding the broccoli or cauliflower for the last 4 minutes of cooking.  Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in small bowl combine broth, lemon juice, honey, cornstarch and pepper.
3. In large skillet, stir fry chicken in hot oil for until no longer pink.  Stir cornstarch mixture; add to skillet.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Add carrot and tarragon; cook 1 minute more.
4. To serve, spoon chicken mixture over pasta.  If desired, garnish with lemon slices.

This was a big hit in my house.  If you don't have tarragon, you can also use fennel seed or marjoram. 

Nutritional Info:
320 cal, 4g total fat (1 sat fat), 49 mg chol
143 mg sodium, 43 g carb, 3 g fiber, 27 g protein

In other news, I have an appointment with my surgeon today.  I'm REALLY hoping I get my first fill today.  I'm ready to fill this bad boy up and get it working.  I can't imagine why I wouldn't get my fill today but I guess you never know.  I did my step class last night...I swear the instructor is trying to kill me.  She's really nice but DAYUM...that class is tough.  And I sweat...like seriously sweat...like dripping on my step kind of sweating.  I like that though.  While I don't smell like roses afterward, it does make me feel like I'm getting a good workout.  Doing a 10 mile training walk this weekend.  I think I can do it...my goal is to finish in under 4 hours, that's including any pit stops.  We'll see.  I hope to post a fill update tomorrow.  Have a great Thursday!

Chicken w/Pineapple Relish Recipe

I tried this recipe a couple days ago and it was a big hit.  I'm always looking for ways to make chicken more interesting as we eat a lot of it.  My kids even loved it and ate almost every bite.  A couple things I changed - I baked the chicken instead of grilling as my grill is currently out of service and I used 1/2 ginger and 1/2 nutmeg in lieu of the cardamom.  That is a SERIOUSLY expensive spice so I'd be interested if any of you try it with the actual cardamom.  I wonder what difference it brings to the dish.  Enjoy!

3/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts halves
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium fresh pineapple - peeled, cored and chopped into bite size piece
1/2 medium red sweet pepper - finely chopped
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro or parsley
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp sliced green onion
1 jalapeno chile pepper - seeded and finely chopped

1. In small bow, combine 1/2 tsp cardamom, salt & pepper.  Rub both sides of chicken with oil; sprinkle evenly with spice mixture
2. Grill chicken on rack of uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 12-15 minutes
3. For relish, in medium bowl, combine pineapple, sweet pepper, cilantro, lime juice, green onion, jalapeno pepper and the remaining 1/2 tsp of cardamom.  Mix.
4. Serve chicken with relish

Nutritional Info:
228 cal, 5 g fat, 373 mg sodium, 12 g carb, 2 g fiber, 34 g protein (I don't see how the protein could be this high but I digress)