Day 156 - Upside Down, Inside Out Eggplant Parm

Yup. You heard right. If you Tuesday's post, I mention having fun with your fruits and veggies. You can make any regular meal into something fun, playful and interactive. Some times this only requires a different cooking method or dish. But when you're getting tired of the same old same old--it makes eating your veggies (fruits) fun and interesting. Try this...

Upside Down, Inside Out Eggplant Parmesan

Begin with individual ramekins like the ones pictured below by Corningware. (These are 7 oz sized rounded square ceramic dishes and are wonderful! I found mine at Target... pronounced Tar-zhay where I live.) You can use your favorite eggplant parmesan recipe and just arrange it in the dishes for a different presentation. I like to 'deconstruct' the dish a bit and put it back together in a new way.

My method and recipe (per individual dish):

• 5-7 slices of eggplant (sliced a  bit more than 1/4 inch thick)
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup marinara sauce
• 1 slice of crusty bread
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper, oregano, basil garlic powder to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Toss eggplant with 1/2 tsp salt to coat and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Using a paper towel pat the eggplant dry and set aside. 
3. Place a spoonful of marinara in individual ramekin; lay one slice of eggplant on the sauce.
4. Add 1/3 of ricotta and spread with the back of a spoon over the slice of eggplant then add 1/3 of mozzarella and a spoonful of marinara.
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 until your ingredients are all in the dish.
6. Place onto a baking sheet and into oven for 25 minutes, or untill bubbling around the edges.
7. Brush the olive oil over one side of the bread evenly. Sprinkle salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder to taste over the oil. Place on a sheet of aluminum foil and  into the oven for 10-15 minutes till crisp and lightly golden.

Once you have removed your ramekins and bread from the oven it's time to have fun! Allow to cool for 10 minutes then place your bread atop the ramekin; put a small dinner plate facedown over the bread and ramekin; carefully, with a potholder, invert the plate and ramekin and gently pull the ramekin away. Check out my pics below...

Voila! Upside down!
(pssst! why did she say inside out? oh! because the breading isn't on the eggplant like usual... it starts off on the side, then it winds up underneath! now i get it!)

My tip: I do not like leaving the skins on the eggplant. They ruin the texture for me. I prefer to peel them with my apple peeler before using them in anything. Just my opinion, seeing as many recipes out there leave the skin on. I vote vote to take it off. : )

Tomorrow: Some of my kitchen 'tools' that make preparing healthy food easier and faster. Nothing fancy-schmancy here. Just taking some shortcuts- and who doesn't love a good shortcut?

Day 155 - What I'm Missing

I was going to show you something yummy today. I never cooked last night with my new fun Corningware ramekins (life again likes to throw BIG hurdles in the way). This I will do for you tomorrow.

For today, I'm going to share with you some of what has been missing lately at this stage of my weight loss journey.

1. My love handles. I never truly had 'love handles' per se, but I was more full around that area than I was comfortable with. Muffin top no more!
2. On the outer sides of my butt cheeks (yup, talkin' about my butt now- we've officially reached that level of comfort) there were these two little 'pouches' about the size of a small pickle of fat. They were tiny, but noticeable. Notice the word were being used. Yup! No more pickle cheeks!
3. I do miss my pants fitting. I suppose seeming like they were spray-painted on isn't exactly fitting, but neither is sliding off my rear end. It takes some getting used to, wearing clothes that are lose or actually fit properly.
4. I miss pigging out. Not really, but some days I want to just have at whatever yummy little morsel of yumminess happens across my path while perusing the pantry. (OK, the benefits to not doing this are much greater. But Andrea--a classmate-- today had two collosal chocolate chip cookies in class and was chowing down. She weighs as much as my big toe. I just wanted a cookie.)
5. I miss turning to food for comfort. It was my friend. This may sound silly, but it's an honest evaluation of my relationship with food. I've had to find other things to fill that emotional eating void. Replacing a friend is not easy.

All in all, every effort I've made has benefited me enormously and I wouldn't go back and change it for anything. Changing your lifestyle is hard. And it's an intentional battle every day.

Tomorrow: Food! And my new kitchen toy  : )

Day 154 - Play With Your Fruits and Veggies

Yesterday I told you I was going to let you into my pantry again. Well, kind of...

I always, always, always have fresh fruit and veggies on hand for meal times. And to keep myself interested and my creative juices flowing, I like to buy the non-standard items. Yes, I'm practically required by my boys to have bananas and apples on hand. And berries and grapes are most often found in my icebox, too. But hanging in one of my three suspended baskets, or in the basket on my counter, you'll also find some less traditional selections. Have a look at yesterday's shopping trip.

From right to left, let me introduce you to:

• Graffiti Eggplant

• Pluots

• Acorn Squash

I have many ideas for the eggplant (check back tomorrow morning to see what I did with it tonight for dinner) and some involve the great new Corningware ramekins that I found at Target yesterday. The plouts are quite simply the yummy love child of the plum and apricot. Yes, love child... And I recently featured a great recipe of the acorn squash and have another in mind to try. They keep almost forever in a cool dry place, so don't hesitate to include them in your grocery adventure, even if you don't quite know what to do with them yet.

If you have any insights for any of the above mentioned botanical wonders, please feel free to share below. I (we) love fresh thoughts : )

Tomorrow: Tonight's dinner (don't worry, I won't push the leftovers on you) and fun cookware! (I'm cookware junkie. I see it, I buy it.)

Day 153 - Late Breakfast

If you are a regular visitor to my blog and stalk my Sunday weigh in posts you'll notice that I was significantly later than usual yesterday... Life likes to drop BIG obstacles in your path some days. I eat after I weigh in so my breakfast was also significantly delayed. Around 11am is when I finally ate breakfast, which is a bit late to get the furnace burning, so I had to go with a bigger breakfast/brunch than usual for a weekend morning. Let's review, shall we?

So this yum-o omelet consisted of the following...

• 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
• a splash of non-fat milk
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup pico de gallo
• 2 oz. lean deli ham
• 1/8 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

I sautee the pico de gallo with the olive oil first till the onions caramelize and are a delicious golden brown color. Then I pour my beaten eggs and milk and cook untill it's ready to flip. Then I add the ham and cheese and flip it over onto itself.

I can't resist sour cream with my ham and cheese omelets so a 2 Tbsp. portion will do on the side. And of course, what would breakfast be without some fresh fruit? Here I had 1.5 cups of grapes, cherries and strawberries. Yum : )  I gotta tell ya, the pico de gallo take omelets to a different place. *drooling on myself slightly*

This breakfast provides: 4 servings fruits/veggies, 1 serving heart healthy oil, and lean protein.
8 Points Plus for my Weight Watcher's buddies. 

Tomorrow: More of my pantry.

Day 152 - Weigh In Day

Down another pound : )

This is actually a lower rate of lose than I have been used to but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I was starting to feel deprived--hungry more than I should be. I talked with some group members over at Weight Watcher's and they offered a bunch of insightful advice that I wouldn't have necessarily thought of myself. I tried a few things and I felt much better all week. Ultimately, I need to slow my rate of lose to avoid burnout, which is the last thing I want to have happen.

I'm in this for the long haul, it's a lifestyle change, not a race to the finish line.

Now I only have 5.6 pounds to go till I hit ONEderland!!! I haven't been her in over seven years. This is very exciting for me, and another good motivator to keep working my plan.

Day 151 - More Food I Can't Live Without

Pico de Gallo.

(Yes, I know today's date and I know that package looks out of date... I took the picture a few weeks ago anticipating this post. No worries.)

What is pico de gallo? Well, I'm glad you asked!

It is similar to a salsa, but without the sauce: diced tomatoes, onions and green peppers joyfully mingling with cilantro, lime juice and the occasional jalapeno. I throw a pinch or two of Kosher salt into the mix for good measure. I buy premade/prepackaged pico in the produce section of my grocery store, it saves time for chopping and actually costs less.

But what to do with pico de gallo... Try these:

• EGGS - Add 1/2 cup to a small frying pan with a tsp. olive oil then add your eggs for a veggie infusion
• SALAD - Don't feel like chopping all your veggies, but want more than a bowl of greens? Add a cup of pico and you've added tons of flavor and 2 more servings of veggies.
• CHICKEN and RICE - Barbeque grilled chicken breasts chopped and tossed with brown rice and 1/2 cup veggies; lot's of flavor, great combination of textures, and again, you've snuck some veggies into your daily routine.
• PASTA - Toss pico with pasta, 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. of grated Parmesan cheese. Yum!
• HUMMUS - Spread 2 Tbsp. hummus over a medium whole wheat tortilla, add 1/2 cup of pico, mixed greens and reduced fat feta cheese crumbles. Roll up and enjoy.

These are only a few of the things I do with pico de gallo. Anywhere you have veggies, you can add pico. Have a good idea or favorite way to use pico de gallo? Leave us a note in the comments section below.

Tomorrow: It's Sunday, Weigh-In Day...

Day 150 - More Things to Ponder from The Boardies

Installment number 2 of inspiration and hilarity from the online boardies over at Weight Watcher's... A continuation of the wildly popular first post. Sit back and enjoy.

• Whether you think that you can or you can't, you are right. (Pat, a.k.a IslandDreamer)
• If you eat garbage you will feel like garbage. (Gusto31)
• You don't have to change your life; you just have to change your day. (ZeldaLaw)
• Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup. (Christine)
• If you're sick of starting over, you have to stop quitting. (NurseJulie74)
• A year from now, you will have wished you had started today. (Kristal)
• The 'pain' of being on-plan/sticking with it is nothing compared to how it feels to give up. (IrisMurasaki)
• If you waste energy on things you can't control, it only means you will be too worn out to deal with things you can. (Letty)

And last, but far from least, and one of the best things I have had to chew over mentally:

•  I go to work because I like my paycheck; if I went when I was motivated to do so, I would be fired by Wednesday. I follow Weight Watcher's (my healthy eating plan) because I like the results--the motivation comes and goes. On the days it's gone, the results speak for themselves. (QueenTrish)

Day 149 - Pictures From My Powerless Weekend

I mentioned that I have no power--still only a generator running a few things. But I learned to be creative with the resources I had available to me with the power outage post Irene. I also promised some pictures : )

Here they are, only two but they kind of typified what we've been doing since Sunday morning.

These are my yummy Grill Eggs, my skillet is oven proof to 450 and I turned off the front burner so the handle wasn't exposed to direct flames. It worked nicely. Scrambled with some melted cheese.

And me using the freshly deposited rain from Irene to bathe au naturale. I like to think she brought me tropical waters for my leg shaving needs, makes me feel kind of special : )  (p.s. I have running water again thanks to the ingenuity of my hubby. It's cold water, but it's running water.)

Hopefully we will be fully back into the swing of life by tomorrow afternoon. We should have pwer restored then and I will restock my icebox with my go-to foods.

For tomorrow: A second installment of fun, inspirational quotes from the Boardies over at Weight Watchers!

Day 148 - Feeling Under the Weather

I'm getting a little bit run down. This happens every year at this time--actually anytime the seasons change my body has a little temper-tantrum about it. All I want to do right now is stuff my face with comfort foods and lay in bed watching Pirates of the Carribean (still haven't gotten through them all; this could take a while).

I do realize that this would only fix me temporarily and soon after would lead me to feeling worse about sabotaging my own efforts for a few moments of indulgence. Instead I need to find some other way to satisfy my need for 'comforting'.

I have discovered that writing creatively can completely consume me to the point that I think baout little else. Even in the unfriendly face of writers' block, I still am able to step ouot of my world for a brief time. So, to thi send, I think I will endulge you with some of my food musings on a new page on my blog. Some of the boardies over at Weight Watcher's refer to it as food pron (middle two letters intentionally inverted), but I may just give it a less racey name. Check back this weekend to see what my fingers occupy themselves with instead of popping food into my mouth.

Day 147 - Back in the Swing of Things

I have computer access!!! (But it's because I'm over 30 miles away at school, but hey, I'm not complaining!)

Sunday did show a weight loss of 2 pounds and that made getting through the storm a bit easier--I had continued motivation to track my food and make do the best I could. I'm still on plan!

I have no running water though... And as girls do, they feel the need to be clean whatever the circumstance. So I decided to employ my large pool in my back yard for the purposes of bathing. Not right in the pool, but close enough. Either way, the helicopter that flew over head got a nice show. But I feel much better : )

We have limited power, my father in Buffalo bought us a generator and my amazing hubby drove over night and back the next day so we can have some normalcy. At the very least right now, we have a refrigerator. Hopefully I will have internet access at my home soon and can resume normal posts with great pics and food soon; by the end of this week I'm sure.

Ooh! Speaking of pictures, I have a few that I will have to share tomorrow (hopefully) of a few things we did during Irene. Including my grill eggs! It hasn't been so bad, just have to get out of my comfort zone and be creative.

Day 146 - almost there

So I found a Dunkin' Donuts that has power and the boys and I went to get breakfast. I ordered my new 'in a pinch' weight loss friendly Egg White Flatbread breakfast sandwich. And coffee, hot coffee. My older son asked for a toasted bagel with cream cheese, and the younger only wanted munchkins. Ok. I don't have the energy to fight it. Just eat a banana first, please. He had already nibbled on some baby carrots this morning.

I realized as I was watching them eat things I used to gobble up, that I don't really crave those sugar filled goodies anymore. Yes, I had 2 little munchkins, but it was easy to say 'no more' and walk away.

I also had a chubby flashback! I realized as I was peering into the tiny box of larger pants sizes that I used to get that box (with 25 donuts) and a sugar saturated frozen coffee drink many mornings. And I polished them off on my way to school, in about 30 minutes time. The passenger floor of my car was perpetually littered with evidence of my love affair with the corporate giant. More over, I would eat again at school, usually including bacon.

What was I thinking?!?! How tines have changed!

Well, I'm expecting my amazing hubby home in a few seemingly endless hours with the generator that my ever caring father in Buffalo got for us. I'll be able to eat normally, post to the blog, and shower!!!! In the mean time, please enjoy this cute picture of my boys that inspired this post : )  (did it come out sideways? I'm posting from my Android and can't tell...)

Day 145- made it through Irene

So I'm updating from my mobile, just to say I'm here and made it through, on plan : ) And I did weigh in this morning. I lost another 2 pounds last week! Wahoo! Once I get real internet access I'll update everything here, but until then, just imagine what my grilled eggs were like. I have pictures. They were good. Come by tomorrow. : )

Day 145 - Weigh In Day!!!

And If you are seeing this message, this one, right here, it means I have no internet and am unable to post due to Irene's crabby attitude. She stole our power and thus our internet. So instead of my Sunday waistline info, instead I will charm you with my culinary skills... And if I'm lucky, you may have to wipe a bit of drool from your chin when we're done : ) Either way, enjoy!

Friday night, while I should have been preparing for the storm, I was instead looking for ways to have acorn squash with my dinner. In a former life I would have roasted it on a sheet pan, then put a Tbsp or two of butter in the cup along with brown sugar (and perhaps maple or vanilla). Though that is one of the yummiest things to do to an acorn squash, it's an aggressive enemy attack against my midsection. So I searched around and found this instead... Give it a try!

Orange and Ginger Glazed Acorn Squash

• 3 acorn squash, halved length-wise and seeds removed
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2Tbsp. crystallized ginger, minced
• 2Tbsp. butter (unsalted is better)
• 1Tbsp. packed brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375F; line a baking tray with aluminum foil and lightly spray with vegetable spray
2. Place squash cut side down on the tray and spray back sides lightly with vegetable spray
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until tender
4. Approximately 10 minutes before they are done roasting, combine the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan and heat just to melt butter and dissolve sugar.
5. To serve: place 1 half acorn on a plate and spoon 3Tbsp. glaze into the center.
6. Eat before someone else does.

For Weight Watcher's: 2 points for one half with 3Tbsp of the glaze.

This is an amazing way to highlight the beautiful sweetness of the squash without masking it with flavorings. The ginger and citrus are surprisingly gently and compliment the squash deliciously.

Monday: Check back to see how I weathered Irene.

Day 144 - Staying On Plan While The World Ends

Yup- mild sarcasm there. Irene is headed this way and I'm worried mostly about how to keep my blog 'current' as opposed to things like water and toilet paper. Well, just because I may not be able to cook or eat great foods, doesn't me that my readers should be deprived, too.

So how am I planning to stay 'on plan' in the even that we lose power tomorrow evening? Check out my list.

• Boil eggs (they'll keep easily enough and I won't be without healthy protein with a few (or a few dozen) on hand. (I tend to over-react)
• Ready the fuel tanks! A have an extra tank of propane outside to cook off the meat that may go bad if we lose power. Assuming I can walk out the door without being blown into my neighbors' yard
• Lots of bottled water- We don't have a municipal water source, we have our own well. If the power goes out, we have no water, so for this occasion I allow myself to be slightly less than green.
• Fruits and veggies that are easy to eat out of you hands: grapes, berries, cherry tomatoes, avocado, celery (oh! with cream cheese and raisins!)
• Loaves of bread and peanut butter, the protein has become essential for me, and my kids might wither if I failed to keep adequate rations on hand.
• Canned veggies/fruit/soup. The fruit is easy to understand (only in natural juices though) but if the veggies and soup have you confused, see earlier list item about propane. Add a sheet of aluminum foil and a pot and you have warm soup. I was a Girl Scout. On my honor!
• A knowledge of what is in my fridge so that if we loose power I can prepare food to utilize what will spoil first. Did you know that your fridge will hold it's temperature for 4 hours without power (without opening it), but your freezer will keep it's chill for 48 hours if it is full (24 hours if half full)? I'll have to curb the urge to stand and stare into the fridge.
• Keep things around to keep busy!!! I am a boredom eater--and the prospect of having countless bored hours on my hands is a little daunting. But I bought some fun things to do with the wee ones. Card games, board games, tie-dying (yes, I am crazy-please don't tell my hubby!), and I can keep the computer charged for movies for me for the kids. Family fun time!

Tomorrow is weigh in day. I'm unsure if I will be able to access the internet properly, but I will have a post up no matter what. It may be the default post (the yummy side dish I had yesterday evening, I can't wait to share!) or it will be my regularly scheduled weigh in post. I have had a few struggles these last 3 weeks and have consulted my support group over at Weight Watchers-- my boardie friends whom I recently introduced you to... They have been a ginormous help. Because sometimes it's hard to see the trees... I'll stop right there : )  (I.C.)

And with that, I set out to brave my existence against Irene and steel my stomach against her unfriendly and imminent arrival.

Day 143 - Snacks

Sometimes I get hungry between meals. O.k. I always get hungry between meals. But I have finally come to the very adult conclusion that munchies are not necessarily the answer. Yes, SpecialK Cracker Chips are delicious and sound really good when I'm in the snackin' mood. But rarely do they satisfy me. Vegetables are always a good option though, even better than its slightly higher-calorie cousin fruit... But who says these scrumptious little gifts from the ground can't dance with the sweeter side of life?

ROAST 'EM!

Yup, add a little heat and the natural sugars (though there maybe significantly less than fruit) will begin to caramelize and intensify. Here's yesterday's snack... just food for thought : )

Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

Yet another yummy snack that did make it to photo time...

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking tray with aluminum foil
2. Core 2 plum tomatoes, or whatever is abounding in your garden right now and cut into halves.
3. Peel garlic cloves (as many as you like) and cut off any dry ends
4. Place tomatoes cut side up on baking tray and sprinkle garlic cloves around them on the tray
5. Drizzle tomatoes and garlic with Extra Virgin Olive Oil; sprinkle all with pepper and Kosher salt to taste
6. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the tomato is bursting and bubbling, garlic should be a deep golden color
7. Eat and enjoy!

(For WW, your only consideration is the amount of heart healthy oil you use. I use 2tsps. to drizzle, and track 1 point as much of the oil remains on the tray.)

I can't begin to tell you how amazingly yummy this is... roasted tomatoes are one of my favorite things, so simple, so honest, and so packed with flavor. There is no way to not feel satisfied after this snack.

Tomorrow: Planning for Irene- How I'm going to stay on plan while the world ends. : )  Kidding!

Day 142 - Why Planning Daily Meals Is Good

Yesterday was a rough day. I woke up late (no thanks to again trying to stay awake late to watch Pirates of the Caribbean, I've never seen them; I know, I'm really behind) which lead to being unable to pack my typical snacks and lunch to take with me to school. It also created a bad choice for breakfast.

Usually I have protein (egg whites), veggies and fruit for fiber, skim milk for dairy, and oats. This is a big breakfast, but it gets my metabolism going first thing in the morning but leaves me completely satisfied. So satisfied, in fact, that I don't get the munchies throughout the day, especially if I time my snacks and lunch properly. This is great for preventing over eating and feeling ravenously hungry (which inevitably leads to bad choices and me whining to my husband about what I shouldn't have eaten).

I failed to do all of this, and an eclair (which was planned) and a giant shortbread cookie (which was not planned) wound up in my mouth. I tracked everything and accounted for it, and it's completely within my eating plan but I just want to set myself up for success and to NOT fall into these food traps.

Well, needless to say I came home and was famished! So I talked with the hubby and we created a fun southern-style salad with what we found in the pantry and icebox.

BBQ Chicken and Corn Salad... yummmmmmmmmmmm!

Let's analyze what we see here, shall we?

Salad: a bed of fresh mixed greens, 1/4 cup sweet corn, 1/4 cup Pico de Gallo, 4oz. BBQ chicken breast.

Sides: 2oz wedge of garlic and herb focaccia bread; 2 tbsp. each Jack Daniels Original BBQ sauce and sour cream. (I can't help myself, I love sour cream with BBQ and chicken!)

This was packed with flavor and had 2 servings of veggies in it (1/2 cup between the corn and pico de gallo, and 1 cup of mixed greens). You can easily knock down this 11 PP meal by skipping the focaccia and the sour cream, but I think it's too dry without the bit of extra BBQ on the side. Still need a Heart Healthy oil for the day? Drizzle a teaspoon of safflower oil over the greens, it has no flavor or aroma like olive oil and only your happy heart will know it was there!

Tomorrow - Snacks: morning, afternoon and early evening. Yup, there's time for all of them!

Day 141 - Some Words That Inspire and Motivate Me... And Some That Just Make Me Laugh

First of all.... **e-hem**

Hi to all of my WW boardies!!! This one's dedicated to you!

Today's post is a wonderfully fun, thought provoking and "Get your butt in gear!" quotes and advice that are so freely given by the amazing group of boardies over at Weight Watcher's.

What is a boardie, you might ask? They are the Weight Watcher's members who comprise the online discussion boards, many of them only utilizing the online membership. The 'board' is where we have our 'meetings' if you will; where we discuss our struggles, ask for help, give advice and encouragement, share our successes and provide the sometimes needed kick in the backside when someone's being backwards. This community of support has been vital in my journey, they are a never ending resource.

What I've posted below are some of the advice, quotes, personal signatures and sayings that proliferate our time together on the board. Enjoy : )

• Anyone who says "Nothin' tastes as good as skinny feels" has never tasted bacon crackers. (Becca423)
• Eating well is not deprivation. Deprivation is being too large to do what you want to do. (PeekyBooBoo) 
• Don't Look back, you're not going that way. (Pat) 
• Thin is a lifestyle, not some arbitrary number on a scale. (Margie)
• If you don't eat all of your points you make Baby Jesus cry. (AmyApple)
• To live a healthy life is a gift, not a burden. (Kim)
• I am doing this. I am worth it. (Jillian)
• A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety. (Me... but originally Aesop)
• Sweat is just your fat crying. (Josie1005)
• Success depends on you backbone, not your wishbone. (HenryFigaro)
• If you eat a lot of fruit and gain weight, quit eating the pizza. (Steve)
• You can make virtually any dish low-calorie by eating less of it. (JMonty465)
• Would you beat a child for falling as he is just learning to walk? Well, what we are learning here is just as hard. (Bethhl)

And with that, dear readers, I bid you good day : )

For tomorrow: My yummy dinner. Featuring chicken, corn and focaccia! (and maybe another selected Boardie quote... we'll see!

Day 140 - 3 Foods I Can't Live Without

Clearly, I'm a girl who knows food. That conclusion can be made based on my career choice (Baking and Pastry) or by looking at my backside, or my hips, or my "Excuse me, I am NOT pregnant" belly. So I know a thing or two about yummy food. I love to make mostly anything I can from scratch-- but I do have a few go-to items that are always in my pantry or icebox. These things are daily/weekly staples in my eating plan right now, so you need not wonder if these foods are weight loss friendly... They are! Would you like to meet them? Great!

Cookwell & Company's Escabeche style salsa. It's not your traditional tomato paste-y, large chunk vegetables with little to no seasoning Americanized variety... This stuff is it! This is an authentic salsa that begins with escabeche marinade including lime juice and carrots and roasted chiles.

What I do with it: Top egg whites cooked omlet style with tomatoes and green bell peppers; use it as the 'pizza sauce' on my Avocado Chicken pizza; and it's scoopably yum-o with Tostitos MultiGrain Scoops tortilla chips. (I love dipping foods!)

Reasons I love it: 0 PP for Weight Watchers buddies, and packed with flavor.

Franks Marinara Sauce is hard to find. They are originally an Italian restaurant (go figure!) in Hartford, C.T. They have quite a list of famous names that have patronized them and their sauce is a little bit famous. My link will take you to their FaceBook page, but if you're near me, north of NYC or in the New England-ish area, I know you can find this at Hannaford Supermarkets.  Reasons I love it: 1 PP for 1/2 cup, versatile and light.                                                                                        

I'm a choosy mom, and I choose JIF. Mostly for myself. My boys and hubby would eat anything I placed before them, but I have discerning taste buds. JIF is the smoothest, most naturally peanutty of the big name brands and I have lots of fun uses for it!                                                                                                        What I do with it: Banana Sandwich... It's not what you think! Click to see why : ) ; a Tbsp. at the bottom of my morning bowl of steel-cut oats makes a yummy way to flavor your oats without the typical sugars or syrups; or I'll just drag my finger precariously through the tub and lick. Yes. I'm 31 years old. Don't judge.

I will continue rummaging through my pantry for your entertainment another day. Can't give away all my secrets at once ; )  I think I may make this a regularly appearing topic...

(Apparently, I also have an affinity for things that come with screw top lids...But I digress.)

This week: Quotes of wisdom and hilarity from my Weight Watcher's Boardies! I can't wait! It's gonna be so much fun...

Day 139 - An Interview With Matt, Part Two

Part two of our interview with a fellow CIA student Matt. Click here to read part one.

Kara: Have you incorporated physical activity at all?
Matt: I did. I started with 20 minute increments in cardio and worked my way up to and hour. After about two weeks of that though, I was getting bored. So I started using weights. And I did that for about a month. But summer break came and I stopped working out. I could tell that I was losing muscle weight because I dropped 5 pounds by doing nothing. Then I went back up those 5 pounds. It's been tough getting back to it. Lot's of stress going on. Makes it tough.

Kara: Between cardio and weight training, which did you feel was more beneficial to your weight loss?

Matt: Cardio without a doubt. Weight lifting definitely sustained my weight loss but it didn't help me lose any more. Cardio is the way to go.

Kara: What has been hardest about losing the weight, other than changing your eating and physical habits? For me it's been under-growing all of my clothes and feeling frumpy in them because they are so loose. What is it for you?

Matt: Yeah! It's bad! I wanted to wear suspenders the other day and when I put them on my pants and there was this big old pocket in the back, and was like 'I can't wear this now.' And my class schedule messes up my breakfast and lunch, which messes up my day somewhat.

Kara: Have you given yourself any time limits- not eating past a certain time?

Matt: That's actually what I credit most of my weight loss to, not eating past a certain time. When I was hardcore losing, I stopped eating at 7pm. And to stave off the hunger I would drink a lot of water and chew gum.

Kara: What have been the greatest benefits other than improving your overall health?

Matt: Compliments! The compliments are nice. And going up Roth Hall stairs is cool, I'm still a little winded after four flights, but it's not as bad now. And I got a girl, I guess. *he gets a little red and bashful at this point : )* So that's nice.

Kara: Did you have any Ah-Ha moments when you realized you could do something physical again?

Matt: Actually my parents have some property upstate and there's a big hill in the back and I used to run with my dog up the hill, and halfway up I'd have to stop and catch my breath. Now I can just run right up it.

Kara: Have you found a lot of support from friends on campus?

Matt: Yeah, they'll say that I'm looking great, and keep up the good work. You know, it helps with the motivation.

Kara: How does your family react when you go home?

Matt: Well, they've seen me in between here and now, but they support me. Being home, though, can be terrible--something about home. I think I've just been eating bad my whole life and that just comes natural when I go home.

Kara: What has been your biggest obstacle other than being surrounded by all of this food?

Matt: I hate exercise. I loathe it. I detest it.

Kara: Have you found difficulties with people socially now that you interact with food differently?

Matt: Minor ones. I'll be out with friends and they'll want to split something and I can't, and I order a salad instead. They'll ask why I don't want to eat something and it feels like, you know 'This is hard enough already. Stop tempting me.'

Kara: How about tips, advice, motivational words for anyone who wants to lose weight but might think they can't do it?

Matt: If I can do it, anyone can. *laughs at his own cliche* But you've got be ready to do it. Something clicks in you, that you're going to do it and it's going to be now. I'm doing this, I'm losing the weight.

I agree Matt. Thank you for your candor and your time! : )

Tomorrow: Foods I can't live without. 

Day 138 - Weigh In Day (DUN Dun dun...) and Last Night's Dinner

Feelin' good! Dropped 2.6 lbs this past week! *Happy Dance! Happy Dance!* For a total loss of 41.6 lbs since April 3rd.

It actually felt good to get back in the swing if things last week. I felt out of control the week before--in every way, not just eat and weight loss. Having that sense of control can be empowering and motivating. I like it. : )

And in other news... My dinner last night was delicious! Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary, but I did make the meatballs that my boys had been begging for all week. I was sad because I didn't think they would be point friendly enough for me to really indulge. But since I love pasta and marinara anyways, I didn't fret too much.

See below for exact meal amounts. The Riesling is St. Urbans-Hof.

So I made them the way I normally would, just used all egg whites rather than whole eggs, and didn't free pour the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. I plugged the recipe into my magical little Weight Watchers calculator and it said 2 points... 2 POINTS!!! This made my tummy grumble.

Yup. That's it. Right there. I had a little glass of Riesling with it--and yes, I know I'm supposed to have a red wine with the red sauce and red meat. But the sauce was marinara, not my traditional heavy red sauce (that I can't live without in the winters) so to me it was light. Which called for a light wine. And I always seem to have a bottle of Riesling available for these situations.

Come back tomorrow for the second half of my interview with Matt. Saturday's post with the first half was a big success! See what else Matt confided in me... well, us : )

**1 cup cooked whole wheat pasta, 1/4 cup Franks Marinara Sauce, 1 heaping Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese, 2 meatballs (as described above) and 1 tsp. olive oil. This equals 10 PP for my Weight Watchers buddies - but that doesn't include the wine. I dipped into my Weekly Points for that treat!)