Weekend Report #1

With the holidays coming on and my seemingly increasing busy weekends, I've noticed a trend of me missing Saturday's blog. So from here on out until I say otherwise (It's good to be boss) I'm going to just do a two day blog on Sundays. We'll see how that goes and then maybe I'll quit feeling guilty for completely spacing Saturday's blog because I was so busy.

I tried out a few new recipes:

Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread

I had an baking epiphany. I'd been trying to swirl melted chocolate within banana bread batter forever trying to get this effect. As I was stirring the melted chocolate this time, I happened to look at my banana bread batter and though what if I just mixed the chocolate in and make chocolate banana bread -- it'd be easier. Then it hit me. Why didn't I mix the chocolate into half the batter and then plop the two different batters into my mini loaves pan and then swirl it. It turned out BEAUTIFUL! And it's super delicious too. So I'm all sorts of proud of myself. I'm such a simple creature -- it really is the little things.

Pumpkin Pizza

3ft also wanted to get in on the recipe inventing action so he decided he wanted to invent a recipe for Pumpkin Pizza. He came up with the toppings -- which were chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and whipped cream and it was my job to figure out the pumpkin "sauce" and the crust. This was our first attempt. It was really good. Of course when I cut into it I thought, "How pretty would it look if I had drizzled melted chocolate over the marshmallows instead of having chip clumps?" Well, the next one I make I'm going to do drizzled chocolate and check it out. 3ft did the toppings himself this time which explains the chip clumps. The marshmallows were pretty forgiving of the clumping because they melted and oozed over the pumpkin "sauce". He ran around the rest of the night calling himself a genius and telling the husband and I how lucky we were to have such an awesome kid. Yes, we're so proud of his modest demeanor.

As you know, I'm a huge cooking show whore. I can't get enough of Food Network. Well I was watching Rachel Rae the other night while doing Wii Step and she made Lasagna Bowls. They looked super good. She made it with a Bechamel Sauce, which is a base white sauce that french cuisine uses a lot, and she added Parmesan to it. She mixed it in with a short pasta, I used Rotini, and then she made a hearty meat sauce that she spooned into the center of the pasta and while you eat it you mix the meaty sauce into the white sauced noodles and it tastes like lasagna without all the lasagna effort. Well I thought, how awesome would that be? I bet the Bechamel sauce would be healthier than all the melted cheese in an actual lasagna and if it tasted as good a total win!

So last night I made my version of Lasagna bowls. I used almond milk for the cream, I simmered it with onion, a big clove of garlic, some nutmeg, and a bay leaf. Then after it set and I strained it I did the Roue (I think that's how that's spelled) which is melted butter and flour cooked for a minute and then you slowly add in the cream. It totally thickened with the almond milk then I threw in a half cup of grated Parmesan. I mixed it with whole wheat Rotini. Then I made my favorite hearty meat sauce with half ground turkey and half lean hamburger and spooned it into the center. It was a total win!!! The boys totally loved it. The cheesy Bechamel sauce would also go great on Fettuccine as an Alfredo sauce. And with the almond milk and using only a little butter and little flour it's so much better for you and it tastes decadent. Sorry, I don't have a picture to torture you with. We were hungry and I forgot.

I'm also happy to report that I lost another pound this week. It might be only a pound but I'll take it because think I gained some muscle -- my jeans are a little looser and my shirts are too.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - walking, rocking out on Rock Band 3, 350 crunches, and 80 push ups

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 145

Only Water - Day 139

Total Pounds Lost - 53.9

Cake, Caramel, and Apples -- Yum!

I made cake. I made caramel. I made them all from scratch with no mixes whatsoever. I'm totally excited and it turned out so pretty.

I made an Apple Upside Down Cake yesterday. A light version. I made it with Almond milk and Brummel and Brown Spread w/ Yogurt instead of milk and butter. It turned out delicious and my boys had no idea how much healthier it was than a normal cake filled with oil, lots of eggs, and tons of sugar.



I got the recipe idea from a Cooking Light Magazine and then did some tweaks to make it a little more healthier and lighter. It was a lot of work but a lot of fun too. Making the homemade caramel sauce for the apples was the most fun. It was crazy easy. 1/4 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar. Stir it until the sugar is all the way dissolved and then let it boil without touching it until it turns a golden color.

This morning I said a fond farewell to half the cake and sent it with my husband to his work. It might be lighter but I don't need a WHOLE cake at my house begging me to eat it. We all had some last night and I saved a couple slices but then sent the rest of the cake away. It's really great to be able to do the baking I love, have the control to only eat a portion at a time (instead of the whole batch) and then have the strength to send the bulk of it away to be eaten by others. Just another example of how I've grown with healthy living and that it's really working for me.

I was a cooking fiend because I also made Cider Glazed Chicken and a Garlic Buttered Brown Rice. The rice turned out really good. I used a boil-in-bag brown rice and instead of boiling it per the directions in water I boiled it in homemade chicken stock. Then when it was done I browned some Brummel and Brown Spread with some chopped garlic and diced onions and then mixed it all together. My husband who doesn't like brown rice actually liked it!! That's a major win right there. For the Cider Glaze I just took some fresh apple cider (the kind you have to refrigerate no concentrate here) a little Dijon mustard and cooked it down then coated chicken breasts in it.

Yummy.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 200 crunches, 50 push ups, and 20 minutes of Wii Step.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 121

Only Water - Day 116

Total Pounds Lost - 43.9

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Classic Grilled McChicken Sandwich w/out mayo
Mid-Afternoon Snack -tasted the homemade caramel and a few apple slices
Dinner - Cider Glazed Chicken, Garlic Browned Butter Rice, and green beans.

Sweat and Noms

(My blog title is cracking me up, but I digress...)

Yesterday, I decided it was time to kick my exercise up a notch.

When I got home from dropping 3ft off at school and after I got the Grumpybutt down for his nap, I dusted off the Wii Fit and did 20 minutes of strength training and yoga (Who ever invented the plank needs to boiled in a vat of acid -- just saying) and then I jogged around my apartment for 20 minutes while I watched cooking shows. After Mr. Grumpybutt woke up from his nap, we went for our 45 minute power walk before picking up 3ft from school.

It felt great.

Then in the afternoon I baked chocolate swirled banana muffins (for the lovely Janna Q) and stuck them in the freezer. Of course 3ft and I had to split one to make sure we wouldn't be poisoning the lovely Janna Q. Which means I'll be baking another batch today because Oh. My. God. were they DELICIOUS!! and I have to replace the one in Janna's dozen and then have some for 3ft and I to munch on.



And for those of you keeping score at home (or wondering) I've been making my own almond milk once a week since I started making it. I've yet to mix other flavors in. I like it plain. One of these days I'm going to get around to blending in a banana and seeing how delicious that is but who knows when that'll be. I've also been pimping out the benefits and the recipe for it since I've started drinking it. I love the almond milk. I especially love cooking and baking with it. It cuts out so much fat and calories and doesn't change the integrity of the dish I put it in. Go, Almond Milk!

I'm totally proud of myself. The old Lisa would've had a fail day like Sunday and said, "Screw it!" and had a few more fail days -- or a months worth of fails riding the shame roller coaster before sucking it up and getting back on track. The new Lisa didn't do that. I didn't berate myself. I didn't ride the shame spiral. I just dusted off my pants and got back to work. Which is the major difference between dieting and healthy living. Splurges happen. If you diet, you hate yourself when you slip but when you live healthily you know it happens and you just shrug the slip off and keep on working toward your goals.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise -45 minute power walk, 20 minutes strength training and yoga, and jogged around my apartment for 20 minutes.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 105

Only Water - Day 100

Total Pounds Lost - 40.7

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Cracked Pepper Turkey Sandwich, carrot sticks, and a pickle spear
Mid-Afternoon Snack -1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich, and 1/2 a chocolate swirled banana muffin
Dinner - Milanese Chicken and Oriental Noodle Salad

Total Day Calories - 1088

Quarantined!

Ugh, there's nothing worse than having sick kids unless of course they infect you with their cooties and make you sick too. The only healthy one is Husband and he's off at work gallivanting around having the time of his life while the rest of us marinate in our own snot and sneezes (that paints a picture, doesn't it?). Well 3ft is coming down the other side of it, I believe, which hopefully he won't catch it again as Mr. Grumpybutt's and my noses run a race to see who can produce the most snot. So far, we're tied.

I'm excited to report that my friend, Anima, said the Tilapia and Black Bean tacos turned out really good and she'd definitely make them again. I'm 3 for 3 now. Not that I'm keeping track or excited or anything. My friend, Nunan, is going to be (probably if she can get off her keister -- her words) making the Mushroom Stroganoff this weekend. She says she'll let me know how it goes but if it kills her I might need to re-evaluate my recipe. Isn't she funny?

I was surfing CookingLight.com yesterday and ran across a Milanese Chicken recipe that sounded promising so with it in mind I did my own take on it. Their recipe was basically chicken breast w/ a little salt and pepper dredged in flour, egg whites, then bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese and fried in some olive oil. Well that sounded too bland to me plus their version had an awful lot of calories that I figured I could cut back on.

I made my own breadcrumbs -- I accidentally over dried the bread (yes I used my Orowheat Sandwich Thins -- my husband says I should try to get endorsement money because I love them so much) when I lost track of time playing with Mr. Grumpybutt -- so by the time I got it all crumbling in my food processor I ended up with a coarser flour than an actual breadcrumb. But I figured what the heck it'll still be good. I mixed into it garlic salt, rosemary, Parmesan cheese, basil, pepper, and a little Italian Seasoning. Then I dredged the chicken breasts in a little flour, the egg whites, and then into the breadcrumb mixture. The breading had a slight crunch and a great flavor after frying it in a teeny bit of olive oil.

Milanese Chicken with Herb Pasta and Broccoli


The best part: an honest to goodness piece of fried chicken -- nothing pseudo about it -- for 150 calories. This recipe is definitely a keeper. My breadcrumb accident turned into a total win and I'll make the "breadcrumbs" the same way when I make it again! 3ft also loved the chicken and wasn't too disappointed he didn't get to make his own pizzas again last night because the chicken turned out so well.

I'm also totally stoked. If 3ft likes almond milk and the only reason I'm buying regular milk is for the Husband then he says he'll make the switch as well. He says he can't taste the difference in anything I cook with the almond milk so what's the point of buying the extra dairy. So now to give 3ft the almond milk without telling him it's not real milk and see what he thinks. Of course when Mr. Grumpybutt is off formula I'll have to buy milk again but that's not for another 4 months.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - Walking.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 92

Only Water - Day 87

Total Pounds Lost - 35.2

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Chocolate and Oats Granola Bar
Lunch - Teriyaki steak, pineapple brown rice, and broccoli
Mid-Afternoon Snack -1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich
Dinner - Milanese Chicken, herb pasta, and broccoli

Total Day Calories - 1122

Decadence.

Decadence = French Toast for dinner.

3ft's favorite food is breakfast foods. That kid would eat eggs, toast, hash browns, sausage, biscuits, french toast, pancakes, muffins, english muffins, and any combination thereof 24/7 if I'd let him. Vegetables? Who needs them.

Well on occasion, he'll specifically ask for breakfast for dinner, and when it's triple digits hot outside I eagerly acquiesce because it's too flipping hot to cook. And yes, breakfast involves cooking but it doesn't take near as long standing in front of a hot stove to do so.

This is what happened yesterday. And much to 3ft's excitement I made french toast. Now he's a traditionalist and likes syrup and lots of it on his french toast. Syrup is a lot of empty calories and while I like it, I can and do live without it. So I get creative with my french toast toppings.

I made a caramel banana almond topping to plop on my vanilla french toast. Now, caramel is a lot of empty calories as well but if you only use a 1/2 teaspoon of it mixed into mashed banana and almonds, it gives it a little caramel taste for not a lot of calories. It turned out super delicious and another thing I can throw the almond meal from making almond milk into.

I also felt decadent like what I was eating was soooo bad for me because it tasted that way. It tasted like dessert. But the whole dish: including the egg mixture that I dipped the bread in, the 2 slices of bread, and the caramel, banana, almond topping was only 247 calories and only 4 grams of fat. With the majority of the calories coming from the bread.

It was an awesome treat to the end of a long and busy week.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - walking and c25k.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 88

Only Water - Day 83

Total Pounds Lost - 31.1

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Raisin Bran w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Oats and Chocolate Granola Bar
Lunch - Spiced Honey Glazed Chicken Breasts, Garlic Rice, and broccoli (thankfully NOT Rotisserie horribleness)
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 peanut butter banana sandwich and chocolate covered almonds
Dinner - Caramel Banana Almond French Toast

Total Day Calories - 1176

Really?...

Had a fairly heinous day yesterday. Started out normal enough. The family and I started running (actually driving -- yeah I know I'm hilarious) our errands yesterday. We had to hit Target, Costco, Safeway, and Blockbuster (actually we just needed to go inside and shop -- hitting them would have hurt our hands). Well Target went off without a hitch until we loaded up into the car and it refused to start.

The battery was dead. Like really dead. No clicking, no trying to turn over, no power... nothing.

Luckily the woman parked next to us was leaving too and let us steal some of her power to jump the car. We drove it to an AutoZone. The guy came out with the battery tester and sure enough it was a bad battery. 100 bucks later that we hadn't planned on spending following so closely to 90 bucks we hadn't planned on spending on a new tire we had a new battery.

However, don't you know, after we turned the car off to test the battery and then had to turn the car back on to go get the money, it started right up! RIGHT UP! We didn't want to push our luck so we got the new battery anyway because the husband commutes an hour and a half to work and then back again everyday.

I just have to say, the Moroccan Chicken w/ Almond Couscous was really good the first day but it was even more fabulous last night for dinner! I was going to save it for lunches but we didn't get back from our heinous battery nightmare and errands until after 5pm. We were hungry and it just needed to be heated up.

I climbed on the scale this morning. Guess what? I lost 3.8lbs this week! For a grand total of 31.1lbs lost!!! I'm in my pre-pregnancy range. The total suck of of it is this -- pants I wore before at this weight still don't fit. It's a total bummer what having a baby does to your body. So while I can fit into some of my pre-pregnancy pants my "skinny" jeans still remain elusive for the moment. I'll get there though, I'm on a roll (hold the butter. I crack myself up).

And a great big thanks to those who have been sending me recipes!!! I heart you all!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - Day Off.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 82

Only Water - Day 77

Total Pounds Lost - 31.1

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Lunch - McDonalds Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich w/out mayo
Mid-Afternoon Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar and 1/2 peanut butter banana sandwich
Dinner - Moroccan Chicken and Almond Couscous and zucchini

Total Day Calories - 1152

Moroccan and Chicken and Almond Couscous...Oh My!

I have a correction to make. I made a comment the other day on my Almond Milk post that I found out was wrong. I had said 1lb of almonds made 2 batches of almond milk. I misspoke. I found out yesterday that it will in fact make 3 batches of almond milk. Which makes making my own almond milk even more cheap than buying it. Yay. And it so easy and fun to do.

After dropping 3ft off at school yesterday, I came home and changed clothes and Mr. Grumpybutt and I went for my "run". I don't know, but those three minute sprints seem harder. I'm wondering now if it's because I'm pushing weight instead of just running on my own. Mr. Grumpybutt's stroller is heavy and he's no slouch himself. My legs feel more worked out and I struggled more than I had before.

Moroccan Chicken and Almond Couscous w/ zucchini


I toyed around with a Moroccan Chicken and Almond Couscous recipe yesterday. It gave me something else to use my almond meal in. And it turned out really good! Even my picky eater husband (yeah, 3ft comes by it naturally) liked it. Except for he had his with green beans because both the boys don't have the sense to love delicious zucchini like I do.

I got the base recipe off of Cooking Light but I didn't have some of the ingredients and I don't like the flavor of some of the others. So I toyed around with it and came up with something that had less calories and tasted wonderful.

Ingredients
Moroccan Chicken

1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 chicken breasts cut into halves
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cups and 2 TBS fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tablespoon basil

Almond Couscous

3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice Seasoning
3/4 cup uncooked couscous
2 tablespoon ground almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare chicken, combine first 9 ingredients in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Reserve remaining flour mixture.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on one side. Turn chicken; remove skillet from heat. Combine reserved flour mixture and chopped onions; add to skillet. Stir in broth.

Pour skillet into a baking dish and bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken from baking dish and pour the rest into a skillet skillet. Place skillet over medium heat; stir in basil and cook 5 minutes. Return chicken to pan. Cover; remove pan from heat.

To prepare couscous, combine 3/4 cup broth, water, 1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice Seasoning in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in almonds. Serve with chicken breast and sauce.

Number of Servings: 4

Calories - 270
Fat - 5
Carbs - 22
Fiber - 2
Protein - 31.6

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - C25K and walking.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 81

Only Water - Day 76

Total Pounds Lost - 31

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk and Banana Almond Muffin
Lunch - Cajun Chicken Sandwich w/ avocado and a pickle spear
Mid-Afternoon Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar and 1/2 peanut butter banana sandwich
Dinner - Moroccan Chicken and Almond Couscous

Total Day Calories - 1163

The Pork Is No More

Finally the heatwave broke. It's been hotter than hell here the last couple days -- "well insulated" (how's that for a politically correct term for FAT?) and extreme heat don't mix. It was gorgeous yesterday morning. After we dropped 3ft off at school, Mr. Grumpybutt, and I went for a long walk. I'd say at least 2 miles. There's nothing better (well chocolate, probably -- but I refuse to bring that up) than walking in the cool morning with a happy baby gurgling about everything he sees. (Then he fell asleep. Screwed up his nap schedule and was the Evil Mr. Grumpybutt the rest of the day.)

We finally finished off the Mango Salsa so we didn't have pulled pork tacos (which is a godsend, as delicious as they were I was getting tired of them). Instead I mixed a little barbecue sauce -- not a lot, just enough to give it some bbq flavor -- and put it on an Orowheat Thin with some jalapenos. Super Delicious! Have I mentioned how much I love Orowheat Thins? They're loaded with fiber and have less calories than two slices of bread. And they taste really good too. And now the pork is gone. Which reminds me I need to get chicken out of the freezer for dinner tonight.

I'm also soaking more almonds. Yum. Now trying to decide what flavor I want to try and make. My friend, Turkey, wondered if I'd made chocolate milk out of my chocolate covered almonds. I thought her a genius for thinking of it. The only problem on retrospect is when I soak them it'll wash all the chocolate off. LOL I do have unsweetened cocoa powder. Hmmm, the possibilities. I'll need to make two batches, I think. The normal for cereal and cooking and then flavored for drinking and baking with.

I can't wait til my cooking magazines get here. I ordered Cooking Light and my awesome sister, Crystal, got me a subscription to Clean Eating. Do you ever get tired of your recipes and your cooking? I do. So I'm hoping they get here soon so I can have some fresh ideas.

Hey I know! You could do a girl a solid and send me some of your favorite meal recipes!! Post them in the comments or e-mail them to me at lisadovichi@yahoo.com. That would be so epic. Don't worry about how healthy they are or aren't. I can health-i-fy anything!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - Walking.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 80

Only Water - Day 75

Total Pounds Lost - 31

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk and Banana Almond Muffin
Lunch - BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich w/ jalapenos and carrots
Mid-Afternoon Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar and 1/2 peanut butter banana sandwich
Dinner - Eggs and Hash browns

Total Day Calories - 1297

Banana Almond Muffins

I used some of the almond meal from making the Almond Milk yesterday. I made Banana Almond Muffins. And let me just say they turned out so freaking delicious. They have a great banana nutty flavor but without having major nut chunks. I love nuts but I'm not a huge fan of having crunchy in my pastries or muffins or cakes. Also, talk about a workout. I did all the mixing by hand instead of getting out my mixer (Mr. Grumpybutt was sleeping -- I didn't want to wake him up) So, it was a total win.


Even the pickiest of eaters, 3ft, gave them two thumbs up.

Speaking of picky eaters and thumbs up. When I made the pulled pork tacos (which we're still eating) I didn't make 3ft eat them. He was having an upset stomach that day so I let him have mac n cheese while I had delicious tacos. Well yesterday, he was having a PB&J sandwich for lunch and I was having pulled pork tacos w/ mango salsa and sour cream, he asked if he could try a bite. I couldn't have been more shocked. That kid NEVER asks to try a bite. I have to make him try things.

So, I give him a bite and he says it's delicious. I don't think anything of it. Even if he doesn't like it enough to want more of it, he'll still say it's delicious. Then a couple seconds later, he asked if he could have another bite. Then another. Then, he asked if he could have it for dinner tomorrow (tonight). I was flabbergasted. He really did like it. He's been talking about them ever since too.

This morning, I asked my husband if he wanted to take tacos for lunch or have them for dinner when he got home from work. 3ft pops out of nowhere, "I want tacos for dinner. Remember Mom, you said I could." It was the cutest thing. Oh, and if anyone cares, the husband opted to have them for dinner.

Since I made the Banana Almond Muffins, I opted to have one of them for snack instead of chocolate covered almonds. Naturally, I had to try the muffin to make sure I wasn't poisoning the boy as he was looking forward to taking one to school today for snack. If it's poison, what a way to go. In the immortal words of Tony the Tiger, "They'rrrrrrrrrrrre Grrrrrrreat!!!!!

And in case anyone is interested. Here you go.

Banana Almond Muffin Recipe

Ingredients
1 Cup All Purpose White Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 TSP Baking Soda
2 TSP Cinnamon
1/2 TSP Salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Brummel and Brown Butter
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Mashed Banana (approximately 3 VERY RIPE bananas)
1/3 Cup Non Fat Sour Cream
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Ground Almonds

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, and cinnamon in a bowl -- stir with a metal whisk.
Place sugars and butter in a separate large bowl, and whisk until well blended.
Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add mashed banana, sour cream, and vanilla -- beat until blended.
Add ground almonds -- stir til blended
Add flour mixture -- whisk until just mixed.
Spoon batter into a prepared muffin pan.
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 12 Muffins

Nutritional Info:
Calories -- 210.1
Total Fat -- 3.8g
Carbs -- 43.6
Fiber -- 1.4g
Protein -- 4.1g

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 50 minutes walking

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 78

Only Water - Day 73

Total Pounds Lost - 27.3

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk and slice of peanut butter toast
Lunch - Pulled Pork Tacos w/ homemade mango salsa
Mid-Afternoon Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar and a Banana Almond Muffin
Dinner - (Breakfast, its what's for dinner!) Eggs, hash browns, and piece of toast

Total Day Calories - 1229

Ta Da...Almond Milk!

I totally did it! I made Almond Milk from scratch. I ate it on my cereal this morning. It was so super good. And it was really easy. I did a standard batch just to see if I would like it. 1 cup almonds soaked over night, then rinsed and blended with 4 cups water. Then strain out the nut bits and ta da... Almond Milk! I also have almond meal to put in my delicious baked goods. Now I'm going to start playing with the recipe and make different flavors of it.

I'm a little bitter though. I went to Trader Joe's and bought a bag of Raw Almonds and paid 5 bucks for a pound. I went to Costco afterward (yesterday was my shopping day, I went to like 5 stores) and I found a 3lb bag for 9 bucks -- a much better deal. C'est la vie, I know for next time.



I also bought some chocolate covered almonds from Costco yesterday. They were so delicious and it totally satisfied the chocolate craving monster I've been battling for the last week. I savored them. Before the lifestyle change I would've horked them down and eaten half the ginormous container (3ft likes them too which is why I bought so much) without even batting an eye then cried as I watched the scale climb. Now I am portion smart and have self control and I was able to stop myself at a handful and ENJOY them. That's a major big deal for me.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - Day Off

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 76

Only Water - Day 71

Total Pounds Lost - 27.3

Meals:
Breakfast - peanut butter toast w/ banana and FiberOne Honey Clusters
Lunch - Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad w/out cheese and dressing (McDonalds)
Mid-Afternoon Snack - Handful of chocolate covered Almonds and a FiberOne Granola Bar
Dinner - Cajun Chicken Sandwich w/ avocado instead of mayo and Homemade Jalapeno Potato Chips

Total Day Calories - 1140

Surrounded!

I had a great time yesterday even though I was surrounded by delicious food ALL day long!

Had "brunch" with my parents. I had the most delicious Eggs Benedict. It was called California Eggs Benedict and it was two poached eggs on english muffins with avocado and tomato instead of ham. I got the hollandaise sauce on the side and it was super delicious.

Then my mom and I ditched the boys (3ft, my dad, and my husband) and we took Mr. Grumpybutt with us shopping. Got a ton of stuff for both boys including the go to school supplies for 3ft. He loved all the stuff he got and I loved shopping for it without the "Are we done yet?" of having 3ft with me. I was totally proud of myself. During the excursion my mom got a soda and asked me if I wanted to split it with her. I told her, "No thank you," and got myself a water.

After shopping, Mom dropped me off at my brother-in-laws for the birthday barbecue (which was where my boys were: 3ft and Husband) and I threw together the lemon pudding cake. OMG! It turned out so epically delicious. I forgot my camera otherwise I would've taken a picture of it. It wasn't quite a cake and not quite a pudding. It was totally scrumptious. The food was great. I probably ate too much because I was hungry when I got there and they had delicious appetizers out -- Pita chips and hummus, cranberry cream cheese turkey wraps, and crackers and jalapeno artichoke dip. I think I balanced it out alright since I skipped the potato, only had 2 chicken and vegetable skewers and a small salad.

I didn't weigh a ton this morning so I figure I did pretty good. As a matter of fact, I lost TWO pounds again last week. So I'm pretty stoked about it this morning.

Now, I'm off to Trader Joes to buy raw almonds so I can try my hand at making my own Almond Milk!!!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - Day Off

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 75

Only Water - Day 70

Total Pounds Lost - 27.3

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of Special K Vanilla Almond and FiberOne Honey Clusters mixed and almond milk
Lunch - Eggs Benedict but instead of ham w/ avocado and tomato and the Hollandaise sauce on the side
Mid-Afternoon Snack - appetizer turkey wrap, hummus, pita chips, and jalapeno artichoke dip
Dinner - Chicken and vegetable skewers, salad w/ raspberry vinaigrette, and lemon pudding cake w/ sorbet

Total Day Calories - can't hazard a guess

Blech!

So I tried Chobani Greek Yogurt vanilla flavored yesterday. It was NOT delicious. I threw it in a blender with some almond milk, berries, and a little honey and while not the best smoothie I've ever had it was at least decent. I'll also say it was very filling and because I'd had it with my sandwich I couldn't quite finish it. So I didn't.

So, I will NOT be getting that flavor again. Perhaps I'll try one of their fruit kinds or a different brand entirely. Anyone who likes it, got a brand and a flavor they'd recommend? I like the idea behind it that it has more protein and better for you but the flavor was blech. And if it doesn't taste good, why eat it? I know it's healthy but I only have so many calories in a day and I want to ENJOY them all!

Come to think of it my friend, Laura, gave me a recipe to make your own yogurt. I might do that while I'm making my own almond milk. I'll have to recheck out the recipe. I'd actually forgotten I'd gotten it until just this second. Getting old is a pain in the butt.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - "Sweatin' to the Oldies 3"

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 73

Only Water - Day 68

Total Pounds Lost - 25.4

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of Special K Vanilla Almond and FiberOne Honey Clusters mixed and almond milk
Lunch - Cajun Chicken Sandwich w/ jalapenos and a pickle spear and a smoothie made with berries and Greek yogurt
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich
Dinner - Chili and Cornbread

Total Day Calories - approx. 1243

Venting.

I have a complaint -- well several actually but we're only going to cover one of them today otherwise we'll be here forever. I was surfing the net yesterday looking for Almond Milk recipes (I'm still totally excited to make it myself) and I ended up clicking a link by accident that took me to a Ch 7 news story about some reporter trying the Acai and Colon Cleanse pill diet that has been all the rage and "works". As a person that has tried EVERY get slim quick gimmick from Slim Fast, to Dexetrim, to BodyFlex, to Atkins, to South Beach...pretty much everything but speed (and only because I couldn't afford it.. I mean because it's illegal. I'm kidding of course.) and because NONE of them worked, I remain skeptical about the magic pill diet of Acai Berries and Colon Cleanse.

So this reporter tried it and lost like 25lbs in a month and loves what the Acai pills do for her skin and is on it for life blah blah blah. I guess it aired on a bunch of networks and so naturally if a reporter says it works we must run over to the product sites and buy, buy, buy. I was curious as to what magic costs these days and I went to the sites to check it out. And guess what? They're both touting 1 month FREE trials. That is until you read the fine print. You pay $100 bucks plus shipping then go to a different site to print out a rebate coupon and then when you get your product you send some proof of purchase nonsense with the rebate coupon and you get your money back and you can even have more money taken off if you sign up for automatic refills that can automatically charge your credit card 100 bucks a month. And this is A PIECE!

Magic, I guess, costs 200 bucks a month and like any good pusher if you jump through hoops the first month's free. When I tried to closed out the site then I got A LOT of java prompts promising even greater savings if I stayed and was I sure I wanted to navigate away.

So my major complaint is this: In a country where an unhealthy number of it's people are overweight to obese, if this product really works, why the hell is it so expensive so EVERYONE can't use it? Are Acai berries that expensive? I see Acai Berry juice at Costco and it doesn't cost 100 bucks. I have no idea what's in the Colon Cleanser but really 100 bucks for a month supply of pills? It sickens me how people capitalize on other peoples hopes. I guess that's the American Dream but I'll pass thank you very much.

Reporter or not, I still remain skeptical. I think she was on the take. She pimped two specific sites. Didn't talk about any other "magic" vendors. And her name is all over said sites endorsing them. There's no mention of what happens to the people who go bankrupt buying it and have to stop taking it and what kind of weight they gained back. I know, surprise, surprise, right?

I'll stick to the tried, true, and less expensive method of eating healthy and working out. It might take longer but it'll last for life. Besides my credit card doesn't need that kind of workout!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - "Sweatin' to the Oldies 3"

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 71

Only Water - Day 66

Total Pounds Lost - 25.4

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of Special K Vanilla Almond and FiberOne Honey Clusters mixed and almond milk
Lunch - Jalapeno Barbecue Chicken Sandwich with avocado and tomato and a pickle spear
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich and some Pirate Popcorn
Dinner - Homemade Chili and Cornbread

Total Day Calories - approx. 1125

Got Almonds?

I've read a lot of good things about almond milk. It's packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals like potassium, vitamin E, and magnesium to name a few and contains no lactose. It has no cholesterol, has fewer calories than nonfat milk, and you can make it at home (which I think is a super cool idea and I really want to try doing it).

Well before I took the leap to start making it at home I needed to try and it and see if I'd even like it. I'm not a big cow milk drinker. As a matter of fact I hate the way it tastes and only use it to cook with and occasionally eat it on cereal. On top of that I'm lactose intolerant. You can see the selling points of the almond milk, right?

I bought a 1/2 gallon of Silk Pure Almond Milk last weekend and tried it for the first time yesterday on cereal. I really liked it. I like the way it tastes, I like its consistency, and I like how much healthier it is. With my afternoon snack, I drank a 1/2 cup plain to see if I liked it all by itself. I totally did. Now I just have to try and hook 3ft on it then I can quit buying cows' milk altogether.

Now I'm totally excited to go find a big ginormous bag of raw almonds so I can make my own milk. I can better control what goes into it as well as play with the flavors if I make it homemade. The only drawback I see is that store bought almond milk has added calcium but I already take a multivitamin with calcium in it (because I'm not kidding when I say I don't drink milk if I can help it) plus a lot of veggies (like broccoli) and yogurt have calcium in it. So I'm not too concerned about getting enough calcium if I make my own. I also think in the long run it'd be cheaper to make my own because almond milk in the stores is like twice as expensive as regular milk.

Speaking of yogurt (well I did mention it a bit ago offhandedly), I've also heard a lot of good things about Greek yogurt vs. regular yogurt. So I bought a container of it when I got my almond milk. I haven't tried it yet. Maybe I'll eat it today and I'll let you know what I think about it tomorrow.

Moving on...

I'm rearranging my exercise routine again. I swear I'm ADD when it comes to this stuff but I have a valid reason, I swear. My husband is going to have to start working late to hit a deadline he has coming up so I'm not going to be able to get to the gym on T, Th, or F. On top of that I've been struggling to get out of the house and go at 8:15ish when he gets home on the other nights. So I've decided that I'm going to do my workout videos in the day when I have the gumption for it and on M and W I have the option for the gym but if I'm too tired well then I've still got my exercise in for the day.

Yesterday, I worked out with Richard Simmons in the morning and felt great all day. So much so that when my husband got home last night I threw on my workout clothes and bounced off to the gym. I was going to give some love to the treadmill and do my running but instead "The Walker" was there so I jumped on the Elliptical and rode it hard for 15 minutes. I went a mile and a half. Then I bounced home. I felt great with a huge sense of accomplishment.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - "Sweatin' to the Oldies 2" and 15 minutes on the Elliptical

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 70

Only Water - Day 65

Total Pounds Lost - 25.4

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of Special K Vanilla Almond and FiberOne Honey Clusters mixed w/ almond milk and an egg
Lunch - Homemade Jalapeno Potato Chips w/ Mango Salsa, Cajun Chicken Sandwich, and a pickle spear
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich, some Pirate Popcorn, and 1/2 cup of Almond milk
Dinner - barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn

Total Day Calories - approx. 1217