Loving the Gym

I never thought I would be one to love the gym. I look forward to my workouts and make excuses to GO instead of NOT to go.  

Watching my body tone, watching my muscles gain definition and knowing I am doing good things for my body is an amazing feeling.  Losing weight is an amazing feeling too, but that number doesn't mean too much.  

It's the change myself and others are seeing that truly makes it all worth it!  I have a VERY long way to go, but I know that I am on the right path.

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I LOVE buffalo chicken wings, but they are always high in calorie so I decided to give it a new spin.

For the Chicken:

3 oz. chicken breast (I made 4 for the rest of my family and for leftovers)
Knorr Buffalo Packet with bag

Place the chicken in the bag with the seasoning and shake up!  Bake for 25 min at 350.  The chicken will come out moist and tasting of buffalo sauce. (Chicken and packet total 108 calories)

After cooling for a couple minutes dice the chicken up in small bite size pieces.

While the chicken is cooking prepare the veggies and sauce.

For the sauce:

1/2 tbsp of full fat bleu cheese dressing
1 1/2 tbsp of light or fat free ranch
3 dashes of Frank's Red Hot sauce

Mix together (mine was 98 calories)

For the veggie mix:

1 oz. of carrots finely diced
1 oz. of celery finely diced
1 small tomato diced
2 splashes of rice wine vinegar
3 dashes of Franks Red Hot

Mix all ingredients together and let sit until your chicken is complete.  Once chicken has been diced add that to the veggie mixture and ENJOY!

The entire meal including 7 leaves of iceberg totals 252 calories!

Pineapple Angel Food Cake

1 box of angel food cake mix
1 can of crushed pineapple

Mix together and bake as directed on the back of the box.

Average slice is 145 calories.

Lightened Up Texas Cavier

As a kid my Step-Mom used to make this amazing dip that everyone loved.  Turns out it is called Texas Caviar.  I made it new years eve, because black eyed peas are said to be good luck. I decided I could for sure lighten it up.

1 can black eyed peas (drained)

4 tbsp of Herdez salsa

2 tbsp of fat free italian dressing

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Mix all ingredients together and let chill for about an hour or more.  I like to serve mine with saltines, but you could also serve this with tortilla chips.  Fun little change up to the normal appetizers.

The entire bowl is 340 calories, making it about 42 calories for 1/4 cup.  ENJOY!

Arugula Salad and Exploring Polenta

Last night was the first time I used polenta. We opted to keep it simple and just pan fried it in a little oil then topped it with a spoonful of marinara sauce and some fresh basil.  We also seared up some scallops which were 200 calories.  The salad was arugula, .5 oz. of feta, 4 pistachios crushed topped with Ken's Raspberry vinaigrette.  The entire meal added up to 504 calories and much of that came from the olive oil we used for the scallops and polenta.  I will for sure be trying something new with polenta soon.  Can't wait!

Pastrami and Swiss

I ran out of sandwich thins, but had my heart set on a pastrami sandwich so I opted for a higher calorie hamburger bun which made this meal much higher then it needed to be.

Hamburger bun
5 slices of pastrami
.75 oz. of swiss cheese (warm pastrami and swiss together in microwave)
2 tbsp of saurkraut
1 tsp of spicy brown mustard

Served with .5 oz of Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Kettle Chips

GRAND TOTAL 323 calories

Egg White Salad

This is a 223 calorie lunch.  I used 2 slices of Sarah Lee bread, then to the Trader Joe's egg white and chive salad I added .5 tbsp of light mayo and some diced dill pickle.  I served this with 17 Baked Cheetos which made for an extremely filling meal which was also quick and easy.

Another Breakfast Burrito

168 calorie breakfast burrito.  1/2 slice of Kirkland pre-cooked bacon, 1/4 cup of egg beaters, 80 calorie low carb tortilla, .25 oz. of vermont sharp cheddar cheese and my favorite salsa, Casa Chicas!  The cheese and bacon make you feel like you are enjoying something extremely high in calorie, but because the portion of them is small it keeps the dish nice and low in calories.  Enjoy!

Another Egg Creation

113 calorie breakfast.  I sauteed mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper in some no-stick spray.  I then added in 1/2 cup of egg beaters and scrambled everything together. I topped in with a bit of diced tomato and .25 oz. of shredded cheese.  This would be great served with maybe some salsa and a warm low carb tortilla.

Breakfast Nom Noms

126 calories.  Just another yummy breakfast.  One slice of toasted Sara Lee 45 calorie bread, 1/2 a wedge of light laughing cow, 1/4 cup of eggs beaters and some tomato and avocado.  Super filling and satisfying.

Change

I can feel my body changing, it has been almost 4 weeks since I started paying close attention to my body and weight again.

I feel great, and I know I am doing the right thing for ME.  For once I am putting me first in some ways.  I never thought I would LOVE going to the gym, but I do, I love to be sore, I love to sweat, I love that I get about 45 minutes of time devoted purely to me and my health, and I love to feel that sense of accomplishment when I complete my workout.

I am excited to find new recipes and food finds, but I am even more excited to see my body change.  I love that I am teaching my boys about being active, I love all the walks we are taking, I love that they are seeing what it is like to make healthier choices, I love that when I work on my abs in the evening my son lays next to me and pretends to do it too.  I love that when I do cardio at home they copy me.

Blended Strawberry Lemonade

Can you believe this is 45 calories! This is my new favorite treat.

4 oz. Trader Joe's low sugar lemonade
2 oz. of water
4 large frozen strawberries

Place all in the blender and enjoy. A scoop of cool whip in this would also be amazing! Reminds me of a strawberry daiquiri.

Shrimp Pasta

Shrimp, Basil, and Tomato pasta

1/8th of a diced white onion (6)
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
2 tbs. of Brummel and Brown of margarine (135)
1 tbs. olive oil (120)
1 lb. of shrimp (70 per 4 oz. serving)
3 cloves of minced garlic (5)
3 oz. of white wine (72)
5 fresh basil leaves (5)
10 grape tomatoes cut in half (10)
Lemon and zest (10)

This recipe serves 4.  1/4 of the sauce is 80 calories, plus 4 oz. of shrimp is another 70 calories.  I used zero calorie Skinny noodles once again for this recipe made by Genki USA.  Making this large dish of pasta just 150 calories, plus 20 calories more for some parmesan cheese.

In a pan add the margaine, oil, onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper.  Cook for about 3 minutes then add the shrimp, lemon and zest, and the wine.  Cook three more minutes.  Lastly add the basil and tomatoes and cook two more minutes.

Total cooking time is about 8 minutes.  This is a keeper.

Picture shown is a total of 312 calories for dinner.  That is Ken's low calories cesar dressing and well worth the calories.

Skinny Fettucini

Did you ever think you could have this bowl of fettucini for just 85 calories.

This is spinach fettucini skinny noodles.  Half the bag is 20 calories!  These amazing noodles are made my Genki USA.  Check them out and see how you can get your own bag of these amazing things.

Equally amazing would be the alfredo sauce I made that took about 30 seconds.  One laughing cow garlic herb wedge (45 calories), 1 tsp. light sour cream (10 calories), 1 tsp. parm cheese (10 calories), and 1 tsp. water.  I melted this all in the microwave for 30 seconds and topped my warmed up noodles with this new creation.  Now if this isn't better then some 100 calorie pack snack, I am not sure what is!

A Goat Cheese Snack

Another Trader Joe's find!  Mini goat cheese and 12, yes 12 Rosemary raisin crisps.  SO tasty for a 160 calorie snack.

Chipotle Chicken Sandwich

Loving this Kraft Chipotle Mayo!  So tasty and even tastier with sweet potato fries!

Skinny Marsala

I know I have made this Chicken Marsala before, but this time I used some amazing noodles that were sent to me from Genki USA.

These are shirataki noodles and are ZERO calories and ZERO fat and actually pretty tasty.  They are slightly stinky at first, but after a few good rinses in the colander they were good to go.

I will for sure buy these again, this meal hit the spot for ONLY 216 calories.  YES you read that right.  Check these noodles out... you will NOT be disappointed.  Be sure to check out Genki USA's website to find out how you can get your hands on the low cal find.

Cheesy Herb Eggs

While cooking my eggs I blended in 2 tbs of Italian Herb Alouette cheese. I topped it with a basil leaf and 5 grape tomatoes for just 106 calories! So tasty.

Ham and Egg Muffin

For this little treat I preheated my oven to 375 degrees.  I lined a muffin tin with 1 oz. of deli ham then poured in 1/4 of egg substitute.  I then topped it with some cracked pepper and dill, but any herb would work.  Next time I will use basil and serve with tomatoes and maybe even some cottage cheese.

I baked it for about 10 minutes and the result was DELISH!  The muffin is just 60 calories and the whole meal is 140 calories and 15 grams of protein.

Taco Soup in the Crockpot

This recipe can be made in all sorts of ways, with different beans, with a full packet of taco seasoning, with a packet of ranch powder, with a can of corn.  The possibilies are endless, but here is what I did today.

1 lb Ground turkey
1 small can of tomato sauce (I used Mexican style making is spicy!)
1/4 of a white onion
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can diced tomatos
1 handfull of cherry tomato or one diced tomato
2 tablespoons of taco seasoning
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1 1/2  cups of water

Brown the turkey until all the liquid is gone then add everything to the crockpot.  Mine took about 4.5 on low.  You could also simmer it on the stove for about 2 hours.

This makes 8 cups and each cup is 230 calories.  Eat this alone with some oyster crackers or use it to make an awesome taco salad!

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

I LOVE garbanzo beans in salads, they are salty and satisfying and packed with protein.  So I decided to try something different.

I rinsed and dried one can then in a bowl added to them 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.  I baked them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

It made 5 oz. and 1 oz. is 89 calories!  Next time I think I may add maybe some cumin to the mix.  These would be yummy as a snack or on a salad.  Enjoy!

The Biggest Bang!

By far the best find for 112 calories and would even make a great snack. Can you believe this wrap is only 112 calories? Wow! The crunch of the 1 oz. of cucumber mixed with the cream cheese is so satisfying and filling.

Those La Tortilla factory 50 calories tortillas are simply amazing!

Mushroom Swiss Veggie Burger

I am not a huge fan of veggie burgers, but cover it up with some sinful toppings and you will feel like you are cheating. Half the calories of a traditional mushroom Swiss burger!

All this for 414 calories!

Malibu Sandwiches

As a kid my Mom worked at a restaurant that made this sandwich called a Malibu. It was a deep fried chicken patty topped with ham and Swiss. The spread was mayo and mustard mixed together and it was heavenly. Here it is lightened up with grilled chicken and light mayo. Ubberly filling and satisfying!

For 401 calories this would go great with a fruit salad or some baked chips.

Grilled Mushroom and Onion Eggs

Eggs are such a great source of protein, today I used egg beaters and some mini portobellos I had on hand.

I sautéed mushrooms and onions in a quick spray of the butter flavored cooking spray and topped it with some fresh veggies and a quarter ounce of cheese.

This filling breakfast was 120 calories and 17 grams of protein. I added a couple dashes of tobassco too.

Doctored Cottage Cheese

I put a nice little swing on my 1/2 cup of cottage cheese this morning with some tomatoes, fresh basil, and cracked pepper all for under 100 calories.

Turkey Panini

Probably slightly high. I could have for sure made this lower, however it felt like I was splurging on some amazing restaurant sandwich.

It was very worth the calories and we served it baked potato chips. I made the mayo/pesto spread while the Hubs grilled this during bath time. The kids had just turkey sandwiches, but would have loved the grilled. They started school 6 hours a week today so they went to bed super early giving us a panini date night.

Happy eating! Oh and I'm down 3+ pounds and feel at such peace right now. Decided to re-evaluate my priorities and let a lot of things go and focus on what matters... My kids, my Husband, and me. I am feeling such a sense of calmness realizing that the little stuff and the over analyzing and much more isn't worth it.

Remake of a Taco Bell Tostada

Love me some Taco Bell, total of 123 calories!

Open Faced Hard Boiled Egg and Herb Cheese Sandwich

222 calories and 13 grams of protein guaranteed to keep you full and ready for your work out.

A Holiday Hiatus

Well I took a break, I didn't stop the gym, but I started eating whatever I wanted and not tracking it and as always my weight jumped.  I knew at the time it was wrong, but it tasted so right.  So here I am back to lose what I gained and then some.  The new goal is "16 by Summer!"  So 16 from what I am today, which would be my original 30 X 30 goal plus 10 more putting me right into all sorts of clothes I have been wanting to wear that I own.  So now to stay focused and the best way for me is to make it a game and also not feel restricted.  A game in the fact that I see what I can eat to make me the most satisfied for the least amount of calories, plus I love that if I want to go out for a burger or have a glass of wine I truly can.

Pesto Caprese Wrap = GRAND TOTAL 162 Calories