As much as I enjoyed cooking new foods the first couple of months on the new diet plan, I have to admit we'd fallen into a rut. The same few dishes over and over.
Well the blogosphere and Food Network have saved us. A few weeks ago a Twitter #FollowFriday post (where Twitter members suggest others to follow) sent me to Hungry Girl. Then I discovered she was more than just a blog and tweeter . . . she had a show on Food Network. We added it to the DVR and so far so good.
As witness tonight's dinner:http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/big-sandwiches-grilled-fuji-n-chick-wich-recipe
We're making an effort to get strict with the diet again, and it's working. I've lost almost 3 pounds this week . . . that's a pound a day.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Falling off the wagon.
Garrison Keillor famously starts each of his monologues with "It's been a quiet week in Lake Woebegone, my hometown." I'm starting to hope for a quiet week. Beginning August 11 we've dealt with (and this is in chronological order, not order of importance): 1) The Illinois State Fair 2) Five-year-old Joshua's throat surgery 3) installation of a project at work that I've been working on since October 4) The start of School 5) A quick trip to Southern Illinois for a family funeral and 6) a weekend of implementing a SECOND project at work.
All of these things resulted in meals that were . . . not so good for the diet. (It's hard to eat a healthy salad when you leave the office at 3 and have to be 4 hours south at 7.) We've been rewarding the boys for good behavior with Dairy Queen, and last Saturday my "lunch" came at quarter 'til 3, and was (gulp) from Burger King.
So, the completely expected results. . . since August 13 I have gained 4 pounds. But we're turning things around. Last night's dinner (and today's lunch) was fish quesadillas.
Fish Quesadillas
4 Oz White Fish (used Ocean Perch this time)
2 whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)
1/4 cup low fat cheese
1 roasted red bell pepper
1/2 Tablespoon low fat Sour Cream
1/4 Tablespoon salsa
1/2 lemon
The fish was sauteed, with salt, pepper and the juice from the half lemon, then shredded
Lay the fish, pepper and cheese on a tortilla and top with another.
This could be finished in the oven or a skillet, but we have a quesadilla press
Garnish with sour cream and salsa
Recipe makes 1. I made four last night and we ate 1 each. The others are lunch today
All of these things resulted in meals that were . . . not so good for the diet. (It's hard to eat a healthy salad when you leave the office at 3 and have to be 4 hours south at 7.) We've been rewarding the boys for good behavior with Dairy Queen, and last Saturday my "lunch" came at quarter 'til 3, and was (gulp) from Burger King.
So, the completely expected results. . . since August 13 I have gained 4 pounds. But we're turning things around. Last night's dinner (and today's lunch) was fish quesadillas.
Fish Quesadillas
4 Oz White Fish (used Ocean Perch this time)
2 whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)
1/4 cup low fat cheese
1 roasted red bell pepper
1/2 Tablespoon low fat Sour Cream
1/4 Tablespoon salsa
1/2 lemon
The fish was sauteed, with salt, pepper and the juice from the half lemon, then shredded
Lay the fish, pepper and cheese on a tortilla and top with another.
This could be finished in the oven or a skillet, but we have a quesadilla press
Garnish with sour cream and salsa
Recipe makes 1. I made four last night and we ate 1 each. The others are lunch today
Friday, August 5, 2011
Around the World in . . .
OK, we haven't really travelled since we started the diet, but my own "equator" has shrunk considerably in the last 80 days since we started. Jule's Verne's story of Phineas Fogg does not dwell excessively on how Fogg dined, but since this blog is intended to discuss our weight loss, I'm going to.
We're back on "phase 2" of the diet, and it shows. "Phase 1" spoils the dieter with a steady progression down the dial . . . a pound or sometimes even two pounds every day. The current phase allows limited intake of carbohydrates and fruits and vegetables that are high in natural sugars. So as a consequence, we expect to loose a pound or two a week.
We're doing OK on will power this time around, although we've bent a little bit. (The boys wanted -- and got -- a package of chocolate chip cookies as their reward for good behavior at the library and park last weekend, and Karen and I have each given in to temptation a time or two.)
Yesterday's menu for the dieters seems to be about normal for phase 2:
Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with coffee or tea (my wife drinks coffee, I don't)
Morning Snack: One ounce of cheddar cheese on five whole wheat crackers
Lunch: 4 ounces of mixed greens in a salad with shredded ham and light dressing with a diet coke.
Afternoon Snack: One ounce of roasted peanuts
Dinner: 3 ounces of boneless sirloin sliced into thin strips and stir fried with mushrooms, shallots and zucchini, seasoned with garlic and ginger and a little bit of soy sauce, with iced tea.
Evening snack: Cheese and crackers again -- pantry's a bit low before our shopping trip tonight.
Today's lunch will be a 3 ounce portion of the sirloin, with cheese and onions on bread. I pan fried thin cut steaks last night in the wok while I was slicing the meat and veggies for the stir fry, and they are ready to go as sandwiches this morning.
I have to report, that other than an occasional craving for forbidden foods, the diet has gone a lot easier than I had expected or hoped.
As of 80 days I am down 33 pounds and Karen has lost 25.
We're back on "phase 2" of the diet, and it shows. "Phase 1" spoils the dieter with a steady progression down the dial . . . a pound or sometimes even two pounds every day. The current phase allows limited intake of carbohydrates and fruits and vegetables that are high in natural sugars. So as a consequence, we expect to loose a pound or two a week.
We're doing OK on will power this time around, although we've bent a little bit. (The boys wanted -- and got -- a package of chocolate chip cookies as their reward for good behavior at the library and park last weekend, and Karen and I have each given in to temptation a time or two.)
Yesterday's menu for the dieters seems to be about normal for phase 2:
Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with coffee or tea (my wife drinks coffee, I don't)
Morning Snack: One ounce of cheddar cheese on five whole wheat crackers
Lunch: 4 ounces of mixed greens in a salad with shredded ham and light dressing with a diet coke.
Afternoon Snack: One ounce of roasted peanuts
Dinner: 3 ounces of boneless sirloin sliced into thin strips and stir fried with mushrooms, shallots and zucchini, seasoned with garlic and ginger and a little bit of soy sauce, with iced tea.
Evening snack: Cheese and crackers again -- pantry's a bit low before our shopping trip tonight.
Today's lunch will be a 3 ounce portion of the sirloin, with cheese and onions on bread. I pan fried thin cut steaks last night in the wok while I was slicing the meat and veggies for the stir fry, and they are ready to go as sandwiches this morning.
I have to report, that other than an occasional craving for forbidden foods, the diet has gone a lot easier than I had expected or hoped.
As of 80 days I am down 33 pounds and Karen has lost 25.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)