Monday, April 18, 2011

Weigh-in

Well, I gained .2 lbs.  Honestly, despite my indulgences this week I did not expect this as I have stayed within my points and should be retaining less water than last week.  Feeling pretty discouraged, especially considering the challenges that this week will bring.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Upcoming week and challenges

We are about to embark on a complete home makeover.  Tuesday through Friday, drywallers are attacking the popcorn on the living room, hall, and master bedroom ceiling and retexturing those and the living room/hallway walls.  Faced with the prospect of kids putting their fingers into new texture, I am opting to spend most of our time with friends this week before Easter festivities begin.

So, that means this week's menu looks like this:

Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: Chuck E Cheese?
Wednesday: Out--probably Jack in the Box because it's near dance lessons
Thursday:  Also something quick and easy--maybe sandwiches?
Friday: Easter madness begins.

I will try to behave myself.  I will still count points.  I will probably go over on Saturday and/or Sunday.

I'll be back tomorrow for a weigh-in.  And then next week I'll have gained some back, I'm sure.  But that's how it goes.

Oh:  recipes.  Pork chop experiment was not worth repeating.  I'll have to keep trying.  Maybe in the crock pot with a pork tenderloin?  Peruvian Roast Chicken is YUM, and the sauce Gina suggests with it is also delicious, as is her creamy cilantro tomatillo dressing.  The mexican brown rice casserole was missing something (The Big Geek suggested the missing ingredient was meat).  Not sure I'd do that again.  The chicken and orzo dish is also yummy, but I've made that before so I knew that.
 
We didn't manage to eat out for date night because the restaurant was too slow and we had to go retrieve our kids, but I did have a yummy "low-carbarita."  I have serious doubts as to the "low-carbedness" of it.  Also, no ribs, but we have so many leftovers I'm not concerned.  Actually, it's highly likely that we won't have enough leftovers for tomorrow night.  Hmmm.  Then what?  Maybe the turkey burgers and sweet potatoes again, as they were good and most of us ate them and they don't leave much in the way of leftovers.

I'll be back tomorrow to weigh in officially.  Had a birthday party today.  Ate hot dogs and cake.  Not my finest WW moment.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Weekly Weigh-in

I lost 1.2 lbs for a total of 12.4--and another point.  I'm good with this considering I ate so many of my weekly points this week (birthday party, ate out once, and was STARVING thanks to pms).  This is where I got last year when things fell apart.  Hopefully since I have WW instead of just counting calories, I'll manage to keep going forward this time.  I'm still concerned about how things will go during the remodel, but maybe it will make things easier.  Most of our evening meals will be grilled, at least. :)

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Meal Plan, recipes, shopping list for whatever week this is.

We had some good meals around here last week.  The turkey burgers and sweet potatoes were really fast and delicious--I would absolutely plan them again for a quick weeknight meal, plus both kids ate the turkey burgers (but not the sweet potatoes).  The chicken enchilada recipe I made was good, but I made it a bit too spicy for me (and no way the kids would eat them).  I do think that low-point tortillas have a weird smell (some people do not have this experience but others do, so I don't know if it's genetic or what).  At any rate, the enchilada sauce in that recipe was not strong enough to cover the smell, but it was strong enough that I didn't notice a weird taste.  Not my favorite enchiladas, but about a third of the calories and fat.  I also enjoyed the turkey jambalaya, and I found chicken andouille sausage so probably the points were even lower (for me) than I originally posted.  I added some celery salt to the recipe which I think made it better.  It was just missing something at first.

As usual, there are recipes I didn't get around to making, and I'm adding them to this week.  I'm also trying some new things and one total experiment.  The Big Geek and I ended up eating out at a BBQ place (instead of him making ribs this week), and one of the sauces they had was a mustard sauce that I eventually figured out was Italian dressing and mustard.  It was pretty good, and we decided it would make a good marinade for pork, so on Monday I'll be experimenting with pork chops and my knock-off marinade/sauce attempt.

Monday: Pork Chop Experiment (5-ish points)
Tuesday: Peruvian Roast Chicken I meant to make last week
Wednesday: Mexican-Style Brown Rice Casserole (8 pts)
Thursday: Chicken, Lemon, and Dill with Orzo (9 pts)
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: out (date night!)
Sunday: baby back ribs (5ish points without sauce, I think?).  TBG did not make them last week but will make them again this weekend.

The little geeks are being whiny and need attention, so there is no shopping list this week.  I'll be back tomorrow to weigh in.  Not looking forward to that, really, after the birthday cake I enjoyed Saturday and other snacking.  I've been craving carbs this week.

Monday, April 4, 2011

WooHOO! Finally hit 10 lbs.

I've now lost 11.2 lbs officially, go me.  My "average" loss is 1.4 lbs per week, and while I realize this is in the "healthy" range, I do wish it was higher.  This is going to be a VERY long process for me as I have a lot of weight to lose, and at this rate it is going to take forever to lose it all.  Ok, maybe not forever, but well over a year.  I suppose I can live with that, although my 20-year high school reunion will be in 2012.  I'm not really doing this for the reunion, but if I'm going to do it I'd like to at least weigh what I weighed when I graduated from high school (still more than I should) for the reunion.  Although, let's be honest, I could lose ALL the weight I need to lose and still not look as good as I did at 17. :)

Yeah, I need to pick up the pace a bit.  I definitely lose more when we stay at home, and while we have no big trips planned any time soon, there are birthday parties and Easter, plus a renovation that will leave us with a makeshift kitchen for most of late April and May, and maybe into June.

Why am I feeling so discouraged when I lost 2 lbs this week?  2 lbs is the goal, right?  I think my brain is skeptical, because I lost 12 lbs last year and promptly gained it all back once my semester started.  It's not as if I've never lost 12 lbs before.  I've lost way more than that before, and have always gained it back plus some.  I guess I'm realizing that I will probably be counting points my ENTIRE LIFE.  And that is not a melodramatic statement--I probably WILL be counting points my entire life.  I should accept that and move on.

In the spirit of moving on, Gina's Sicillian Rice Ball Casserole is AWESOME and you should make it.  I've shifted the enchiladas to tonight since the kids and I will eat before the sitter gets here (super fun mom's night planned at a trampoline place!!).  The Big Geek is going to make baby back ribs AGAIN next Sunday.  They are delicious, but full of fat.  At least he never plans sides so I can just make those vegetables to balance it out.  And I generally have lots of weekly points left on Sunday, but still.  I wish I wasn't eating baby back ribs for dinner the night before I weigh in.  Although that probably doesn't matter, right?

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Week 7 Menu/Shopping List/Recipe Review

I haven't made everything from this week yet, but I can say that I loved the Chicken Divan.  Since TBG doesn't like broccoli, I don't know when I'll have it again, and since it's mostly broccoli even though the portions are large I wouldn't exactly call it filling, but it is DELICIOUS.  Just try to plan some bread or a carb in with the meal in your points if you make it.  So cheesy and garlicky!  MMM!

I just knew all the geeks would LOVE the croquettes.  Well, the little geeks didn't eat it at all, and I don't know that TBG and I LOVED them.  They were ok.  Kind of bland.  Def. in need of a dipping sauce, which of course adds points.  The serving size, though, is very good--3 croquettes (plenty) for 6 pts.  I'm not sure how that is possible given the amount of potato, but I trust the calculator.

I still need to make the rice ball casserole (tonight?) and the enchiladas (tomorrow?).  I will likely toss together both tonight and save one for Monday--I hear the casserole freezes well.  This week is a busy week, with both TBG and me out 2 of the evenings, and the usual Wednesday frenzy.


Monday:  Casserole from last week
T:  Quick and Easy Turkey Burgers (5 pts without bun if you make 5 burgers with 1 1/4 lbs 93% turkey) and Spicy Grilled Sweet Potatoes (4 pts)
W: Leftovers, or I go to the Jack in the Box by the little geek's ballet class and get a chicken fajita pita for me (8 pts)
Th:  Grilled flank steak (8 pts prepared without butter)
F: Casablanca Chicken (6 pts without noodles or rice)
Sa: Turkey Jambalaya (6 pts per cup)
Su: Peruvian roast chicken  (points vary depending on which part of the chicken you eat--between 3.5 and 6.5)

I'm also going to try Gina's Creamy Cilantro Tomatillo Dressing, because it sounds yummy.  Safeway is having a sale on the little watermelons this weekend, so I plan to grab several of those, too!

Shopping list:
Pantry
Produce:  1 lb sweet potatoes, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, green onions, 2 limes, fresh cilantro, 2-3 jalepenos, onions, garlic, 1 tomatillo, 1 large eggplant, 3/4 lb plum tomatoes, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 red onion
Cumin, garlic powder, salt,ground red pepper, olive oil, cooking spray, Cajun seasoning, black pepper, teriyaki sauce, dry mustard, salt, paprika, oregano, white vinegar, peanut butter, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, tumeric
Meat:  1 ½ lbs flank steak, Turkey breast (2 cups shredded when cooked), Andouille sausage (6 oz), ground turkey (1.25 lbs), 1 whole chicken, 8 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (bone in ok)

Aisles: diced tomatoes, long-grain rice, chicken broth, light mayo, 1 can chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, raisins

Dairy: Fat-free sour cream, plain greek yogurt, lowfat buttermilk

Other:  bourbon/whiskey, beer