A Week Off to Myself

I know what you're wondering. It's a question that's been plaguing you for weeks now... and you just haven't had the courage to ask. But I'll answer it for you. Right here. Right now.

Yes. You can make Chinese stir fry with spaghetti squash.

And it's about 150 calories.

That means, you can have an egg roll with it with ABSOLUTELY zero guilt. Because your stir fry is 100% vegetables. You could have crab freaking rangoon with this (if you like that kind of thing... eww...).

This concoction came out of sitting around tonight with 600+ calories left in the day but not feeling any of the regular things that I have in the fridge. Today starts my week of vacation that is also a week without my handsome gentleman who is off doing manly things with guns. I'm hoping he'll bring home some venison for me to try (since I've never eaten it before). Today, I grocery shopped to keep myself from eating out every day during the week.

I went to Target for groceries. They have some fantastic prices on frozen food. Lean Cuisines and such. And great selection too! I got 4 different types of pizza. Produce is ridiculously priced, so I had to swing by the grocery store for my avocados and apples. I also broke down and bought a whole gallon of milk because Target doesn't have store brand in the ½ gallons and ½ gallons of Deans is something like double the price.

I bought some chili, both the Medium Amy's Chili that I like and I'm trying the Amy's Black Bean chili. Got some Fritos to eat with it which is exciting. Got another can of pumpkin since it's getting cheaper as Thanksgiving approaches. Target also has great prices on my protein shake.

Made a stop at the liquor store too. Nothing reminds me of how much I love New Hampshire than a trip to the liquor store. Affordable booze. Got 2 bottles of champagne, a bottle of Jim Beam and a Kahlua sampler for $35. Guess I'll have to swing by again for some vodka. To go with my Kahlua and my gallon of skim milk. White Russians are tasty with fat free milk.

On with the stir fry!!!

I had some mushrooms, red onion and some frozen brussels sprouts. Saute these things together with a little cooking spray. Once you get the veggies finished to your satisfaction, add 1 Tbsp of your favorite Asian sauce (I chose General Tso sauce, but I considered using sesame oil) and 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce. Mix well then throw in 1 cup of spaghetti squash. Make sure everything is heated through then plate it! This turned up at 158 calories for mine, but it would all depend on the type of sauce you use and if you choose different vegetables.

For breakfast this morning I had some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal. As you might have gathered from most of the things I cook, I hate doing things that take too long! An hour in the kitchen, max. Seriously, if I'm making a romantic dinner, I'd be glad to slave, but generally I'm hungry when I start cooking and unless I want to eat a peanut butter sandwich and spoil my meal while I'm cooking, it's gotta be quick.

In the spirit of fast food, I used Quick Oats, which I cooked according to package directions (yea, I'm a rebel) and then mixed in ½ cup pureed pumpkin, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, and 1 Tbsp semi sweet chocolate chips. Was pretty good!

In exercise news, I've had a pretty active weekend. I'm gearing up for a Turkey Trot in a nearby town on Thanksgiving, so one of my runs this weekend was in that town. Hills. Hills. Hills. And the course is supposed to be hilly so wanted to get some of that in. I did 3.5 miles today and 3.5 miles yesterday. Yesterday's was just short of 40 minutes since it was so hill-acious. My run today was downtown and a slight incline, so did that 3.5 miles four minutes faster. Awesome. I'm going to do a quick 2 miles on Tuesday and then rest on Wednesday. Wednesday I pick up my bib, so I'm pretty stoked!! Sort of getting addicted to races.

3.5 miles, 36.08

This is great for the abs...

I've made a running wish list for 2013. I'd like to run the Capital Area Race Series. You get a special piece of clothing for completing 6 out of 7 races. I did one of the races in the series in June, so I'm excited to give the whole thing a try. The first is a good drive away from here, but it'll be something fun to go toward. I'd also like to do a local obstacle race and I need to find a 10k. I have aspirations to complete a Half Marathon by September. I have one in mind. I like running. It makes my legs look hot. And being bored at 6:30 in the morning leads to pictures of them. Crazy. I know.

Yesterday I also played some soccer with my handsome gentleman and his kiddos. Sort of intimidating because they're all so sports oriented... but I'm proud to say I got a goal in on him. Of course while I was trying to protect my goal, I ran down a slight incline, tripped over myself and face planted in the dirt. My whole front was covered. The zipper and button on my jeans embedded itself in my lower belly. I've got quite the bump... and it's red... and it's gonna be a killer bruise. My elbows kind of got rug-burned from the inside of my sweat shirt. My glasses flew off. And I wouldn't have traded the afternoon for anything in the world.

I have a fun filled week planned for myself. Missing him like crazy but knowing he's off doing what he loves helps. Tomorrow I'm having lunch with a friend that moved an hour and a half away... so I haven't seen her since she moved!! Tuesday I'm dyeing my hair, getting the highlights out and going for a darker brown. Wednesday I'm having a facial and possibly getting my hair trimmed. I'm making up for the money I'm spending on the facial by doing a home hair color. I'd like to go out to breakfast at least one day this week and I know exactly where I want to go! Thursday is the Turkey Trot and I've no plans on Thanksgiving... but then Friday I'm going to see some new friends for dinner. Get some things done on Saturday... and look forward to seeing him again when he gets home...

Hopefully there'll be some sleeping in, too.

No weight loss this week... but I'm still below goal. That's pretty much my weekly aspiration for the rest of my life.

Giving Thanks and Thanksgiving

This is the time of year when your Facebook stalker feed is filled with daily proclamations of thankfulness. A time when we're supposed to reflect on family and friends and how thankful we are for the things we have and hopefully give to those who don't have as much. Non-stop food drives. Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin ANYTHING. Sweaters. Hunting season. Dark early evenings. It's almost winter, folks.

I never participate in the 30 days of thanks on Facebook. I feel like when you have to name 30 things you're thankful for, you might forget one that you said. You find yourself needing to say things like, “I'm thankful that all my socks are clean” or “I'm thankful that I didn't get out of my car and smack the bitch that cut me off.” But I am thankful for things... and though this is the time of year that we can't help but think about those things, I try to think about them all the time. For the sake of the season, I'll list some of those things now:

I'm thankful for “Couch to 5k” for proving to me that I'm capable of more than I thought I was. For giving me a goal to reach and conquer and start the ball rolling for so many more goals to follow.

I'm thankful for everyone who has, over the past year (or the past four) told me that they notice I've lost weight, told me I look great, told me they're proud of me. I'm thankful for how hard weight loss is in order to see to it that I don't take what I've done for granted.

I'm thankful for my handsome gentleman. For every time he tells me dinner was great. For being my best friend and for accepting me for who I am and who I want to be. For not making me conform to some idea of what I should be. For not feeding me junk food. For telling me he's proud of me. For every time he's said “wow” at my progress. For telling me I look like a totally different person, even from just a year ago. His support.

I'm thankful for Jillian Michael's DVDs and Sara Ivanhoe yoga DVDs and sticky mats and Nike running shoes.

I'm thankful for the size 10 dress pants that I can now take off without unbuttoning or unzipping them. I'm thankful for being able to wear the size 6 dress pants I just bought this week. My first pair.

I'm thankful for running in general. For how it lets me explore and be adventurous. How I get to clear my mind yet be alert. For feeling sore sometimes. For letting me know I'm alive.

And though this doesn't touch the list of things that I'm thankful for, lastly, I'm thankful for myself. For my strength and persistence and courage. I'm proud of me too.

This blog is nearly a year old now and if you've been a reader from the get-go you'll know that I really don't like Thanksgiving food. The holidays aren't so much a time of eating for me because I can absolutely live without turkey. I hate stuffing. Cranberry sauce sort of looks gross and I can't bring myself to eat it. I like pie but I never eat the crust.

And this year I can't afford the plane ride to go back home so I'm not going to be subjected to the glorious restaurant extravaganza that is Kentucky, so this Thanksgiving should be pretty awesome for my waistline. I've signed up for a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day that I'm looking forward to and hopefully, since I still have the week off, I'll have plenty of time to get some exercising in. With the time change recently and the 4:30 PM sunsets here in New England, I have been slacking on the exercise a bit. All I want to do is sleep.

In the world of food, let me tell you, that Frittata from last week... omg I had it for lunch twice this week with some avocado and it was wonderful. Less than 200 calories a serving and protein packed. Definitely recommend it.

I tried Philadelphia cooking cream this week. Went over to my handsome gentleman's house and made him dinner Thursday night and he really seemed to enjoy it. He was backseat cooking a little bit, but lucky for him he's adorable. I made Cajun Chicken Pasta with Broccoli and Mushrooms. Essentially boiled my linguine while I pan seared my thinly sliced chicken breasts dredged in cajun seasoning. I also sauted my mushrooms and broccoli to give it some char then when my chicken was done moved the veggies over to that pan to soak up some of the spicy. Melted the cooking cream into the veggies, cut up the chicken, then mixed it all with the pasta. Seemed to go over well.

This morning I knew I wanted a nice, pumpkin breakfast but couldn't decide between mixing it up in some oatmeal or making some pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes. I LOVE pumpkin and chocolate. One of my favorite things when I was obese was to get a pumpkin and cinnamon ice cream hot fudge sundae. Uhhh... I can taste it now.

So I opted for the pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes. I have never made pumpkin pancakes before, so this was a fun experiment. Here's what I used (and remember, I cook for one, so this recipe made 4 nicely sized pancakes, two of which are safe and sound in my fridge for another day):

1 c Bisquick (I use the Heart Smart version)

½ c fat free milk

1 egg

½ c pumpkin puree

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

3 tbsp chocolate chips

Mix everything except the chocolate chips together to make your batter. Heat up a griddle and put approximately 1/3 cup of batter in four spots on the griddle. Your batter will be thick, so you might need to spread it out a little yourself. Then, sprinkle with chocolate chips. I always go back behind and push them in with my spatula.

The thing I noticed with these pancakes is they didn't do the bubble thing... you know where all the bubbles on the top side pop and that's how you know when to flip them? You just kind of have to wing it. And of course, I can never flip a pancake without making a mess, but I made minimal mess this time.

 

Watch your second side. These exposed chocolate chips can burn.

So two of these and some bacon ran me a little over 400 calories. Not bad for second breakfast. And then I went for a 3.5 mile run afterward, so, pretty much worked off those pancakes.

I've also been trying to  fix some of those Pinterest recipes I've been pinning. Made two that were super simple.

The first is a Sweet & Spicy Cucumber Salad and though it originates from this blog I seriously got annoyed thinking about slaving over the dressing for 10 minutes. I'm feeling pretty lazy today. My hip is a little sore.

Anyway, so I made it two small servings and here's how I did it. You'll need:

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

½ tsp salt

¼ cup water

¼ cup rice vinegar

1 spoon full of sugar (I didn't measure, I used a spoon like you'd put sugar in coffee)

1 Tbsp crushed red pepper

1-3 Tbsp diced red onion

Emphasis on the spicy, my friends. This is so tasty. So I will give full credit to the blogger at the above link for the technique I learned for the cucumber. Put them in a colander that is sitting over a large bowl and then sprinkle with salt. Keep this in the fridge for about an hour, stirring occasionally. This will keep them from being too wet when you add the hot dressing. It really worked, I was pleased. I think it sort of makes the cucumber taste better.

Your cucumber is chilling in the fridge, so it's time to make your dressing. I put water, vinegar, sugar and red pepper in a microwave safe measuring cup and microwaved for 3 minutes. Then, mix in the onion. Let this set and come to room temperature. Pour the cooled dressing over your drained cucumber and chill again in the fridge. These are really good. I tried a bite just so I could tell you for sure. It's about to be the side dish with my chicken tonight for dinner.

Lastly, I decided to screw around with a Pinterest recipe I saw for peanut butter pie where they use vanilla greek yogurt instead of... well, anything else. I decided to use the PB2 instead of peanut butter which keeps the calories to a minimum. Making it with PB2 gives you a 200 calorie slice (1/8 of the pie). Amazing. I guess I'll take it in to work tomorrow and try it there. I did try a bite of the filling and it's not bad. I'm looking forward to a bite with the crust and the chocolate that I drizzled (slapped haphazardly) on top.

That's about all I've got for today. Looking forward to the upcoming week. Will probably eat way too many calories Thursday night but have intentions of running in the dark on Wednesday night. Just have to wait for my reflective vest to come in. Monday is the second bowling game in my league (yay!) and tap class Wednesday night too. Last week of work before a week off. That's probably the best part.

Eating Alone Away from Home

Before we jump into the topic for this week, let's take a few moments to discuss last week. Thanksgiving. The most loathed of all holidays for your waistline (you know, except for every other vacuous excuse to overeat). You're going to hate me when I tell you how much weight I gained over Thanksgiving. Ready? No really, get ready. I gained 0.8 pounds. Not even a full pound! Really not sure how I did that, since I did go home to Kentucky for the week. I wanted EVERYTHING I saw... I even deprived myself a few things, which you know isn't exactly the best thing to do, but I'm sorry Katie. You can't have White Castle followed up by Arby's. You just can't do that. Especially when you're not even hungry!

How did I survive the week? Here's a few things I kept in mind:

• Eat what you want. It's a holiday for crying out loud. If you want something fattening that you can't indulge in all year, eat it! Just don't eat the entire thing...

• Pace yourself. Eat slowly! This is very easy to do when you're seeing friends and family you don't see very often.

• Don't be afraid of not cleaning your plate! My Thanksgiving dinner, I left food on my plate. Don't become over-full. That kind of bad behavior breeds more. It's food. No matter how much we enjoy it, the purpose of the food is to feed us, not to hurt us. Use a smaller plate if you need to.

These are things that if you make them a habit, they'll come naturally and you can use them all year round. It takes 30 days to form a habit, but only a couple bad moments to break it. I'm proud that I was able to keep up my habit, even when eating things that I don't normally indulge in. I also tried to keep up my exercise habit. Went to the gym and went running while I was gone.

So after spending a week with family and friends I'm back to cooking for myself. This week I'm house and dog sitting which is kind of a new idea for me. I've never had the opportunity to be the single friend that you can count on to do things while you're out of town! I've always had someone to take care of... so I'm pretty excited to get to do this. What I'm not excited about is eating while doing it.

After a week of southern food (I had chicken and dumplings and fried green tomatoes while I was gone) I'm definitely in detox mode. My stomach was NOT happy with me. At the same time, my change in routine could very well result in me ordering pizza every night for the next week. That's so much easier, right?

There's a couple alternatives we have for the week. Me by myself. Me with good friends. Me with some takeout. I'm planning to indulge in all three of these.

I started out the morning at the grocery store. I give myself $40 a week for groceries, which I don't know, does that seem like a lot? Does it seem like not enough? Because honestly, I have money left over afterward. I give myself $40 in case I need to restock on something (spices ain't cheap) or if something catches my fancy. This week I went simple because really, all I need are supplies for breakfast and dinner. I'll either enjoy a tasty, tasty frozen dinner (bah) for lunch at work or go out (sounds more like it) so just need a nice, light dinner to get me through this week. Here's the plan: Breakfast to go with my new obsessions, Odwalla protein monsters. Dinner will be primarily soup and salad combinations.

Other than the salad ingredients (and the eventual spoilage of shakes) I tried to focus on food that wouldn't go bad over the course of the week. I'm so bad about this. When I get invited somewhere else for dinner or when my day at work ends with me craving some food-love from a restaurant, I have a tendency to forget what I've bought. I probably throw away more food than I should and that's really awful. But there's a reason why I limit my budget. I don't want to overbuy and be wasteful.

I know I want to order a pizza this week. This should shape my view of the entire week. If pizza is in the plan then I shouldn't be sitting around eating fried chicken the rest of the nights. Also have intentions to have dinner with a coworker that lives nearby (she likes to cook, I like to eat!) so since eating at someone else's house completely removes control from you, plan the rest of the week accordingly. One night won't ruin your weight loss or healthy eating. Obviously even one week won't ruin it. It's all in your frame of mind. Will you let yourself give up? Or will you go back on your plan to reach your goal after a couple bumpy days?

By the end of the week I hope to be able to report that the pesky little 0.8 pounds has been removed. I'll also report on how eating for the week really went and if I was able to meet my calorie and nutritional ideals while eating so simply. In the mean time... I hope everyone enjoys coming down off their turkey comas!