Popcorn for dinner????

Yes, I did have popcorn for dinner. I was doing so well for the day, too. I started the day with an amazing grass smoothie that had arugula, chocolate amazing grass, blueberries, chia seeds, salba, hemp protein, soy milk and strawberries.

Good start to the day with 398 calories and lots of protein. Then I had some leftovers (again) for lunch. The eggplant - quinoa dish from last week. I have to admit, I am not liking quinoa. I won't give up on it, but also will not be making that recipe again. Well, maybe I will try it with the smoked motzarella cheese. It could be better, but that recipe was time consuming. The quinoa never held together very well in the pattie form either.

Now, today I worked really hard on getting another certification in QuickBooks. I passed!!!!! Now I am certified in Enterprise Solutions! The more certifications, the better. So, passing the test and watching all of the tutorials took most of my day. So, when hubby wanted dinner, I made him grilled cheese. Since we purchased the new refrigerator, I tossed out all of my old wheat bread. I tried Ezakiel, but just don't like it. Tried a couple whole wheat ones from Stop and Shop, again .... yuk. Slices too large and they just don't seem to be real type of bread. No flavor. So, since there was no bread and no cheese left for me, I decided to pop up some Act butter-lovers popcorn. Of course, I ate the whole bag (with the help of my dog, Sasha). Added a little parmesan cheese and voila....dinner. Not the best, but when I entered all of the food I ate today in Sparkpeople.com, I was okay. How did that happen with the dinner I had????

Which is a good thing. My usual 75 minutes of crazy Linda's HiLo weight class was missed by me due to the work I did today. I only worked out for 19 minutes doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred level 3, parts 2 and 3 on www.youtube.com. Walking pushups, etc. got me sweating but by no means equals my usual workout. But, I passed my test and I am so happy! Now tomorrow, I will make up for the missed class. Which means Beth's killer HiLo with weights class. This class is way worse than Linda's. I will also try to get a little yoga in as well. Good for runners.

Then I also have my running group tomorrow evening. I cannot wait. It is so much fun. So, tomorrow's calorie burn will be high. I need to get on track with planning my eating better. I have fallen off the track. Sometimes, I feel like cooking, sometimes, not. But the hubby will be at a golf tournament at the end of the week. That means no cooking dinners for him for Thursday - Saturday. That makes life so much easier. He also informed me (from looking in our cupboards and our recent refrigerator move) that we need to concentrate on eating the food we have and not adding to the stored food. Our cabinets are full! So, I will work on emptying them out. Plan Plan Plan.

Lynda

I hate Mondays!

So, Mondays are always hectic and I am always tired. I don't know why.

This morning I went for my normal 5 mile run down by the reservoir. So beautiful and peaceful there. Except for when this crazy old lady on roller blades comes by me. She wears a helmet and she doesn't always look like she has control of her body (especially when she is coming down hill straight at you). Now, I am generally a kind person, but I have just had it with her! She comes right at you and at the last minute, cuts to my right and just squeaks past me. I swear sometimes I think she is going to knock me over. So today my evil Lynda came out and I yelled "you are supposed to pass on the right!" Which was probably not the best choice of words because she was on the right as she came straight for me. She yelled back that she is on the right and I just grumbled on my way.

So that was the start of my day. I ended up making a mango-banana smoothie with added Salba and Chia seeds for protein.

For lunch, I reheated my eggplant and quinoa from last week. I have also discovered Kind bars. So good. Today's was Macadamia nuts with cranberries. Yummy! I also had some protein water (Special K).

For dinner, I had a spinach pie from Uncle Tony's restaurant that I had frozen in my refrigerator. We just purchased a new one that is beautiful and it looks so organized right now. That is where I found the spinach pie.

Calorie count for the day: 1665, carbs: 199, fat: 65, protein: 105

Did I mention the one glass of wine or the tomatoes on the vine I had at lunch? All are added in the above totals.

Lynda

Great bread, Fat cat

Sorry I have been MIA for the past few days. I can honestly tell you that I have not been planning or eating the best of foods the past few days. We had dinner out yesterday. We ate at Squantum Dinner Club in Riverside, RI. This is a private club we belong to and the food is the best food of any restaurant ever. I had grilled swordfish with a double order of grilled asparagus. It was so good. How Chef Scott makes this asparagus is beyond me. It is so tasty! And the swordfish was out of this world. They do have a wood grill so maybe that is the secret. I did have two wines. Boo hoo! They also had ahi tuna appetizer with wasabi seaweed topping. So delicious. I could have eaten just that.

So, for breakfast, I had frosted shredded wheat cereal with blueberries. For lunch I had this fabulous bread from Trader Joes (Multigrain). I had a piece with peanut butter and one with butter.

Also pictured below is my cat, Jeter, who I should probably put on a major diet. He is the laziest animal I have ever had. He is fat for a reason. I named him Jeter so I could convince the hubby to keep him. He is a major Yankee fan and I am a die-hard Red Sox fan. It makes for interesting summers!

Lynda

Spinach Lentil Stew

l

This lunch could not be simpler or tastier. I used:

Prepackaged black lentils (TJ)
one can of hunts tomatoes
2 c. spinach, sauteed in olive oil (1 tbsp)
dusted with grated Parmesan cheese

This makes two servings

OMG it was soooooo good and filling. Very much needed after the kick as...... workout this morning. I just sauteed the spinach in the olive oil until cooked, added the pre-cooked lentils and tomatoes with jalapenos and cooked until heated throughout. Add to the a Kashi flax bar and a double drink of Special K protein water and a good, high protein lunch.

Calories for lunch: 482, carbs: 60, fat: 16 and protein: 26 (yeah!)

Lynda

Green-Berry Smoothie for a change

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Today I felt thinner. So, I hopped onto the scale and found I still weigh 130 lbs.! Yeah!!!!! I think I attribute it to my morning smoothies and my calorie counting on SparkPeople. I try to stay within the required ranges and it is working. Now that I count my calories, I find that I don't eat as much as I did when I did not count them. I stopped the grazing "because it is there". I was notorious for eating walnuts (salted) or almonds. They are good for you but contain a lot of fat. You have to eat a serving, which is hard when you eat them out of the container. I also did not realize how low my protein levels were (I am a vegetarian), until SparkPeople (which was why I was eating all of the nuts). Now, I do my best to get to the range required. This has helped my body tremendously. I tried on a bathing suit this morning and the bottoms were falling down! Wow! They were a medium. Since that is one of my trouble spots, I am psyched!

I also attribute the weight loss to my running. I have learned so much about the sport from SparkPeople and the team you can join. If you haven't joined a group, please do so. You can connect with others and the wealth of knowledge out there is amazing. You can also learn from other's mistakes. I just love it and I am now running longer distances. I am even finding it "peaceful" to run without my ipod. I just get into a zone and enjoy the scenery. I wish I could get the hubby to run with me. Maybe this winter when he has more time.

My weight loss is on schedule for the end of September being 125 lbs. But I am good with 130. It is well within my range for my height and bone structure. I still have a little roll when I sit, but none when I stand. I am firmly a size 6 and probably a size 4 at some stores, since the 6 is a little loose.

I also do "fall off the wagon" when I go out to eat and on weekends. You can see the increase in calories on those days. But, we are all human, right? It is the nature of the beast. And it is perfectly okay to live a little.

Okay for today's ingredients in the smoothie. This made approximately 4 servings:

2 tbsp. chia seeds (soaked)

2 tsps. salba

1 packet berry amazing grass superfood

1 c. european nonfat yogurt (Trader Joes)

.25 c. strawberries

.5 c. fresh pineapple

1 c. blueberries

1 c. arugula

1/2 c. soy milk

1 c. water

1 c. crushed ice

Total calorie count: 449, carbs: 50, fat: 12, protein: 13

This is the total for all four servings. I am having 2 this morning for breakfast before heading to Ballys for the killer 75 minute HiLo with weights class and 15 minute yoga class.

Lynda

Tonight's dinner was Eggplant Ragout with Quinoa cakes.

















I wanted extra protein and I had 4 small eggplants in my refrigerator that needed to be used, so I found this recipe on sparkpeoplerecipes.com. It is a function able website where you can put what you have on hand (eggplant) and a list of recipes are generated for that ingredient. This recipe is definitely not an easy one. I also eliminated the roasted peppers because the hubby hates peppers. Next time, I will add them to my half. I love them and I think the extra flavor is needed. I also did not have smoked mozzarella. I will definitely make sure I have this ingredient. I love all smoked cheeses. I used regular light mozzarella and added some parmesan grated cheese. This dinner was still yummy. I paired it with a wine called Casa. It is my new favorite. It is a wine from Chili and it is relatively inexpensive. This meal was very filling. Bon Appetite!

Ingredients

For Quinoa Cakes
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

For Topping
1 1/2 lb eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup drained bottled roasted red peppers, rinsed and chopped
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 lb smoked mozzarella, diced (1 cup)

Directions

Make quinoa cakes:
Bring water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan.
Meanwhile, wash quinoa in 3 changes of water in a bowl, then drain well in a fine-mesh sieve.
Stir quinoa into boiling water and return to a boil, then simmer, covered, until quinoa is dry and water is absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, then stir in egg.
Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and lightly brush with oil. Lightly oil a 1-cup dry-ingredient measure. Pack enough quinoa into measure with a rubber spatula to fill it two-thirds full. (If spatula becomes sticky, dip in water.) Unmold onto baking sheet and gently pat quinoa into a 4-inch-wide patty with spatula. Make 3 more quinoa cakes, brushing measure with oil each time. Chill cakes, uncovered, at least 15 minutes.
Make topping while quinoa cooks and chills:
Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt in a colander and drain 30 minutes. Squeeze handfuls of eggplant to extract liquid, then pat dry.
Cook eggplant, onion, garlic, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, roasted peppers, and water and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is very tender and mixture is thick (if dry, thin with a little water), about 10 minutes.
Cook quinoa cakes:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Carefully add quinoa cakes and cook, turning once carefully and adding remaining 2 to 3 tablespoons oil, until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes total (pat cakes to reshape with cleaned rubber spatula while cooking if necessary). Transfer to plates.
To serve:
Return eggplant ragout to a simmer and stir in parsley and half of mozzarella, then simmer, stirring, until cheese just begins to soften, about 30 seconds. Spoon over quinoa cakes, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Serves 4.

Calories for above: 408, carbs: 67, fat: 21, protein: 21

Total count for the day: Calories: 1213, carbs: 165, fat: 43, protein: 69
All good, calories are a little low. Maybe I'll have a frozen treat later, if I am hungry. Carbs are a little low, but protein and fat are in my required ranges.

Lynda

Great morning smoothie!!!!

Here are some pictures of the views I had during my 10 mile Blessing of the Fleet Race. Rhode Island is a beautiful state (in the summer). The race finished at the Coast Guard House, where they gave us a complimentary beer. We did not go up and have one, however, since after doing something healthy, I am just not into alcohol afterward.

Well, I mixed up a fantastic smoothie this morning for breakfast and forgot to photograph it!!!!! Ugh! I just winged it and put ingredients in that I felt like having.

Ingredients are as follows:

1/2 c. of soy milk
1/2 c. of blueberries
1 scoop of Lean 1
1 tbsp. Salba
1/2 medium banana (frozen)
1/2 c. frozen mango
2 tbsp. of Chia Seeds
1/2 c. water
1 c. crushed ice

This made 2 1/2 cups. I had the first 1 1/2 this morning after my 5 mile run. I am having my 2nd cup before dinner (late afternoon).

Calories: 435, carb: 61, fat: 16, protein: 22

Now for lunch I made a tuna sandwich with tuna (packed in water), chopped onion, celery, dried cranberries and tsp. of light mayo on a 1/2 Joseph's oat flax pita. I also had 2 servings of Special K protein water, 1/2 amazing grass chocolate bar, 1 plum

Calories: 264, carbs: 34, fat: 6, protein: 26

So, as you can see, I am doing well on the protein front and I have plenty of calories left for dinner.

I am alone for dinner tonight (hubby is in another golf tournament). I think I will grill eggplant.


Lynda