Weight Loss Journey: What I Eat In A Day

After my last few blogs were pretty negative in tone, I thought I would brighten things up.  I started on a low dose thyroid medication on Saturday April 2nd.  That next week I dropped 5 lbs and then I put the scale away.  I didn't want to be checking it every single day.  I won't weigh in again until May 1st.  I am doing really well at keeping under 2,000 calories so I thought I would share with you all what I eat in a day.

BREAKFAST 8:00 am
Breakfast is the same every work day.  I make an egg scramble.  I meal prep the meat on Sunday and portion it out into 4 ozs or whatever the serving is.  I weigh everything out in order to track things accurately.  This keeps me full until around noon.  I also have a 24 oz coffee with almond milk (32 cals) and about 40 ozs of water.

142 grams Isernio's Chicken Breakfast Sausage (160 cals)

7 ozs sliced Zucchini (34 cals)

5 ozs sliced Button Mushrooms (30 cals)

8 ozs Liquid Eggs (123 cals)

Total:  347 Cals, 15 carbs, 6 fat and 37 protein

PRE-WORKOUT 12:00 pm
I try to keep pre-workout light but with some protein and carbs.  I have been really liking cottage cheese and berries.

8 oz Cottage Cheese (180 Cals)

3 ozs Black Berries (32 cals)

3 ozs Raspberries (17 cals)

Total:  229 Cals, 28 carbs, 6 fat and 25 protein

POST WORKOUT 2:45 pm
I use my lunch break to go to the gym.  I either do Cardio or weight lifting for 35 minutes, then come back to work and eat.  Post Workout is always a salad.

4 cups Spring Salad Mix (40 cals)
4 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (166 cals)
2 tbsp Litehouse Opa Greek Yogurt Feta Dill Dressing (50 cals)
Total:  256 cals, 10 carbs, 15 fat and 23 protein

DINNER 6:00ish pm
Dinner can vary but we stick to about 10 or 15 dishes pretty consistently.   Here are a few.

6 oz Beef Chuck Steak (240 cals)

150 grams Yukon Gold Potato (120 cals)

2 cups Spring Salad Mix (20 cals)

2 tbsp Litehouse Opa Greek Yogurt Feta Dill Dressing (50 cals)

Totals:  430 cals, 32 carbs, 14 fat and 41 protein

Enchilada Filling:  20 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, 1 can of Low Sodium Black Beans, 1 large can of La Victoria Mild Red Enchilada Sauce.  Makes 10 Servings, 168 calories each.

3 La Tortilla Factory Low Carb Tortillas (80 cals each)

1.5 oz Mexican Cheese Blend

Totals:  745 cals, 87 carbs, 26 fat and 78 protein

7 ozs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thigh (245 cals)

8 ozs Yukon Gold Potato (138 cals)

6 ozs Birdseye Steamfresh Broccoli (60 cals)

Totals:  443 cals, 38 carbs, 11 fat and 46 protein

Beef Enchilada Bake

16 oz Grassfed Extra Lean Ground Beef

2 cups Instant White Rice

1 can Sweet Corn

1 can Low Sodium Black Beans

1 large can Enchilada Sauce

8 ozs Mexican Cheese Blend

Makes 4 large servings.  Can serve on a tortilla or eat in a bowl.

662 cals, 74 carbs, 18 fat and 51 protein

We also go out to eat maybe once or twice a month.  The above meal is from Ichi Teriyaki here in Longview.  I get no sauce on my chicken to keep the calories in check.  I look at MyFitnessPal for close matches when I eat out.  This meal came out to be 603 calories, 38 carbs, 16 fat and 68 protein.

In the evening I can have anywhere from 100 to 500 calories left.  I like to indulge in ice cream, popcorn or other simple snacks.  I found a really good diet ice cream called Halo Top.  It is hard to find and a bit expensive but well worth the effort.  The pint below is only 280 calories for the entire thing.  There is 60 carbs, 8 fat and 24 protein.  Compare that to regular ice cream and you will be blown away!

Diabetic Journal - Week 3

Tuesday January 27th, 2015:
I was much better at this journaling stuff the first week.  I feel pretty good lately.  My blood sugar was 113 for 4 out of 5 days.  Now that's what I call consistency.  I also finally got a scale and I have lost 23 pounds since December 9th.  I shared a recipe on the blog yesterday for some Caramel Apple Cupcakes.  I did try half of one with no caramel or frosting.  They were really tasty.  The cupcake alone is 78 calories, 17 carbs, 2 grams of fat and 10 grams of sugar.  Why does delicious food have to have so many carbs?

Sunday night I made Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers.  The filling was really good but we both realized that Bell Peppers are not something we actually like.  Cross that off the list of vegetables.  I really wanted to add some black beans to the recipe but that would have added a lot of carbs.  It is a delicate balance to have enough but not too many.  Yesterday I put a pork tenderloin in the Crock-Pot before work.  I love coming home to dinner already made.  I added some fresh green beans and it was delicious.  Now I have to figure out what to do with all the leftover shredded pork.

Today I was desperate for breakfast and lunch.  In fact, I came to work with no lunch.  I haven't been to the grocery store this week so the refrigerator is pretty bare.  I brought leftover Pepper Stuffing for breakfast but I am up in the air for lunch.  I have some fast food close to work.  I am going to have to learn what choices to make at which restaurants.  French fries are definitely out.

Wednesday January 28th, 2015:
While writing my entry yesterday, a light bulb went off.  Why don't I compile information from each of the fast food restaurants around?  That way when I have a day where I may not have another choice, I know what I should have.  The information is readily available on each restaurant's website and honestly some of it is quite shocking.  I will share my findings this week.

I ended up having a Bento for lunch which included grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, tempura vegetables, a California roll and some rice.  I didn't eat the rice or the tempura and I saved the California roll for a snack later in the day.  For dinner last tonight I took some of the leftover shredded pork and added some diced red potatoes and eggs for a quick hash.

Tonight we drove 75 miles north to have dinner with my Dad for his Birthday.  We went to a pizza parlor and I knew there was no way I could have pizza.  I ordered a Meatball appetizer and a Cobb Salad.  I should have just ordered the salad.  The meatballs came 6 to an order and drenched in sauce.  I ate the meatballs and then when my salad came, I couldn't eat anymore so I brought most of it home.  (I shared a few pieces with my nephew Landon.)  At least I have lunch for tomorrow.

Thursday January 29th, 2015:
Day 4 and I am still making my way through all that pork leftover from Monday.  This morning I put some on whole wheat low carb tortillas with a slice of cheese for breakfast.  It was REALLY good.  I am kinda mad at myself for not thinking of that sooner.  I found these La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat Low Carb Tortillas with only 10 grams of carbs per tortilla.  I expected them to taste like cardboard but they had a nice flavor.

I went to the Nutritionist today and I got some real encouragement from her.  She assured me I was doing really well.  She does want me to try to get in more carbs.  I was making sure I was under 45, no matter how far, but she wants me to make sure I am between 40 and 50 per meal and under 15 per snack.  She gave me some really good tips about portion sizes and eating out.  I whined to her about having diabetes even though I am not really a sweets eater and she told me every body is different and every person has different genes.  I know she is right but I guess this actually was a blessing in disguise for me because now I know I have to get healthy.

Monday February 2nd, 2015:
I honestly can't believe it is February already.  January just flew by.  I posted my Fast Food Analysis on Sunday.  If you haven't already, check it out.  I had a really bad day Friday and early Saturday.  I was supposed to go have family time but I just couldn't.  Instead I went and hung out with a friend and some of his friends.  I just needed to be around people who didn't really know me so I could act like everything was ok.  I was proud of myself though because despite being in a really crappy mood, I ate really well.  We went to the grocery store to pick up some snacks and instead of junk food, I got lettuce and dressing for a salad.  I did however crunch up some Doritos to add crunch.

Yesterday was also the Super Bowl.  Even though my Hawks lost to the Patriots, it was still a great played game.  We just stayed home to watch it which meant that I wasn't surrounded by crappy food.  I made a beef and lamb burger mixture and Roger cooked them off.  The burgers were really good.   I also bought 2 rotisserie chickens at Safeway yesterday and deboned them so I could have chicken for my salads all week.  I'm not really into a lot of stuff on my salads.  Some protein and maybe tomatoes or avocado and that's it.

I am starting to compile information for an analysis on sit-down restaurants and what to eat there.  Do you have any suggestions for me?  Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook or email.

Crock Pot Week, Day 1: Bacon Ranch Chicken

I decided to experiment with a week of Crock Pot cooking.  Day 1 was a throw together because we had a busy weekend and were unable to get to the grocery store.  Bacon Ranch Chicken was inspired by an Italian Chicken recipe I found.  We really enjoyed it and I hope you will too.

Bacon Ranch Chicken

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 cup Sour Cream

1 packet Ranch dressing mix

1/2 cup crumbled, cooked bacon

4 whole chicken breasts

1 lb of egg noodles, cooked to package directions

Mix the soup, sour cream, bacon and ranch mix in a bowl.  Place the 4 chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock and smear the mixture over the top.  Cook on low for 7 hours.  Shred the chicken and mix in the cooked noodles.

A Week Of New Recipes

It's always a struggle to figure out what to make for dinner and what to buy at the grocery store.  If I go to the store without a list, I just feel lost and to make a list without knowing what I am going to be cooking just seems reckless to me.  Those are the days you end up with cookies, chips and a random tub of guacamole when you don't even like guacamole.

In order to keep our grocery budget in check, I usually sit down every Saturday or Sunday and make a list of dinner for the week.  My list consists of five to nine different recipes that are either new or old standbys.  Then I take those recipes and write down everything in them that I don't already have in my cupboards.  This also helps me know when my staples are running low.  After I write own the needed ingredients, I will go through the sales ad for my grocery store.  For me, I only shop at Safeway, I have my favorite checker and I really like their new Just For U program which I can put coupons directly onto my club card.  After I check the ad, I assign the recipes each a day of the week, trying to alternate proteins and ease of preparation dependent upon what we have going on that day.

Last week, I had a pretty free schedule so I decided to make five new recipes, enjoy!

Monday:  Cheesy Chicken Casserole

We really liked this recipe.  I used rotisserie chicken leftovers and left out the peas.  My picky eater of a husband even liked this and said next time the peas would actually be ok.  This will probably be on our menu about once a month.  It was so simple.

Tuesday:  Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

This was pretty good.  We left out the onion.  I have adored Golden Mushroom soup since I discovered it about a year ago.  It is my favorite condensed soup to use.  I prefer my regular old Beef Stroganoff to this but I would make it again.

Wednesday:  Skinny Coconut Shrimp

I had a horrible day this day so I think my bad attitude tainted the recipe.  I bought the wrong shrimp, I waited too long to make it and we didn't eat until almost 8, which is really late for us.  I should have taken more time with this recipe and I think it would have been delicious.  I got irritated with breading each shrimp.  As it was we both liked it and I will make it again.

Thursday:  Swedish Meatballs

This recipe was a jumping off point for me, I kinda went out on my own.  I left out the allspice, celery and onion in the meatballs.  I did follow the meatball cooking instructions though and I thought it gave them a really great texture and flavor.  I enjoyed this recipe and was a little peeved we only had enough leftovers for one of us to take for lunch the next day, so next time I will make a slightly larger batch.

Friday:  Wing It!
We had some cat issues this week and we had to go to the vet on Friday.  We were supposed to try a baked Sweet and Sour Chicken but didn't have time for it so we picked up KFC.  That's what I love about having a plan, it can always change and its no big deal.  That recipe is now on for next week.

I am off to make my menu and see what I can make before payday/grocery day.  Have a great week and thanks for reading.

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken

I love slow cooker recipes.  I can throw them together before I leave for work and when I come home my house smells wonderful and dinner is ready.  I found this recipe here and adapted it for our taste.

6 Chicken Tenders
3 lbs Fingerling Potatoes
1 cup Italian Dressing
2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Coat the slow cooker crock with non-stick cooking spray.  Place the chicken in the bottom of the crock.  Sprinkle with half of the seasoning, half the dressing and half the cheese.  Cut the potatoes into bite size pieces and layer on top of the chicken.  Sprinkle the remaining seasoning, dressing and cheese on top.  Cook on low for 7 hours.

Hawaiian Pineapple Pork

I don't really like to follow recipes so its a tad bit ironic that half my blog is devoted to recipes.  So I say, start here and create your own flavors.  I read a super simple recipe for Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken that used a bottled sauce, chicken breast and pineapple.  I read the ingredients of the bottled sauce and instead of spending $6 for it, I made my own with things I already had on hand.

Hawaiian Pineapple Pork
3 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp garlic
1 can pineapple chunks
2-3 lb pork roast
In the Crock Pot, I mixed the sugar, soy sauce, broth, garlic and the juice from the can of pineapple.  I then added the frozen pork roast, poured the pineapple chunks on top and set my timer for 8 hours on low.  Serve over rice.

When I got home, the house smelled wonderful and I was so looking forward to dinner.  Unfortunately I felt the sauce on this was too thin.  I didn't play with it because I was hungry when I got home but here are some suggestions I have to make it better, and if you try it, let me know.

-reduce the chicken broth to 1 cup or less (I am always paranoid about stuff drying out)
-up the soy sauce to 1/2 cup
-use more pineapple juice

The pork makes juice of its own as it cooks and my sauce never thickened.  I have, in the past, used a slurry of corn starch and cold water to thicken.  It really works.  Just turn the crock pot to high and let it go for about 30 minutes.  I hope to update this recipe soon with maybe a picture but it really is hard to make stuff that comes out of the crock pot look appetizing.