Friday, August 29, 2014

Foodie Friday: Cauliflower Helper

I'm a huge fan of Hamburger Helper.  Yet the problem with that is it is full of fat, sodium, and a LOT of carbs.  This could throw your eating plan for a whirl.  So what are you to do?  Create something!  I personally love cauliflower, and I buy a head or 2 at a time.

Cana's Cauliflower Helper!

  • 2 lbs of cauliflower (a large head)
  • 1 lb of ground turkey (try and find the lowest fat content if possible)
  • 8 oz of reduced fat cheese, shredded.
  • 1 cup of green peas, frozen
  • 1/4 cup of unsweetened, plain almond milk

Steam the cauliflower & peas together until tender (I believe this took about 20 minutes).  While steaming the veggies, brown turkey and season it with your choice of seasonings.  Drain both veggies and turkey.  Then mix in a large pan, with heat on medium.  Add almond milk and cheese.  Stir until completely mixed.

This recipe serves about 5 people each 11 oz servings.  And each serving is 6 WWPP.  How great is that?  I think it is beyond awesome!

What I did was I used cajun seasoning for the turkey, and I used reduced fat mexican-style cheese.  It had the perfect amount of heat and creaminess that I love from Hamburger Helper, without the large amount of fat, sodium, and carbs!

Enjoy!

So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely!
Cana Elene

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Wednesday Motivation


We all need motivation, but today I thought to touch on something other than working out.  I'm talking about a support group and great apps to help.

I use MapMyFitness (http://www.mapmyfitness.com/) and Lose It! (https://www.loseit.com).  Both of these work with Android and iPhones, and the apps will communicate (mostly) between each other.

Some people find great support from Weight Watcher's meetings.

And then we have the personal motivation.  For me it is my wonderful boyfriend, Mike.
Our Monthly Trip out of town.
And my best friend, Becca.
Renn Fair!
And even family health might be a motivation.  I don't want to be going on 70 and have the same health problems that my parents have.  Or even the health problems my Truey had.  If I can prevent it, I will.

What are your motivations?

So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely! Cana Elene

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Weigh-In: August 25, 2014

What I did this week:
  • I've been on the new medication from my doctor for a week now.  I've lost .4 lbs with it, so I'm interested to see how much I'll loose next week.
  • I'm eating on an 1,854 calories a day.  For the most part (minus my birthday), I generally stay at the 700 calories consumed.  
  • Even though my birthday was this weekend, I still made a point to help myself reach my goal.  
Weight:  260.8 lbs
Dress Size: 20
Thighs:  27 in
Arms:  17.25 in
Bust:  42.5 in
Waist:  42.5 in
Hips:  50.5 in

What I will be doing in the coming week?
  • I'm going to try some new veggies, and increase my intake of fruits.  
  • I'm going to try to do 2 days a week where I eat meatless.  I think it might not be as hard as one would think.  
  • I'm going to try and increase the mileage I walk during the week by 1/2 a mile.  
So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely!
Cana Elene

Friday, August 22, 2014

Foodie Friday: Pizza!

Who doesn't like pizza?  I know this kid LOVES pizza.   So I started working on stuff that would be good for me and would help prevent binge eating.  Thus my wonderful pizza!

Rustic White Flatbread Veggie Pizza!

  • 1- Flatout Thin Crust Flatbreads Artisan Pizza in Rustic White
  • 1/4 cup of fresh mushrooms, cut into slices
  • 1/8 cup of fresh spinach
  • 1/4 small onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup of Ragu pasta sauce of your choice (I picked Garlic and Onion... Trying to keep the vampires away :P)
  • 1/4 cup of shredded 2% Mexican Blend Cheese.  
  • 1/2 of a Weight Watchers Chicken Burger (seasoned to your taste).  

    This was a last minute add to the recipe.
    I prefer meat on my pizzas, so I had to think of a good one to add.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  

Pre-bake your pizza crust for 4-5 minutes.
Remove the pizza crust from the oven and fix your pizza as you want.  


Then bake your pizza for 4 minutes.

Eat it!  (And it was DELICIOUS!!!!)

Total points for it is 9 points!  I know, for some of us that is a bit much, but it is yummy and a wonderful treat after being VERY GOOD in the previous week :).  

So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely! 


Cana Elene

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Wednesday Workout Motivation!


I'm a huge Doctor Who Fan, and I am so excited about the upcoming season premier the day before my 30th birthday!  So I have tried this week to think of something wonderful to workout to that has to do with Doctor Who.

And look what I found!


This is all the motivation I have this busy week!  But I'm still so excited!

So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely! Cana Elene

Monday, August 18, 2014

Weigh-in: August 18

What I've done this week:
  •   I went to my doctor and talked to her about my weight and my concerns.  She has added some things to my plan, which includes a different plan and medication.  
  • I mowed my front lawn (45 min), and then pruned the bushes around my house (3 hours)... That alone was a workout.
What I'm going to do in the coming week?  
  • I'm going to start biking around a friend's neighborhood.  I am hoping that this will be something fun to do instead of just walking.  

Weight: 261.2 lbs
Dress Size: 20
Thighs:  27.5 in
Arms:  17 in
Bust:  44 in
Waist:  41 in
Hips:  51 in

So here's to slowly loosing it!

Cana Elene

Friday, August 15, 2014

Food Friday: Date Night Food!

So, I'm a huge fan of meatloaf.  To me, it's a comfort food, like chicken & dumplings and cornbread with boiled cabbage.  I love it and can't resist it.  But they are so high in points, so greasy, and so bad for you.  Which is so sad for me.

But I've found a way to fix that!  My yummy date night meatloaf.  Now, there are no pictures because, (1) I forgot; (2) I wasn't cooking it at home; (3) and because Mike and I devoured it :-).
____________________________________________________________________________
Ingredients:

  • 1 lb extra-lean ground turkey breast (93% lean if possible)
  • 1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (note that this can change the point value depending on what you use.  I used Krafts Spicy Honey BBQ)
  • 1 Tbsp of Garlic paste/2 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup of ground up oatmeal
  • 2 Tbsp of Six Italian Cheese
  • 2 tsp of Mrs. Dash Onion & Herbs seasoning
First, I took my dad's food processor and pulsed the oatmeal a bit until most of it was powdery, but the rest was just broken up.  I liked using this instead of bread crumbs because I already had it and it gave the meatloaf a different flavor which I really enjoyed.

Start preheating the oven for 350 degrees.  Then mix in all ingredients in a bowl and then place in a well sprayed pan.  Place in the oven for about 40 minutes.  Once it was done, I let it cool just a bit before serving.  It is 3 servings, and each serving is 8 points.  I served it with yummy golden mashed potatoes and green peas, which made the whole meal 12 points.  But, you can adjust the sides to lower the points for the meal.
____________________________________________________________________________

I promise, next time I make it, I'll post pics!  I definitely think that this is a repeat meal!  So, go ahead and try it.  Let me know what you think.

So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely! Cana Elene

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Wednesday Workout Motivation

  



I'm always looking for ways to motivate myself to loose weight.  But a bigger problem is to remember what I've lost, and what I've accomplished.  So I started looking for some motivation.



First, I found this great idea to motivate workouts:  Money.  Let's be honest, that is a great way to motivate just about anyone.  Putting a $1 in the jar for everytime you work out, I think is a great idea.  For me, I'd be a $1 for every point of activities I earn on WW.  I use their activity tracer, so I'm going to use that to help me start tracking money for my work out jar.





The other thing I found that I really liked was using marbles (or pennies, or whatever else I have lying around the house that is small and in large amounts lying around the house) to keep track of pounds to go and track pounds that you've lost.  I think that this was a great idea because no matter how frustrated I get on my weight loss journey, this would always remind me of what I've already accomplished.








For a workout idea this week, I found myself trying to find arm workouts that don't require weights right now.  I don't have any, so I'm starting out slowly without weights until I can afford them.


Both of these workouts have been good, though I'm able to do more with the 5 min to toned arms than the Weight-free Arms.

So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely! Cana Elene



Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Weigh-in: August 11

So I didn't loose any weight this week... But I also didn't gain anything!  Yay!  I also discovered that my weight is shifting around.  I lost inches in my waist and hips, but I gained inches in my arms and thighs.

Weight:  265.2 lbs
Dress Size: 20
Thighs:  28.5 in
Arms:  18.5 in
Bust:  45 in
Waist:  41.5 in
Hips:  50.5 in

What I've done this week:
  • I packed all my meals & snacks for my job.  I even pre-programmed them into my weight watchers app.  
  • I walked 4 out of 7 days this week.  
  • I cut down drinking 1 sweet tea only on the days that I work.  The rest of the time I only drink water.
What I'm going to try this week:
  • So, I'm going to try giving up sweet tea this week, just to see if that might help.  Trying all water for a week to see if I see a difference. 
  • I'm going to try some new arm workouts, as well as some of the barre workouts for my thighs.  
  • Going to try and eat smaller point meals.  See how that works, because most of my meals have been high points, plus snacks.  

So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely! Cana Elene

Friday, August 8, 2014

Foodie Friday: Work Food

I work for a call center, on 12 hour shifts.  The work isn't bad, but I am sitting for 12 hours, with 2- 10 min breaks and 2- 15 min breaks, so meals and snacks are eaten all in front of my computer.  That can be hard, and if I'm not careful, I'll eat more that I  normal would if I was sitting at a table.  So what do you do?  You do the old fashioned packing of the lunch.

I purchased a 3-pack of snack containers (for snacks and breakfasts) and a 3-pack of long entree containers.  All together they were about $7 (with tax).  I plan on getting a few more of each to help do other packing.

So, lets work on breakfast.





My breakfast for work is generally pretty simple.  I do a packet of instant grits, a hard boiled egg, and a Laughing Cow cheese wedge in Queso Fresco & Chipotle.  When I finally make the grits, it will be with water for about 1 minute in the microwave.  It is simple, filling, and pretty yummy.



Total WW PP: 5 PP





Snacks:


I pack enough snacks for 2 snacks.  I packed 2 cheese sticks, a pack of Vanilla Roast Almonds, and a Big Slice Pure Kettle Cooked Apples (think applesauce, but better).
My first snack is 1 cheese stick & nuts
My second snack is 1 cheese stick & apples

First Snack WW PP: 4 PP
Second Snack:  WW PP: 3 PP


Lunch:


So this week, I'm working only 3 days.  So what I am doing is prepping 3 days worth of lunches.  They are a bit more indepth than the breakfast and snacks, but they are so worth it!

What you will need:  





  • 1 cup of Sugar Snap Peas
  • 1 cup of Summer Squash
  • 1 cup of Carrots
  • 2 medium Onions
  • 1- 10.5 oz potato
  • 8 oz chicken breast
  • 7 oz chicken gizzards (don't knock it till you tried it)
  • 1 Garlic Clove or 2 tsp of Garlic paste
  • Olive Oil Spray (I use Pam, but any kind will do)
  • 1 pack of Idahoan Smashed Potatoes (instant)

All of this is enough to make 4 meals (I had the 4 serving for lunch).


To make the Summer Veggie Mix:
Spray the pan for 2 seconds with the olive oil spray.  Put the sliced onions and garlic in.  Cook until onions begin to soften (you might need to add a bit of water to make sure that it doesn't scorch or stick).  Add  the carrots.  Cook until carrots begin to soften (about 5 min).  Add the snap peas & squash.  Cook with lid on for about 10 minutes, stir occasionally.  Then remove lid and cook for another 10 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated.
 And this is the end result:

Doesn't it look yummy.  You get about 3.5 cups of this mix.

The chicken breast I cut up into chunks and separated it out into 2 servings of 4 oz.  You can season it how ever you want.  What I did was I used Cajun seasoning to help give it a nice bite.

The gizzards were a 4 oz serving for work and 3 oz serving for lunch at home.

I did prep some roasted potatoes.  The prep is pretty easy.  Cut up the potato into chunks.  Spray for 2 seconds on the pan, to ensure they don't stick. Then place potatoes into the pan, and spray them for 3 second with olive oil.  Next, I used about 2 Tbsp of Mrs. Dash seasoning (you pick what you want), and just sprinkled it onto the potatoes.  I cooked them for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

Finished Product:  
lunch at home (the leftovers from prepping work meals)
 With all these bowls, I just pack them up into a old plastic bag to carry them to work.  The only thing I didn't account for is my daily does of caffeine, which is 8 oz of sweet tea for 2 PP.



Doesn't it all look good?  The Gizzard Bowl is 9 PP , and the Chicken Breast Bowl is 9 PP each.  If you don't like gizzards, just switch it out for another meat that is low in PP.  

All together, I will use about 24 PP, with 18 PP left for dinner.  

So, see you next Friday for another Foodie Friday.

So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely! Cana Elene

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Wednesday Workout Motivation - What gets you going?


Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

What great works to help motivate you to loose weight and work out.  So, what are you doing?

I'm currently walking 5-6 nights a week with my boyfriend Mike, and we've been doing this since the end of March.  But, I realized as I weighed in on Monday that there are a lot of areas that aren't worked on when you are only walking.  So I did something I do a lot of when I need inspiration: Get on Pinterest.  I found a lot of great suggestions.  Below is the one I'm going to use (along with walking) for the next 60 days.  The great thing about this one is that I can do this on my breaks at work (yay! no getting up early to do it!)


I think this will be a simple thing.  It is stair step.  But I've also thought that if I have to, I'll mix it up.  Because if I have realized anything, I have a tendency to get bored.  So I found some great beginner's work outs on youtube.com.

I found this one.  It was pretty good.  I was only able to do about 8 minutes out of a 30 min workout.  But my goal is to try and do this same workout until I can do the whole thing.  It might take a few weeks, but I think I can do it.



So what motivation do you take and where do you get your inspiration?

So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely! Cana Elene

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Weigh-in: August 4, 2014

This weigh-in is a partial week.  By healthy eating 3 days in a row, I was able to drop 4.8 pounds.  I do believe that the biggest help was me packing my lunch/snacks ahead of time.  I am going to keep trying that for work, as well as starting to pack my breakfast.... Lets see if that helps more.

Weight: 265.2 lbs
Dress Size: 20
Thighs: 28 in
Arms: 18 in
Bust: 45 in
Waist: 43 in
Hips: 51 in

So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely! Cana Elene

Monday, August 4, 2014

It's been so long, let's start over.

Hey y'all.

It has been a while, but I'm fixing that.  I've started Weight Watchers again.  I believe that I need to, and I want to be healthy... And on a completely selfish reason, I want to be a size 16 or 18 for my sister's wedding in October.

So this time, I'm trying something new.  Not only weighing in, but also measuring.  I am also doing some tricks for work, specifically for meals and snacks.

So, I started back on Friday, August 1.  Here were all my weight/measurements for August first:

Weight: 270 lbs
Dress Size: 20
Thighs: 30 in
Arms: 18 in
Bust: 46 in
Waist: 44.5 in
Hips: 53 in

I'll be posting soon my current weight/measurements for August 4th, 2014.  And keep checking back for great ideas for food!

So here is to loosing it... Slowly, but surely! Cana Elene