Beach Snacks

It's summer, and that means more time at the beach!  More time at the beach means more food consumed out of my house!  DANGER ZONE!


I've made a point of riding my bike to the beach this summer whenever I go alone, that way I get a workout in.  The only problem I encountered was what to bring as a beach snack!  I love fruit, but I put everything into a backpack, a cooler doesn't fit, and I hate warm fruit.  Off to the pantry I go!


I decided on beef jerky and almonds.  Not together.  2 ounces of beef jerky has 4 Points+, and it's so much more than you'd think!  It takes a while to eat and keeps you full.  One ounce of almonds (around 20) is 5 Points+, but again, you eat them slow and they are satisfying.  I buy dry roasted unsalted almonds, and they are delicious!  


I brought a bag of each with me this morning, and only ate a fraction!  I plan on packing these 2 snacks, along with water, each time I get on that bike and head to the beach!


What are you favorite healthy beach snacks that don't need to be kept cool?

Jalapeno

Ever since buying fresh jalapenos for my tomatillo salsa, I've become obsessed with adding fresh jalapenos to things.  I've also decided that I need to create more foods that I could add jalapenos to!


I've always used canned, but never again!  If you're a spice lover but have been afraid of cutting a real pepper and accidentally getting the oils in your eye and going blind, get over your fear!  And remember to wash your hands well after you handle the peppers!!!

Jalapeno mustache, anyone???

Lychee

It's finally here!  Lychee season!

I'm betting that most of you have no clue what I'm talking about.  Lychee's (or litchi's) are a fruit native to China.  It looks scary, but it's absolutely delicious and very hard to find!

My first lychee experience took place in our favorite Thai restaurant- Tiny Thai- in Farmingdale.  They have a tropical red curry, and these weird looking white things were in it.  They tasted amazing, and the lovely owner told me what they were.  I can't really describe their taste- they are sweet with a firm texture, but they are so much more than that!  You really have to try them!


Ever since then, I've been on the hunt for lychees.  I could only ever find canned lychees, which were okay, but not exactly what I wanted.  I wanted fresh.  The canned fruit was usable for cooking and also for lychee martinis.


Last summer, while shopping in Best Yet, I was browsing the produce department and had to do a double take!  Are those containers of lychees?  Can it be?  YES!!!!  FRESH LYCHEES!!!  I bought as many containers as they had.  This year, last week, lychees were finally back.  I know they won't be there for long, so I buy as many as they have!


How does one eat a lychee?  First, you need to peel off the skin.  It's like a thin paper, so don't use a peeler, just use your fingers.

Then, you can nibble the fruit off of the seed in the center.  Don't just pop it in your mouth and chew, you'll be in for a not-so-pleasant surprise when you crack your tooth on the seed.

If you see lychees in your grocery store, buy them.  If you like fruit, you'll love the unique texture and taste!

Lychee Leftovers!

Week 27 Weigh In

Current Weight: 188.6 lbs

Weekly Loss: 3 lbs       Total Loss 33.4 lbs

I'll be wearing this outfit all summer, it's so comfortable!

Back on track, and it feels good!  I've gone to the gym almost every day this week!

Now that school is over for the summer, I plan on going to the gym at least once every day, and some days I want to go twice.  My danger zone is when I'm home alone and bored.  All I usually want to do is sit, eat and watch tv.  I'm going to try my hardest to keep myself busy and out of the house.  We are also going to cancel our cable service, so that will help me as well!  Summer, here I come!

Gym Pet Peeve of the Week

So many of these have to do with smells!


The latest is an attempt at being proactive about BO that creates a whole new problem.  It's overdosing with perfume or cologne.  Granted, I appreciate that people are trying not to smell like rotting food, but when I'm breathing hard and all of a sudden I gulp air heavy with musk, it kind of disrupts my inhalation.  Luckily, I'm not allergic, but someone else there might be!  Even for myself, my breathing gets shallow and difficult when it's full of Burberry Brit.  


So, please, stick with deodorant to avoid smelling!

Tomatillo Salsa

For a while now, I've been tempted by the tomatillos at the grocery store, but I've never known what to do with them!  This weekend, I just bought a bunch along with some jalapeno peppers, looked for a salsa, tweaked it a bit, and it's fantastic!

Here's what you'll need:

6 tomatillos, husks removed

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (seeds and all!)

1/2 white onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Place tomatillos in a non-reactive pan (I used stainless steel) and cover with water.  Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes or until tomatillos are soft.  

Drain and place tomatillos in a blender.  Add remaining ingredients and blend until it's a consistency that you like.  We like it smooth, so we ran it on the smoothie mode.

Voila!  It's really great, good kick but not over-powering.  I can see it going great with grilled chicken, tonight we are enjoying it with tortilla chips.  

Week 26 Weigh In

Current Weight: 191.6 lbs

Weekly Gain: 2.8 lbs    Total Loss: 30.4 lbs

Despite the fact that I've been gaining and losing the same 3ish pounds this past month, I've been having a good time!  The warm weather is proving to be harder for me than I thought!  I've been being way more social than I was during the colder months, so more drinking and eating has been taking place.  
It's been fun, but I need to get back on track.

In other news, I bought the orange dress in the pictures back in 2008, but I haven't been able to wear it until now!  YAY!!! 

Yogurt and Nails

I've been addicted to Fage Total 0% plain greek yogurt and preserves for a while now.  A few weeks ago, I stopped eating yogurt for breakfast and was on an oatmeal kick, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  


What I didn't enjoy, though, was what happened to my nails!  I didn't realize the yogurt connection at first, but my nails have been growing so strong and beautiful these past few months.  They almost never broke, and I could actually make them look all pretty!  Then, during my oatmeal weeks, my nails kept breaking and stuff, and I didn't know why.  Then it hit me!  YOGURT!!!!


Needless to say, I'm back to my daily (sometimes twice daily) yogurt habit.  I'm glad to see that Fage now makes their 0% paired will yummy new flavors- cherry pomegranate, strawberry goji, mango guanabana and blueberry acai.  They are all yummy, and only 3 Points+.  I haven't seen these flavors at the grocery store, but they sell them in a 12 variety pack at BJ's.  

Egg Drop Soup

Greatest discovery ever.  Egg Drop soup is 1 WW Point+ per cup according to their website data base!  Now, I know that egg drop soup varies throughout the country, but this is amazing!  Broth-based soup is usually a safe bet depending what else is in it, but this is so fantastic.  What a great thing to pick up on the way home to curb your hunger or to compliment a meal.  I love egg drop soup, even more so now!!!

Dog Walk

This post is not completely weight loss related, but life related!


This past Saturday morning Chris and I participated in a fundraising dog walk in Westhampton Beach for RSVP Inc, a rescue organization that helped us when we needed a place to board our dogs while we were looking for a house.  We were a little afraid about how our dogs would act since they haven't really been around other dogs or strangers at all.


It turns out they were great!  If anything, they were timid around all of the commotion.  They glued themselves to our legs and wouldn't leave our sides.  We were so happy that they weren't being aggressive towards anything or anyone! 


This was a short walk, but now I'm more confident about attending longer walks in the future. Hooray!

Week 25 Weigh In

Current Weight: 188.8 lbs

Weekly Loss:  3.4 lbs         Total Loss: 33.2 lbs

Sorry for the late posting!

I'm back on the losing-bandwagon.  I was glad to see that I had lost most of the weight I had gained back.  This week should be interesting, I haven't been eating well but I've been exercising, so we shall see.  

This is the last weekend that I'm letting myself go overboard.  It needs to stop.  

Summer is almost here!  The weekends are like teases, it's so close!

I can't wait to have more time to exercise and cook, it's going to rock!

Dear Nick,

Dear Nick-Yoga-Master,


Thank you.  


Thank you for waking me up and making me remember how determined I am, even without knowing you had that effect, or without knowing I've needed an extra kick in the behind.


Thank you for pushing me harder in your class, I was just being lazy, and your little push woke me up!


You are awesome.  Just wait until school is over in 2 weeks and I can come to all of your classes each week instead of just one.  This is the summer of transformation!


Sincerely,
The girl in the front row with the pretty yoga mat and with the glasses that keep falling of from sweat!

Cedar Plank Salmon

I love salmon, but I find myself getting into a rut as far as recipes are concerned.  I don't like heavy sauces, and my usual recipes bore me now.  I was walking through the grocery store the other day, and saw cedar planks.  Hey, why not!


They are really easy to use, and the results were great!  You soak the plank in water for at least an hour, then add it to a grill maintaining a temperature of 350.  After 3 minutes, turn the plank over and place the fish on top (we just seasoned it with salt and pepper).  Leave the top closed, keep an eye on the temp, and when the fish flakes, it's done.  You don't have to flip it at all, and the result is an extremely moist, delicious piece of fish!  We served it with the black bean and corn salsa and some faux risotto!  It was the best meal we've made in a while!

Gym Pet Peeve of the Week

Off I went to finally enjoy an evening of exercise!  I'm more than halfway through my elliptical routine when a couple get on the machines next to me.  Nothing unusual, I don't have space issues, we're good.


Then the odor hits me, from the woman.  It's not body odor, I can deal with that since we are in a place where you are expected to sweat.  It's not dirty clothing odor.  


It's none other than alcohol stink.  Apparently the best pre-workout beverage is beer!  I have to say, I've smelt many scents in the gym environment, but this was a first.  She didn't appear drunk, but you can't mistake the smell of beer for anything else.  I don't understand why someone would drink then workout.  Isn't that counterproductive?  Dangerous?  Stupid???


So, Ms. Beery, save your drinking for when you get home.  Spare me the smell and potential safety hazards!

Black Bean and Corn Side Dish

With all of the barbecues that take place during the summer, you rarely find a side dish that is low fat.  Salads are usually mayonnaise based, or things are full of brown sugar and sauce.  It can be a nightmare!


The other night I decided last minute that I wanted to throw a side together for barbecued chicken, but it had to be something I had in the house since I was short on time.  Enter the best-bbq-side-ever!


Take a can of black beans (rinsed and drained), a cup of frozen corn kernels (thawed) and salsa to taste.  I used a medium salsa because we like spice.  Mix, add salt to taste.  


THAT'S IT!  It makes 4 servings at 3 Points+ each.  Again, we ate it before I could take a picture, but I know we will be making it again soon, so I will be sure to update!

Meh

I'm not happy.  I'm up even more.  192.2 lbs.  I'm angry, slightly depressed, but overly determined now to undo what I've done.  Between stress eating and delicious, fatty barbecues (OMG we make awesome ribs!) and some alcoholic beverages, I've done some damage


As I told my husband last night- "I like losing weight more than I like food."  The good feeling from losing weight lasts so much longer than the good feeling from eating a meal.  Plus, I enjoy eating healthy foods!  I've been lazy and taking the easy way out by choosing what's in front of me instead of choosing something better for myself.


It's go time people.  The school year is almost over, and I'm going to be a weight-loss machine.  Starting now, whether I like it or not!  


My plan is to have a bite of my husband's ribs (thanks!) and then move on to the chicken and veggies.  I've been slacking on stocking my house with the veggies I love, so I need to step it up.  If I want to have a drink, I'm allowing myself to have 2 drinks only one night a week.  By planning ahead, I should be able to make all of this happen!

Lime Cooler

I enjoy citrus beverages in the summer.  This one is 0 Points+, delicious, and you could always add in silver rum to have an alcoholic beverage.  1 jigger would make it 4 Points+.  I haven't tried it, but it seems like it would go well.

Not beer, but if you enjoy beer, check out Great South Bay Brewery.  They've got some amazing beer!

I didn't measure, but I combined the juice of one lime, Splenda, muddled mint leaves and seltzer, mix and serve on the rocks.  So refreshing!