Weekly Weigh In

Current Weight: 186.8 lbs

Weekly Loss:  -2.2 lbs      Total Loss: -35.2 lbs

I'm almost back down to my lowest weight (185.6 in July, before we went on vacation) since I've started.  
I'll tell you, it feels really good to have a few weeks with a loss again.  

I'm not sure how the next few weeks are going to go.  This week I've been sick, so I haven't been to the gym since Monday due to exhaustion and then strep throat.  I'm hoping to get back there tomorrow.  The week after that I have off from work, and I have a bunch of things planned that could go either way as far as weight loss is concerned.  We shall see!!

Creamy Parmesan Polenta with Turkey Sausage Sauce

I love spicy Italian turkey sausage, until I figured out that one link has 4 Points+.  And that's the lean turkey sausage!  In order to make the sausage stretch, I decided to add it to a vegetable filled sauce and serve it over polenta.  The recipe below makes 3 servings with 8 Points+ each.  It was so fulfilling!

Ingredients:
1 cup corn meal
3 cups water, divided
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 link lean spicy italian turkey sausage (I like the kind by Shady Brook Farms)
1 onion, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1/2 large eggplant or 1 small eggplant, cubed
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 link lean spicy italian turkey sausage (I like the kind by Shady Brook Farms), casing removed
1 28 ounce can peeled tomatoes in sauce
Dried Oregano, salt and black pepper to taste


Directions:
Whisk together corn meal, 1 cup cold water and salt in a bowl.  Bring remaining 2 cups of water to a boil.  Whisk in corn meal mixture.  Reduce heat to low and stir frequently.  After a few minutes, add Parmesan cheese and continue to stir until it reaches desired texture.  Remove from heat, cover and set aside.


Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add eggplant, onions and mushrooms.  After a few minutes, add the turkey meat, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks.  Add in chopped garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.  Once veggies are nice and soft and just beginning to brown, add in the tomatoes and sauce.  Cut up tomatoes if desired (I cut mine into large chunks).  Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for at least 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so.  Continue to season to taste with oregano, salt and pepper.


When sauce it almost done, place polenta back over medium heat and stir to heat it through.  Divide heated polenta among 3 plates and smooth out, almost like a pizza crust.  Serve sauce evenly over polenta on each plate.  

French Toast with Mixed Berry Compote

I have breakfast issues.  I usually stick to my greek yogurt or oatmeal.  Sometimes I'll change it up with some eggs and center cut bacon, but that's about it.  Over the weekend, I had a huge craving for french toast after working my butt off at the gym.  I really just wanted to head to the diner, but knew that I would be in for a mega-point breakfast that wouldn't help me out at all.


Luckily, I came up with a delicious recipe for french toast with a mixed berry compote.  I was HUNGRY, so 4 pieces of french toast with all of the compote and 1/4 cup of sugar-free syrup came to a total of 7 Points+ (8 if you count the compote as a point).  And, boy, was it tasty!

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 packets Splenda


4 slices light wheat bread
1 egg 
2 egg whites
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of vanilla extract
Dash of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze


1/4 cup sugar-free syrup (I used Vermont Maid- it's not bad!)


Directions:
Combine berries, vinegar, lemon juice and Splenda in a small sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat until it is simmering.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer and reduce, stirring frequently so that it doesn't burn.


While that is cooking, whisk together eggs and egg whites, cinnamon, vanilla and the almond breeze.  Heat a non-stick pan (use cooking spray if you wish) over medium-high heat.  Dip each slice of bread into the liquid until it's completely covered.  Shake off excess liquid and place in pan, flipping after a few minutes.  I prefer to cook my french toast one slice at a time so that I can get it nice and crispy without burning it, but that's up to you.  Continue to dip and cook all slices.  


Serve french toast with the compote and syrup.  I originally was going to not use the syrup, but the compote wasn't enough to moisten the french toast.  Enjoy!

Weekly Weigh In

Current Weight: 189 lbs

Weekly Loss:  -1.4 lbs        Total Loss: -33 lbs

Go Giants!!!!!!!

I did it!  

I reached my goal of being back in the 180's by February!!!
And, I earned $72 for myself in my part-time job!!!

I was a bit nervous that I wasn't going to be able to do it.  I have eliminated most of my alcohol consumption the past few weeks, but this week I had a few glasses of wine and splurged on 2 margaritas over the weekend!  I included it all in my points, though, and I'm glad it didn't cause me to gain.  I'm still going to stick to limiting my intake.

My next goal is to be in the 170's by April.  I don't think I've been in the 170's since maybe junior high school, if not before that.  I honestly don't remember.

2 months to lose 9 lbs, I can do this!!!!

Vegetarian Chili over Spaghetti Squash

Here in good old New York we just like our chili with chili, nothing else, but I know that it's traditional in places like Cincinnati to serve it over pasta.  Based on what I had in the house and my new found obsession with spaghetti squash, I decided to create a low-point chili to serve over some "spaghetti".  One cup of the chili has 4 Points+.  Since spaghetti squash is watery, I upped the spices and salt in the chili.  If you are not planning on serving this over spaghetti squash, I would cut the spices and salt in half and then add from there if needed.   

This might be great to cook up for the Super Bowl if you want that comfort food feeling without eating all of that fat filled food we are accustomed to.  For directions on how to prepare the spaghetti squash, click here.

Ingredients

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes and chiles (like the kind by Rotel)

1 cup frozed corn kernels

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

Shredded cheese to top (if desired)

If you don't already own a Vidalia Chopper, you should get one!  Look how beautiful my diced onions and peppers are!  And it takes seconds to get uniform pieces! 

Heat oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat.  Add onions and peppers and saute until softened.  Add remaining ingredients except the cheese.  Once simmering, reduce heat to low and stir every few minutes until thickened up.  If you taste it, it will taste too salty and like there are too many spices.  Trust me, it will all be okay.

Serve 1 cup of chili over 1 1/2 cups warm spaghetti squash.  Top with shredded cheese if desired (adds extra points).  The spaghetti squash's watery nature will affect the saltiness of the chili and it will end up being one big happy meal for your tummy.