I actually won something...Laughing Cow Cheese!

A few weeks after Fitbloggin, I got a tweet notifying me that I had WON their contest they ran at the Conference:

I have seriously been a fan of Laughing Cow cheese, particularly the light Swiss flavor for years, and years. And I honestly, NEVER win anything, so I was pumped.

A few days later, this arrived on my doorstep.

A nifty Laughing Cow branded lunch box with four packages of Laughing Cow Cheese to try: Garlic & Herb, light Swiss, and two new flavors, White Cheddar and Queso Fresco & Chipotle.

Although I've been a fan of the light Swiss for a long time, I honestly have never branched out and tried other flavors, like the Garlic & Herb. So I was stoked to expand my Laughing Cow Cheese repertoire and try to find inventive ways to use the different flavors.

My standard, go-to recipe is to make a light, low calorie Alfredo sauce with the Swiss flavor. This goes great with pasta - or spaghetti squash for a lower carb version. I saw this recipe on a blog years, and years ago - probably 5 or more. But Laughing Cow also has a version on their website.

Here are the ingredients I used.

 I add red pepper flakes to add a bit of heat, and sometimes I use a sprinkling of flour if I need to thicken it up since I don't usually use dairy milk, thus cutting out the milkfat. The original soymilk from 8th Continent was definitely too sweet, but it did the trick in a pinch for a quick dinner.

I added mine to whole wheat angel hair pasta with broccoli and fresh tomatoes.

 Since I only tried the other flavors at Fitbloggin' with veggies and crispy flatbread, I tried to think of ways to add a little Laughing Cow flair to some of my old, regular, boring meals.

The winning shot.

The Queso Fresco & Chipotle went well on a black bean and rice burrito. I took a wedge and microwaved it for 30-60 seconds to melt it a bit. The flavor went quite well with this combination and has a bit of spice, but as someone that LOVES spice, you see that I still added my normal amount of hot sauce. :)

I stuffed the Swiss flavor in some mini peppers I had on-hand and roasted them in the oven. This was good, but it didn't turn out like a "jalapeno popper" like I hoped. I think next time mixing the Laughing Cow with some shredded cheese and green chilies is in order.

The White Cheddar flavor spruced up a boring turkey, spinach, tomato wrap for lunch at work.

Also, not shown, but the Garlic & Herb went great on my daily Egg & Spinach sandwich for breakfast!

Thank you Laughing Cow for sponsoring Fitbloggin'13 and for running the contest I won!


Disclaimer: All products were provided to me at no charge as part of a contest I won. Laughing Cow did not ask me to do this post, and all opinions and ideas are my own.

Weekly Menu Plan

I've found recently that having a menu plan for the week helps me not only eat healthier because all my meal and snack options are laid out and I don't "forget" what I have only to go get fast food. But it's helped me stay within my grocery budget.
 

Breakfast

Easy Egg Sandwiches

Muesli with apples

Whole Wheat Protein Pancakes


Lunch

Turkey Avocado wraps w/veggies and White Bean Hummus

Red Beans and Rice


Dinner

Homemade Pizza (recipe for best Whole Wheat Crust coming this week)

Mango Salsa Chicken w/broccoli

Chickpea Crockpot Pie (will be made Sunday for lunches next week)

I have several leftovers of the Lentil Soup and Whole Wheat Gnoochi with Sweet Potato Sauce I made last week and there are a couple lunches at work where food is provided, so this week's menu is once again skimpy, but I'm excited to try the Mango Chicken - it's something I haven't made before. And the turkey avocado wraps are the perfect compliment to the hot weather Nashville is experiencing this week - highs in the 80s all week!

Weekly Menu Planning

Since I spent a lot of money eating out last week, I'm trying to use up things I have on hand for my menu this week - I previously had on-hand asparagus, lean ground beef, potatoes, lentils, and frozen veggies.

My grocery list this week consisted of staples - milk, bread. And fresh fruits and veggies - grapes, bananas, and spinach.

Not a very exciting menu this week, but everything is pretty healthy and I still have lots of veggies incorporated - two goals for myself every week.

Breakfast

Egg Sandwiches

Apple Museli

Scrambled eggs with black beans


Lunch

Leftover blue cheese burgers & asparagus

Potato soup with spinach

Turkey Sandwich w/grapes


Dinner

Chopped Chickpea Salad

Lentil Soup w/french bread

Whole Wheat Gnocchi w/Sweet Potato sauce and broccoli


Snacks

Carrots w/white bean dip

Bananas w/almond butter

Apples

Unsalted Almonds

Grapes

2% Fage Yogurt

Easy Peasy Breakfast Sandwiches

This post by Jen over at Prior Fat Girl, made me so want to share something I've been doing for a LONG time to make a quick, healthy and filling breakfast that also packs a punch of veggies first thing in the morning - microwave egg sandwiches!

• I spray a normal cereal bowl (about an 8 oz size) with non-stick cooking spray





• Add 2 eggs, dash of milk (non-dairy is ok), salt, and pepper, then mix





• Add a handful of spinach on top (sometimes I throw random veggies in the egg mixture, if I need to use something up)





• Microwave for 2 minutes, flip egg "patty" over in bowl
• Microwave for 1 more minute, remove
• Add egg to bread (toasted if you like) and top with cheese (also optional)





• Wrap in a napkin, to eat it in the car!

In 5 minutes you get a nutritious breakfast, that will stay with you until lunchtime!

You could also top with your favorite low-calorie condiment, add a couple slices of lunch meat or bacon, or even a sausage patty, if you wanted. This morning I added a few dashes of hot sauce.

What are some of your favorite, quick, filling and healthy breakfast ideas?

Weekly Menu Planning

One thing that makes me feel on track and in control is planning out my meals each week. By habit I am a weekly grocery shopper. I enjoy having fresh fruits and vegetables in the house at all times (seriously, if there aren't slightly green bananas on my counter, I'm lost) and by going to the grocery store weekly, it let's me do this.

I've been using The Peaceful Mom's Printable Meal Planning Tools to write down my menus and then hang them on the refrigerator as a reminder. Since I usually go to the grocery store sometime over the weekend, my menus are from Sat-Fri.

I'd like to start sharing my menus on the blog, along with recipes, so those of you reading can get a better idea of what I'm eating. In theory, I try to eat a well balanced diet of as many veggies as possible, fruits, whole grains, carbs high in resistance starch, lean protein, and low-fat dairy.

That being said, here's what I am eating this week.

Breakfast:

Egg, spinach and roasted red pepper pita pocket

Biggest Loser Oatmeal Pancakes

Carb Lover's Banana Shake

Easy Egg Sandwiches

Lunch:

Black Bean and Veggie Tacos (made up on the fly: flour tortilla, black beans, diced carrots, grilled peppers and onions, avocado, and hot sauce)

Carb Lover's Banana Shake

Carb Lover's Chicken Pita Sandwich

Tuna Salad w/Wasa crackers, carrots and an apple

Carb Lover's Chickpea Chopped Salad

Dinner:

Baked Salmon w/Parmesan topped baked potato and broccoli (inspired by this Carb Lover's recipe)

Crockpot Chickpea pot pie, Deviled Eggs, and Salad (Easter Sunday)

Carb Lover's Grilled Burgers and 3-bean salad

I've been drawing a lot of inspiration from the good ole' Carb Lover's Diet book because their recipes are well-rounded, healthy, easy, and taste good. This is also an odd week because I have things after work three nights this week, plus my friend is in town Wednesday-Friday so I expect more eating out than normal. That is why I only have 3 dinner varieties listed.

Day 1 - Juice Cleanse/Dextox

I've been intrigued by juice cleanses and detoxes for awhile now. When my friend, Betsy, who is launching her raw/vegan food business next month - Reboot Health & Wellness - mentioned she could design a 1.5 day cleanse for me, I decided to take the plunge. Below is the menu and what was sent to me by Betsy prior to starting the cleanse.

All of our juices start with organic fruits and vegetables that are cold

Day 1:
2 glasses of water with lemon
1 sweet greens smoothie (12oz. drink first -:strawberries/blueberries/banana/pineapple maca/hemp/chia/arugula/coconut water)
1 Rehydrating Flush (12 oz): watermelon/cucumber/strawberry/basil 1 Clean Green (12 oz): fennel/celery/cucumber/mint/lemon
2 Sweet Green Juices (24 oz): kale/romaine/cucumber/celery/apple/grapefruit/lemon/ginger (1 for lunch and 1 for dinner)
1 Red Zinger (12 oz): Orange/carrot/beet/ginger

Day 2:
2 glasses of water with lemon
1 2oz wheat grass shot (shoot with lemon wedge)
1 green lemonade 1 sweet greens smoothie 1 lg salad – soft mixed greens for digestion with zucchini hummus as dressing for lunch 

Here is my timestamped journal of yesterday - Day 1 of the cleanse/detox. 

5:30 am - Alarm for spin class went off, snoozed too long, decided to take evening class

6:30 am - Woke up a 2nd time, reset alarm for 7 am and tossed and turned for 30 minutes

6:55 am - got up 5 minutes before alarm, had first cup of room temperature lemon water

7:00 am - Shower, get dressed, and ready for day

7:15 am - Really wanting a cup of coffee, I resist

7:20 am - 2nd glass of lemon water

7:45 am - out the door with 12 oz smoothie in hand - it's delicious!

 12 oz - strawberries, blueberries, banana, pineapple, maca, hemp, chia, arugula, and coconut water

8:00 am - wishing I had coffee during my drive into work

8:20 am - walk into work with about 4 oz of smoothie left

8:35 am - Finish rest of smoothie

8:45-9:30 am - Complaining hardcore to co-workers that I really need coffee. Office mate Megan suggests black coffee. Message Betsy to complain. Take 2 Excedrin Migraine to stave off impending headache.

9:30 am - First bathroom trip

9:35 am - Betsy calls me and talks me off the ledge. Suggests green tea instead.

9:40 am - Feeling better after talking to Betsy, decide to hold off on a hot caffeinated beverage and make warm lemon water

10:23 am - Starting to feel hungry, make 2nd trip to the bathroom

10:30 am - Rehydrating Flush Juice - very refreshing and again delicious!

12 oz - watermelon, cucumber, strawberry, and basil

10:38 am - trying to drink slowly to savor, stomach grumbling

11:10 am - finished Rehydrating Juice 

11:48 am - feeling hungry, munching on some raw almond herb crackers made by Betsy

12:02 pm - trying to hold off on green cleanse juice for lunch until 1 pm

12:25 pm - 3rd bathroom trip 

12:35 pm - stomach physically rumbling 

1:02 pm - started Sweet Green Juice  and refilled 25 oz water bottle for 3rd time. 

12 oz - kale, romaine, cucumber, celery, apple, grapefruit, lemon, and ginger

1:52 pm - finished Sweet Green Juice - Was not a particular fan of this one because of the strong celery flavor of this one.

2:01 pm - 4th bathroom break

2:02 pm - I ask my co-worker (who is also juice fasting), "Can't we just go to Rand and get a green salad?"

2:58 pm - Real hunger is starting to set in.  Trying to wait until 4 pm to have 4th juice.

3:08 pm - Message from Betsy talking me off the ledge: "don't be hard on yourself -be kind today so you can purge" 

4:19 pm - drinking 4th juice - Clean Greens; hunger goes away

12 oz - fennel, celery, cucumber, mint, lemon

4:26 pm - realized I never had that cup of coffee I so badly wanted at 9:30 this morning! Win!

4:45 pm - bathroom again - lost count how many times I've peed today.

5:00 pm - ultimately decide to skip spin. I feel too weak to do such a strenuous workout. Decide to go with co-workers another co-worker's house to visit her and new baby instead. Still not feeling hungry.

7:45 pm - get home and realize I am STARVING. Immediately down the Red Zinger, my favorite so far. Still hungry, so I have my 2nd Sweet Green and last juice of the day. Still feeling hungry. Watch 2 episodes of 'Girls' and some 'Friday Night Lights'.

10 pm - Asleep

3 am - wide awake, starving. 

3:30 am - realize I'm not going back to sleep anytime soon and watch 3 more episodes of 'Friday Night Lights' until it's time to get for work. Have 0.5 a day left of the cleanse.

Check the blog later tonight for the last half-day of the cleanse and my thoughts on it.

Sugar: Is it killing us?

[Source: Uwe Hermann]

I came across an interesting blog post this week: Sugar: It's Killing Us and Our Children. The post outlines how we are feeding our children (and ourselves) too much sugar, and cites that each American consumes 152 POUNDS of sugar a year.

One thing that surprised me is how much sugar is in ketchup - 10 g!! I know some of that is naturally occurring, but still that seems like a lot. For comparison, there are 10.5 grams of sugar in a Reese's peanut butter cup.

The article also mentions Gatorade. How after a 1 mile run your child does not need a bottle of Gatorade. So true! I very rarely drink sports drinks even after long runs. Usually I opt for a banana after my long runs. According to Calorie Count, there are 42 grams of sugar in 12 ounces of Gatorade. And don't think that the sugar free version is any better. You're only trading sugar for chemicals!

[Source: Saxarocks]

While I was looking into Gatorade, I took a look at a popular water "supplement" - Vitamin Water. A bottle (20 ounces) of this stuff will run you 32 grams of sugar! That's about 8 teaspoons of sugar just in one drink. They have no real nutrition sustenance and if we are eating properly in the first place we don't need the "vitamins" these sugary drinks offer.

If you are tired of plain water and need "flavor" opt for water with lemon or a flavored, caffeine free brewed tea.


Admittedly, I am a complete sugar addict and I've recently realized how much eating sugar just makes you crave more sugar. I will never "cut sugar out completely," but I can make conscious choices to consume more natural sugar rather than the refined stuff. By limiting it in my coffee and tea, and making choices of moderation. Also, cutting artificial sweeteners when possible (diet coke *cough*cough*) because I feel the "fake" forms of sugar are just as bad - just in a different way.

By adding more vegetables into my diet, I can naturally reduce the amount of sugar I consume in whole grains. I will always eat 2-3 servings of fruit a day because I love bananas, apples, and berries. And I will never cut out whole grains completely. But if I make sure I have something green on my plate at every meal, I can also ensure I am getting 3-5 servings of veggies too. I seriously can't wait until the Farmer's Market at work opens the 1st week of May.

Posts like the one above make me scared for the future of my nieces. "Treats" are given to my 4 year old niece regularly by everyone in her life. It's hard for me to comment on this because I am not a parent. I can't say "what I will do when I have kids" because it is too easy to say what you will or will not do when you aren't already in that situation. But I hope that I can share my love of "healthy" food with my niece every time I share a meal with her.

I know there are a lot of other conversations going on out there about sugar - 60 minutes recently did a piece and the video linked in the post above are two things I'm planning on watching this weekend.

For me, the next step in this journey is being more conscious about what I am fueling my body with and it's topics like these that will help me establish the best guidelines for myself to ensure I am treating my body with the best respect possible.

Answering reader's questions: What I Eat

When I posted this easy black bean soup recipe earlier this week, someone posted a comment asking about my nutrition habits. Maybe I should be more skeptical on talking about this on the blog since nutrition is such a personal thing for every individual and everyone has different schools of thought surrounding what is "right," but I felt like since I haven't talked about it too much, I should shed a little light on what goes on in my world of food.

From Anonymous:
Do you count calories? If you so how many do you eat a day? Do you eat 3 main meals or 5-6 small meals?

Yes, I count calories. And I track my food at Sparkpeople.com. Over the last 4-6 months I haven't tracked very much, but I am trying to get back into the habit because of my 3 month plateau. I am a firm believer that tracking your food intake in some way is essential for good, solid weight loss. I lost most of my weight when I was tracking my food every day.

Sure, it sucks to have to try and figure out every single thing you eat and put it into some website or app, but it is so important not only because it is so easy to "forget" about that cookie you had at lunch and go for the cheeseburger at dinner. In other words, it keeps you accountable - even if you are the only one looking at it. Here are 3 keys to food tracking:

1. Track every bite, lick and taste (I may have stolen this from my WW friends, sue me)
2. Estimate to the BEST of your ability. Obviously if you are eating food you haven't prepared, you have to use your best judgement and track to your best guesstimate.
3. Be honest with yourself. Did you really only have 1 oz of chips or did you sneak a few more as you were putting the bag away? I know it may not seem like a big deal at the time, but if you do that 3-4 times through out the day the calories can really add up.

As for the amount of calories that I eat per day, I try to stay within a range. I try to stay between 1600-1900, but my sweet spot is really around 1,800. My BMR is around 2,100 so if I eat a little over my 1,900 goal I try not to freak out because I usually exercise enough in a week to counteract it. Of course, if I do this multiple times a week, I'm not going to lose any weight.

I've never been a person that could eat 1,200 calories a day. My body would never let me get away with that. I don't starve myself (and probably couldn't even if I tried - not enough willpower). If I am legitimately hungry, I eat. Of course, I try to have a lot of sensible snacks (almonds, fruit, veggies) on hand so if I do get hungry I don't blow my day.

My typical Monday - Friday day consists of 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 2 snacks. I try to spread my calories out throughout the day, but I do typically eat less for breakfast (~400 calories) and more for dinner (~600). Here is approximately what I ate today.

Breakfast (320 calories)
1/2 cup oats with 1/2 cup (soy) milk, 1 small apple chopped and 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds

Lunch (580 calories)
Black bean soup with 1/4 avacado and 1 oz tortilla chips, 1 small apple and fiber one peanut butter granola bar (which was so uneeded)

Dinner (490 calories)
Wrap with 4 oz slow cooker buffalo chicken, 1 tablespoon shredded cheese, lettuce and pickles with 5-6 carrots and sweet potato oven "fries" (1 sweet potato)

Snack 1: banana (approx 3 hours after breakfast) - 100 calories
Snack 2: Plain Greek Yogurt with 2 teaspoons honey (varies; either 4 hours after lunch or 1 hour before I go work out) - 150 calories
Snack 3: ~10 almonds (work as been crazy so I've been eating lunch at 6:30 a instead of 8, so I was extra hungry before lunch) - 70 calories

1710 calories total for the day

What I haven't been good about is following this same schedule on the weekends. On Saturdays my schedule is different because I usually go for a long run and eat a larger than normal breakfast or for certain distances I eat two "breakfasts" (smaller one before, more substantial one after). I'm learning not only do I have to plan my meals Mon-Fri to be successful, but Friday night through the weekend too.

Overall, I basically eat what I want in moderation. I strive to have balanced meals with a lean protien, a complex carb and plenty of green veggies. I have found that staying away from sugar helps my cravings substantially, so I save sweets for true "on occasions" and I try to not get into the habit of saying "it's just one piece of cake" all the time.

I don't think anything I do is rocket science. It's really just as simple as calories in vs. calories out. Of course the mental aspect is much more difficult than the science of it.

If you have a question about what I do or the habits I've developed to loose almost 100 lbs, feel free to leave a comment and maybe I'll write a post about it.