Detox Day 9

Day 9:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

Snack: banana

Lunch:  fish and vegetables

Snack: nuts

Dinner: chicken and brown rice with some salsa

Detox Day 8

Day 8:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

Snack: I didn't have a snack this morning b/c we were busy cleaning, organizing, and recycling.

Lunch:  Rice Vegetable Soup from the Detox program recipes and a banana

While it tasted better than the last soup we made, I still didn't like it.

It had celery, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, broth, garlic, and brown rice.

Snack: banana
I really got hungry about 4:30.

Dinner: Fish, rice, and peas

Still need to drink more.

Detox Day 7

Day 7:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

Snack: I didn't have a snack this morning b/c of church and errands.

Lunch:  Flounder and Tilapia with a mixed green salad and beans

Snack: half a jar of Fiji Apples

Dinner: a can of Ranch Style Beans (LOVE these) and the rest of the Fiji Apples

Still need to drink more.

Mom enjoyed popcorn and a Snicker for her evening snack.  While that would have been yummy, I didn't stare at her or want any.  :-)

Detox Day 6

Day 6:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

I went and did a 30+ minute workout at Curves this morning.

Snack: I didn't have a snack this morning b/c I was busy moving, boxing, and cleaning items.

Lunch:  Great Northern Beans and Kidney Beans

We were so busy all morning, and by the time we got to lunch, we were exhausted.  We ate leftover beans to get rid of them.

Snack: None today

Dinner: Chick-fil-A Grilled Market Salad and ice water

We had been out and about, so we decided that since I could have salad, we would try one I have seen/heard friends eating lately. Shockingly, to someone who isn't really a salad eater, it was good.  I put Fat Free Honey Mustard on it and liked it.

While this whole meal was under 380 or so calories, I was not supposed to have the dressing or chicken today.  Oh, well.  It was good & healthy, and I will eat it again.

Still need to drink more.

Detox Day 5

Day 5:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

Snack: I forgot to eat a snack b/c I was so busy.  I really need to not do that b/c by the time I got to lunch, I knew my sugar had dropped, and I was starving.

Lunch:  Tilapia, sweet potato (no butter), and a mixed green salad with my Warden Farms Thousand Island

Snack: Too busy and in a hurry to eat

Dinner: Great Northern Beans and Flounder or Tilapia

I have found I crave water and need to drink more.

Detox Day 4

Day 4:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

Snack: I forgot to eat a snack b/c I was so busy.

Lunch:  Flounder, some broccoli, and leftover carrots and peas

Snack: can of pears

Dinner: Tilapia, sweet potato, and Great Northern Beans

Everything was OK today.

Detox Day 3

Day 3:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

Snack: banana

Lunch: Tilapia, mixed green salad, and a can of pears with no sugar added

There is this vinegar and oil dressing you are supposed to make/use on the salad.  Well, anyone who knows me knows I am picky about my salad dressing. At home I only eat Ken's Thousand Island.  When I go out, I am very picky and choose between Thousand Island, Italian, and Ranch.  There was no way I could eat a salad with the vinegar and oil dressing, so I found one at the grocery store, Walden Farm's Thousand Island, that is free of calories, gluten, carbs, fat, etc.  It is free of everything of which it can be free.  Well, it does have some taste.  It isn't horrible, but it isn't Ken's.  I have eaten it twice now (dinner last night and lunch today).  I will continue to use it until I can have mine again.

Snack: almonds

Dinner: Flounder, carrots, and peas

I have only been drinking water, but I didn't drink as much today.  I have my glass of Detox tea ready to enjoy [said with sarcasm] later tonight.

Detox Day 2

Day 2:

Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk

Snack: banana

Lunch: Leftover Minestrone Soup from the Detox menu/recipes

Today, I added some salt, which made it a little better.  I ate half of today's portion too.

I had a can of pears with no sugar added.

Snack: almonds

Dinner: Leftover Salmon, stir fry vegetables, brown rice, and a mixed green salad

This tasted better tonight too.  I mixed my Salmon with the brown rice.

Again, I drank a lot of water today.  If I even thought I was hungry, I drank water.

Today, I worked hard to remember my snacks.  Yesterday, my snacks and I weren't in the same place when I should have eaten them.

I also did a 30 minute workout at Curves with a little more difficult cardio.  

Each night, before bed, Mom has a candy bar.  It is her way of surviving this.  Ha ha!  She is being so supportive, so I don't care that she eats her candy.

Detox Day 1

My BFF went to her dr's appt a few weeks ago, and after studying her blood work/panel, he suggested she do a Detox program.  To support her, if she wanted to do it, I checked into it.  I decided I wasn't going to spend the money to purchase the shakes and supplements, but I would give it a try following the menu or meal rules.

My mom has been great.  I gave her the info, she read it all, and then she went about planning our meals for 10 days.  I would have, but she just took over.  It is nice to have the support.

Day 1:
Breakfast:  My chocolate shake made with Almond Milk
(It is a shake powder I get from my dr.)
This is what I have every morning (that I have milk), so I just continued it to replace the Detox shake.

Lunch: Minestrone Soup from the Detox menu/recipes
It is made with Vegetable broth, carrots, celery, kidney beans, green beans, and tomatoes.
After beginning to eat it, I realized it needed something.  To me, it had a weird smell, and it was so bland that I only ate about half of my portion.

Dinner: Salmon, stir fry vegetables, and brown rice
Our vegetables were broccoli, carrots, corn, and edamame (sp?).  I can't have corn with the Detox, so I ate around those.

I drank 3-4 bottles of water all day, and before bed, I drank a 12-16 oz glass of warm herbal tea for Detox (according to the box).

I tell you, if it were not for Mom, I would not be doing this. Today was rough.  Nothing tasted right, and I missed my cold artificially sweetened tea and tasty not-so-great for me foods.

Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole

Another new recipe for us.  Not sure what went wrong, but it was really watery.

Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Size: 1/6th • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts Calories: 318 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 27.3 g • Carb: 34.3 g • Fiber: 3.6 g   

Ingredients:

• 6 oz no-yolk noodles (Ronzoni Healthy Harvest, or brown rice pasta for gluten free)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, minced fine
• 3 tbsp flour (gluten free use rice flour)
• 1 3/4 cups fat free chicken broth
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1 oz sherry (optional)
• 10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 cup frozen petite peas (thawed)
• 2 (5 oz) cans tuna in water, drained (I used albacore)
• 4 oz 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar (I used Cabot)
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions:
Cook noodles in salted water until al dente, or slightly undercooked by 2 minutes. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large deep skillet. Add onions and cook on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat
Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spray 9 x 12 casserole with butter flavored cooking spray.
Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined, increasing heat to medium and whisking well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil. When boiling, add sherry, mushrooms and petite peas, adjust salt and pepper to taste and simmer on medium, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 7 to 9 minutes). Add drained tuna, stirring another minute.
Remove from heat and add 1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar and mix well until it melts. Add the noodles to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated. Pour into casserole and top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray and top and bake for about 25 minutes. Place under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp (careful not to burn).

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

We tried this recipe from the site where I found the WW recipes.  It was very good!

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 35 min 

Ingredients:

7 ounces thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon salted butter
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
Two 10.75-ounce cans 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 cup nonfat milk
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, but only cook it until it's al dente (you still want a little bite to it). Drain the pasta and set it aside.

3. Melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, celery and bell peppers. Cook until the vegetables have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix milk and soup until smooth. Add this mixture to the vegetables in the pan. Stir in cheddar cheese. Continue to heat the mixture until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. Add in chicken, pasta and tabasco, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle Jack cheese on top.

4. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and bubbly and golden brown.

Tips:

*If you're trying to figure out a serving size for this casserole, simply use a knife to divide the pan into 6 equal servings. There's your serving size (it's pretty substantial)!

*Leftovers of this casserole are great for a couple of days after making it.

*Turn this casserole into a day-after-Thanksgiving meal by adding leftover turkey instead of chicken.

Nutritional Information per serving:
Serving size: 1/6th of the casserole
Calories per serving: 490.5
Fat per serving: 22.5g
Saturated Fat per serving: 12.3g
Sugar per serving: 3.3g
Fiber per serving: 2.7g
Protein per serving: 31g
Cholesterol per serving: 89.3mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 39.4g

WW POINTS per serving: Points Plus Program: 13 Old Points Program: 11

This one was yummy!

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 369
• Calories from fat: 28%
• Fat: 11.4g
• Saturated fat: 5g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3.8g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.4g
• Protein: 35.6g
• Carbohydrate: 31.3g
• Fiber: 3g
• Cholesterol: 79mg
• Iron: 2.4mg
• Sodium: 479mg
• Calcium: 360mg

Ingredients

• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth $
• 2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided
• 1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts $
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion $
• 1 cup evaporated skim milk
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) tub-style light cream cheese $
• 1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese $
• 1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips) $

Preparation

1. Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks, and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350°.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; sauté 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I'm Frustrated!

On July 9, 2012, I rejoined Curves and got focused.  I changed my eating habits, worked out regularly, and started getting control of my health.  I seemed to do great until around March 2013.  Since then, things have been difficult. I lost only a few more pounds by July 2013.  Since then, I have gained a few pounds, but I have lost them again.  I wasn't as focused in the fall of 2013, but since January 6, 2014, I have been back on my game.  With the support of my BFFs, we have been walking, eating better, cutting out soda, etc.  However, I am not seeing changes in my weight.  Actually, in the last week, I have gained about 2 pounds.  I think I lost 5 before gaining these two.  It is so frustrating!  I am trying to eat better, work out daily, cut out all soda, and eat Weight Watchers recipes.  I am so frustrated to not see more progress.  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Slim & Healthy Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole

We tried another recipe from the Weight Watcher list.  It was OK.  Not too exciting, but OK.

Slim & Healthy Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 55 mins

 Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons low sodium taco seasoning mix
• 1 can (11 ounces) Mexican corn, drained
• 1 jar (12 ounces) chunky salsa
• 6 corn tortillas (10 inches each)
• 1 can nonfat refried beans
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup grated reduced fat Monterey Jack or Mexican style cheese blend
• Chopped fresh tomato and chopped fresh green onions for garnish, if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Mist a large skillet set over medium heat with nonstick cooking spray. Add the onion, garlic and beef to the skillet, breaking up the beef and stirring until the beef is browned and onion is softened. Drain the beef mixture. Stir in the taco seasoning, corn and 1 cup of the salsa and mix well.
3. In a small bowl, combine the refried beans and water until smooth and spreadable.
4. To assemble, spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place 2 tortillas over bottom of the dish. Cut one tortilla to fill any gaps as layers are assembled. Spread ⅓ beans evenly over tortillas. Top with ⅓ beef mixuture and ⅓ of the cheese. Repeat layers one time. Arrange remaining 2 tortillas over cheese. Top with remaining beans and beef mixture.
5. Cover and bake in 400 degree oven until hot about 25 minutes. Remove foil and top evenly with remaining salsa and cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, another 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and let rest and set for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh tomato and green onions if desired.

Martha’s Notes:

Nutritional estimates per serving: 298 calories, 9.1 g fat, 27.9 g carbs, 5.4 g fiber, 26.8 g protein and 7 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values. Substitute ground turkey or chicken for the beef if you prefer. Chopped chicken would also work well.

The person sharing the recipe said:

I was able to slim it down by 2 pointsplus values, by using fat free refried beans, using reduced fat cheese and cutting the amount of cheese in half.

I really, really liked this one!

It made far more than 8 servings, but our tortillas were on the small side, so that is probably part of it.  We will use less salsa next time b/c the dish was very salty, and we could tell some of that came from the salsa.  We did not include scallions, chili powder, and green chili peppers.

Baked Turkey and Jack Cheese Chimichangas

6 PointsPlus Value

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 30 min

Serves: 8

No need to fry this traditional Mexican dish: Simply bake until the tortillas are lightly browned and crisp. Serve with spicy salsa and a dollop of sour cream.

Ingredients 2 spray(s) cooking spray      1/2 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast      16 oz fat free canned refried beans      1 3/4 cup(s) fat free salsa      4 1/2 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, drained and diced    1 tsp chili powder      3 Tbsp uncooked scallion(s), thinly sliced    1 cup(s) reduced-fat shredded Monterey Jack cheese    8 item(s) (large) burrito-size wheat flour tortilla(s)      1 cup(s) fat free salsa      1/2 cup(s) fat free sour cream    Instructions Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Coat a 13- X 9- X 2-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add turkey to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid from pan and then add beans, 1 3/4 cups of salsa, chili peppers, chili powder and scallions. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes; stir in cheese. Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil; warm in oven for 10 minutes. Assemble chimichangas by spooning about 1/2 cup of turkey mixture onto each tortilla; fold in sides and roll up. Place chimichangas, seam-side down, in prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until tortillas are crisp and browned, about 20 minutes. Serve each topped with 2 tablespoons of salsa and 1 tablespoon of sour cream. Notes For a flavor boost, look for epazote, a pungent herb with a taste similar to cilantro, at Mexican and Central American food stores. Chop some up and sprinkle it over the finished dish.

Flank Steak Tacos

Another yummy new recipe!

We skipped the Paprika since we didn't have any, and we didn't use the Cayenne Pepper since we don't use hot/spicy things.

Flank Steak Tacos

serves 8 ( 2 tacos= 7 points+) add points for toppings

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. paprika
• 2-¼ tsp. cumin
• 1-½ tsp. brown sugar
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ( 2 lb.) flank steak
• 16 small, flour tortillas

Combine first 8 ingredients (and salt & pepper). 

Rub over both sides of steak. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Grill steak to desired doneness. Let stand 10 minutes. 

Slice against grain.
Divide steak evenly among tortillas and top with your favorite toppings.