What I'm reading by Trina

The books I order from Amazon arrived today. Yay!

This is the cleanse I'm doing.

One of my friends has had success losing weight following this plan

so I've decided to read it.

I browsed the book and like some of the idea, but I don't think I would enjoy what I ate if I had to give up meat and salt for 6 weeks.

My philosophy concerning healthy habits and weight loss has always been that I must like the foods that I eat. So because I'm trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet I came up with a rule; I will try a new fruit or vegetable about 3 times. I change how I prepared it if I don't like it the first time - cooked, raw and maybe added into a smoothie. If I don't like it after the third time I remove it from my list. Although sometimes after a number of months or a few years I will try that food again. For example I applied the three try rule to Brussels sprouts two different times over the last few years. My finally try was this year and I've come to the conclusion that I don't like Brussels sprouts no matter how they are prepared. The same is probably true for mangos. I didn't like them as a child and I tried one last month and I still don't like them, so this week I plan to make a smoothie with mango and that will be my final try. I've also tried avocado a few times and I didn't like it, but this week I added some to a homemade salad dressing to thicken it and make it creamy. It was great.

 

My Motto:

"Have fun now while you're on your way

to accomplishing your goals!"

I can't have fun if I don't enjoy the foods I eat.

Produce finds from Beach Blvd Flea Market

Most of the flea markets where I live have various venders that sell produce. Here's what I found on a recent visit.

Not sure of the name for these, but I'll call them mini plums.

Jicama, cucumbers, eggplant, bell peppers, shallots, onions, etc.

I had some much Italian parsley that I made a herb paste to put in the freezer.

Here's how I did it.

 -  I rinsed the parsley really well

 - Removed the larger stems 

- Then I used the salad spinner to dry the parsley

.- Place the parsley in my food processor and added oil through the chute

I placed the finished product in a sandwich bag and then in a quart size freezer bag.

I used 2.5 cups of parsley (packed cups) and about 1/4 cup of oil.

 

The Conscious Cleanse - "What I'm eating." by Trina

Tonight will end day five of "The Conscious Cleanse" and below is a list of the foods I've been eating over the past five days.
Fruits:  blueberries, watermelon, peaches, bananas, mini plums, pineapple, unsweetened dried coconut and lemon juice
Vegetables:  Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, mushrooms, onions, celery, kale, green beans, jicama and cabbage
Fresh herbs:  Ginger, cilantro, Italian parsley, and garlic
Protein:  Black beans, organic chicken breast and wild caught fish

So far the cleanse is going well, but it would be better if I were a little more organized.
One thing I'm really pleased about is how my cravings for certain foods have almost completely disappeared. Sometimes I think about a specific food, but my desire to have it is minimal. For example my daughter makes a very good semi-homemade chicken potpie and I usually just have to eat some. In fact she made it for dinner tonight, but I had brown rice cooked in mushroom and onion broth with kale instead. I've also been able to cut back on the amount of meat I eat which is a big deal for me because I am definitely a meat lover.

Kale, purple cabbage, broccoli and organic chicken breast

Romaine Salad with jicama and lemon, ginger, cilantro dressing. Looks a little messy as I had already began eating then remembered that I wanted to take a picture.

Romaine, carrots, pineapple and blueberries with a pineapple dressing. To make the dressing I put 1/2 cup of pineapple with juice, a small chunk of avocado, sea salt, black pepper and a little water in a blender.

Chicken Vegetable Soup - Organic chicken breast, onions, green beans, carrots and parsley. I marinated the chicken breast overnight with minced ginger, garlic and 1 tsp EVOO. I also added a little sea salt and black pepper.

New find:  I've been wanting to try coconut milk. I found this at Winn Dixie. It was $2.99 and has only 1g of sugar compare to 5g in Silk Original Coconut milk. Once I try it I'll post what I think.

Dinner tonight - Brown rice cooked in mushroom and onion broth with some kale on the side. I made the mushroom and onion broth to eat as a soup, but decided it would really be good as a base for brown rice. It was really good!

What I'm Doing by Trina

June 1, 2013, I attended my last Weight Watcher meeting. 

Why? I was no longer excited about attending my weekly meeting and my weight continued to fluctuate. I would be up a pound or two when everything in my tracker suggested that there should have been a loss. Then there were the weeks when I ate cookies and other junk and the scale would show a loss. Also I was having difficulty resisting certain foods like dairy. Although I was eating what is consider to be the healthy versions - plain greek yogurt and lowfat milk, I found it very difficult to not have them everyday and multiple times a day.

I started reading books on perimenopause and discovered that I needed to work on being more in tune with my body instead of being consumed by the number of points in my food. So I decided that since this journey is all about developing healthy habits then I should really focus on what that means for me. In order to do that I need to find out which foods are truly healthy for me. 

I found a book call "The Conscious Cleanse . . " by Jo Schaalman and Julie Pelaez at the library and it seems like a good place to start since my children and I all have at least one known food allergy. 

The book takes you through a gentle 14 day cleanse where you avoid foods that are known allergens for many people. You avoid the following: alcohol, dairy, caffeine, chocolate, corn, eggs, grapefruit, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers), oranges, peanuts, shellfish, soy, squash and sweet potatoes, strawberries, sugar, wheat and gluten products and yeast for 14 days then you add them back one at a time noting any problems you notice. 

What you can have includes: other vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds; oil, vinegars, herbs, spices, legumes; grains and seeds like amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, wild and black rice; Animal protein - cold water fish, organic free range chicken, turkey and duck; see the book for a more detail list.

I like this book and how it encourages you to pay attention to your body because even some of the permitted  foods could pose a problem for some people. Also journal writing is a big part of the program.

The areas where I think the book could improve include: more recipes ideas especially for breakfast just in case you're not a big fan of green smoothies and more details concerning the foods you avoid. For example, wheat and gluten products are on the avoid list, but when you research this you find that all grains contains some form of gluten.

All in all I think it's a very good book, and if you can afford to do the cleanse along with the authors you would more than likely receive answer to any questions you have. The cost to participate is about $200. Here's a link to their website:   http://consciouscleanse.com/

I'm doing the cleanse on my own and I started yesterday, July 5. Yesterday was not too bad except I didn't do a good job of planning my meals, but here's what I ate:
-  Before breakfast: The required 1 quart of warm lemon water. I added 1 tbsp. of ground flaxseed to the last glass.
- fruit and nuts for breakfast
- for lunch: a large salad with homemade lemon, ginger and cilantro dressing
- black beans prepared with a little extra virgin olive oil, red onions, garlic and cilantro over
brown rice for dinner
- snacks: peaches, and some watermelon 
- and more water
A link about gluten:   http://urbanposer.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-theres-no-such-thing-as-gluten_02.html

I also started The Vice-Busting Diet with my eldest daughter because doing things with a buddy somehow makes it seem easier. This book encourages getting rid of diet vices and replacing them with good habits, one at a time. More on this book next time.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I did manage lose and keep off a total of 27 pounds with Weight Watchers.

How My First Week of Meal Planning Went

This is a recap of how things went with my meal planning for the week.

Instead of duplicating the info on this post you can check out the original post and see what worked and what I changed.

It took a while to put the menu together, to make the grocery list and shop but it was worth the time. Knowing what I was having for breakfast and lunch and what our family dinner was going to be each night really took the stress off of me. The menu was posted on the fridge and the recipe or directions were on the counter. If I wasn't home whoever was there could easily put the meal together.

Not only did it save time but I ate better and I saved money. No last minute runs to the grocery store or worse stops at a fast food place.

BTW I lost 3.2 pounds this week so I'm saying planning my meals was a good thing!

Patti

Zumba or How to Move Your Booty!

Zumba!

The hardest work out I've ever done and the most fun I've ever had working out!

1 hour and 20 minutes of non stop movement.

That pretty much sums up Zumba.

Find a Zumba Class

I found this class by searching Zumba.com. You can search by city or zip code. 

I emailed the teacher for more info. I made it clear that I was looking for a class that would be suitable for someone who was new and inexperienced. I could tell from her reply that I'd found the right class for me. 

What You'll Need

• Wear a good pair of shoes that will give your foot support and cushion. You'll need a smoother sole so it doesn't grab when you move.  You will be sliding and jumping around!
•  You don't need expensive workout clothes just get something comfortable and easy to move in. You will be moving and sweating! 
• Lots of water - you'll work up a mighty thirst!

Go With a Friend or Two

It's much more fun to go with someone. You can encourage one another and keep each other accountable. Trina brought her sister, Renee brought her daughter and I brought my daughter-in-law. 

How much will you burn?

If you're interested in calories burned during a workout you can check out this calculator. According to the calculator I burned 885 calories in about an hour. 

Steps

I'm not sure how accurate it was but I wore my pedometer and it said I took over 9,000 steps during the workout. For me that's about the same number of steps as a 4 mile walk. And I know that I got a more heart pumping workout with Zumba than with my normal walking routine.

To be honest I just keep moving and don't worry too much about the steps. Just make sure you're not on video!

Will You Be Sore?

Yes. (but it goes away and you'll feel better in the long run)

Why You Should Take A Class (or why I need to take a class)

I know for a fact that if I was doing a workout at home on DVD there's no way I would have finished the whole thing. I'm basically a wimp and I don't like to sweat...For me being in a class with other people to encourage me and a teacher to give me an extra push keeps me going. I would not get the same workout on my own. That's just me:-) 

What I Love About Our Class

What I really love about this class is that everyone is so nice. The teacher is super helpful, positive and full of energy. She made me want to do better without feeling bad about myself. (I admit I have trouble remembering my left foot from my right:-) And the other students are all really nice too. No show offs. Just a group of ladies who are all  out to have fun and get in shape and they're happy to welcome newcomers. 

So if you've never tried Zumba I encourage you to check out a class and get moving today!

Patti

My Menu Plan For the Week

Updated with a few changes that I made during the week. 

normally do make a menu plan of sorts. The day before or sometimes that morning I decide what's for dinner. I wanted to try something different so this week I sat down and made a menu for the entire week. I tried to include all meals and snacks.

We'll see how the week goes. I'm hoping it will help me to stay on a better eating plan and make my days go smoother. Making a plan should save time (and money) in the long run.

For breakfast I usually alternate oatmeal one day and eggs the next. For lunches I made a list of a few things with various points. I did the same with snacks.

Based on how many points dinner is I'll decide what to eat for lunch and snacks that day. An 11 point dinner will mean I should eat a lower points lunch and snack...

I made a grocery list and I did my shopping Friday morning so hopefully I have everything I need to make it through the week. I may have to go to the store for a few fresh veggies and fruit.

Today I made a big pot of Vegetable Soup...I'm going to freeze some in individual servings to use for lunches.

I'll try and post about some of the recipes during the week.

This is my meal plan for the week of: 

Friday, March 8 - Thursday, March 14

Breakfast:

I alternate each day between eating an egg or oatmeal

Oatmeal and fruit

3 Points

½ cup cooked oatmeal with 1 tsp brown sugar

Cooked with 1 chopped apple or 1-cup blueberries or cherries

Frittata (a good way to get a serving of veggies)

4 points (add extra points if eating toast)

1-cup broccoli or cauliflower chopped – 0 point

Little bit of chopped onion and green or red pepper – 0 point

1 Tablespoon shredded cheese – 1 point

1 whole egg – 2 points

1 tsp olive oil – 1 point

Cook the veggies in the microwave to soften. Heat the oil in a small skillet and sauté the veggies, scramble the egg and pour over the veggies. Cook to set and add the cheese on top.

Snacks – I try to incorporate dairy

Added 100 calorie bags of cookies which I think are 3 points.
I also ate a Klondike ice cream bar which was 7 points. Yes it was worth it!!!

Smoothie

2 points

1-cup coconut milk 2 pts

1-cup fruit such as frozen cherries or blueberries- 0 pts

1 ripe banana

Yogurt and fruit

2 points

Yoplait Greek 100 calories w/fruit – 2 points

Add additional fruit – 0 points

Vegetables and Dip

2 points

Raw veggies – 0 points

Dip – 4 tablespoons light sour cream, dried onion, garlic, dried dill and parsley. – 2 pts

Carrots, Pepper and Celery w/ Hummus

3 points

Veggies – 0 points

Hummus – made with garbanzo beans, garlic, olive oil, sun dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers – ¼ cup = 3 points (depending on the amount of olive oil)

Lunch (I'll decide on what I’m having for lunch that day or the night before.)

Sunday we went to Captain D's which could be a disaster but I tried to handle it the best I could. 

Instead of my normal 2 piece fish dinner with fries, hush puppies, coleslaw and sweet tea which is around 35 points!

I ate:

2 pieces of batter fried fish 10 points

1 hush puppy 5 points

2 orders of green beans 2 points

Water to drink

Total 17 points

Still a lot but making a few changes improved the outcome! 

Salad with beans and fruit

3 or 4 points – depending on the type of beans

Any combination of salad greens

1 cup Strawberries or grapes

½ cup canned beans, rinsed and drained (Kidney, garbanzo beans=3pts / Black beans = 2pts)

2 Tablespoons of 1 point dressing (Sesame Ginger or Strawberry Balsamic)

Sandwich

7 points

4 ounces turkey – 4 pts

Round bread or wrap – 3 pts

Dijon mustard – 0 pts

Lettuce and tomato – 0 points

Carrot and celery sticks

 

Soups

0 – 4 points + crackers 1 point

Add 5 saltine crackers – 1 point

Garden Vegetable Soup – 0 points

Split Pea Soup – 1 cup – 4 points

Something different

4 points

*Broccoli with Spicy Honey Sauce – 2 cups = 4 points

Added to lunch:

1/2 cup Tuna salad made with mayo and sweet relish = 4 pts.

 Dinner

* Recipes from the Weight Watchers cookbook “Fresh, Fabulous, Fast”

Friday

7 points

Salmon Patty 5 ounces, green beans, salad with 1 pt dressing

(I used the recipe builder to figure the points for my patties)

Saturday

11 points

*Pecan-Crusted Chicken – 8pts

½ cup brown rice – cooked in veggie broth, with chopped onions, red peppers.  (1-cup=5 pts. I round ½ cup up to 3 pts)

Carrots

This was really good but the recipe called for 4 teaspoons of oil to brown the chicken in. That wasn't nearly enough. It took almost 3 Tablespoons so I upped the points to 12...

Sunday

9 pts

*Fig Glazed Pork Chops w/ green beans 5 pts

Sweet potato – 4pts

 

Monday

10 points

*Thai Beef and Vegetable Curry w/brown rice

This was really good. Everyone loved it!

Tuesday

7 points

*Brazilian Chicken w/ black beans and rice instead of the original recipe I made a slow cooker meal by layering chicken breast, black beans and Rotel tomatoes - cooked on low for 6 hours. Served with rice. Same points.

Wednesday – Zumba! Use the crock-pot

10 points (including 2” square of cornbread)

Lima Beans, brown rice, cucumbers, cornbread

Thursday – WW meeting!  Let the guys grill

11 points

*Grilled pork tenderloin w/ chipotle peach glaze – 7 pts

Steamed veggies– zucchini, broccoli, onions, peppers steamed – 0 points

Sweet potato – 4 pts

How do you plan your meals?

I'd love to hear your ideas.

Patti