Days 18-19 - New recipe, another Migraine and I'm DONE.

Days 18 and 19...big changes.

But first....

I did make a yummy recipe last night that is another one of my old WW recipes.

Monterey Chicken

Serves: 4

WWP: 6

4 (5 oz.) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4 Cup Barbecue Sauce
1/4 Cup Hormel Real Bacon Bits
1 Cup 2% Colby and Monterey Jack Shredded Cheese*
1 (14 oz.) Can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, drained (optional)

Or 1 medium chopped tomato (optional) I do this option
Sliced Green Onions (optional) I do not add
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pound out the chicken breasts to flatten.

Season each with a little salt & pepper.
Cook the chicken in a skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium-low heat until no longer pink.(or in oven on about 350 for 20 minutes)
Place each breast onto a baking sheet and top each breast with 1 tablespoon of barbeque sauce, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup tomatoes, green onions and 1 tablespoon of bacon bits. (I add the bacon FIRST when layering- it stays put better!)
Place into the oven and bake until the cheese has melted (about 5 minutes).


Per Serving: 263 Calories; 8g Fat (29.0% calories from fat); 39g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 108mg Cholesterol; 840mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

 

I served dinner with a litle brown rice, roasted green beans and mushrooms (tossed with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and roasted) and some grapes (for my girls)!

 

 

But here is the deal. Day 19 and I got another migraine. That makes 2 in 8 days. I've had like ONE migraine in my entire life before these two. And this one was rather scary for me.

According to reearch I did this morning about migraines. What happened to me is what I highlighted in red:

Phase Two: Aura
Approximately 15 to 20% of individuals with migraines experience an aura, or visual distortions, preceding the headache. Some people only experience the aura phase, which is a phenomenon called a "silent migraine." The aura phase usually begins minutes or hours before the onset of headache pain. Visual symptoms during aura can include:

• Blurred vision
• Appearance of floaters (tiny specks that float before the eyes)
• Flashes of light or color, or blurry vision
• A blind spot or even complete blindness in one eye

Additional symptoms of the aura phase can include:

• Numbness or tingling of the hands, feet, and/or face (particularly around the mouth)
• Stiff neck
• Weakness
• Vertigo or Dizziness
• Loss of balance
• Ringing in the ears
• Double vision
• Difficulty talking
• Slow thinking or confusion
• Problems with concentration
• Changes in mood and activity level

Because some of these symptoms can also occur with other conditions, such as a detached retina or stroke, individuals suffering any of these symptoms for the first time should check with their healthcare provider to ensure that their symptoms are the result of a migraine episode.

Phase Three: Headache
This is the phase most commonly associated with migraines. The headache of a migraine is a one-sided, throbbing or pounding pain. It causes between 4 to 72 hours of moderate to severe pain (mine lasted about 8 hours before I finally just went to bed!) A headaches that last longer than 72 hours are called s"tatus migrainosus", and require immediate medical attention.The headache is the most disruptive of the phases. To avoid increasing the severity of headache, individuals who have reached this phase usually stop all activity and lie down in a quiet, darkened room, avoiding all stimulation. In addition to the pulsing head pain, the headache is normally associated with a number of other unsavory symptoms, including:

• Extreme sensitivity to light (photophobia), sound (phonophobia) and smell
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Increased pain with physical activity (such as walking or going up or down stairs)

So....with two of these beauties happening to me just since I started the 2nd part of the Challenge, I can't help but wonder???  Yesterday's incident was enough to scare me straight. It honestly felt like the time I had a concussion. Blurry & double vision and weird light flashes in my right eye. I couldn't form words or sentences. I couldn't hold a conversation because I couldn't think or talk. It was strange and scary. Now- I have NO idea if migraines are a side effect of Advocare MNS. NONE - I haven't done that research yet, but as for me and my body - something is going on and the only new thing introduced to it in the last few weeks in the MNS.

So, I'm done.
I'm not going to finish the 24 Day Challenge. In all honesty, I'm kinda scared TO finish it.

In 19 complete days:

Total weight lost = 4 lbs
Total inches lost = 1.7 inches TOTAL

The 24-Day challenge was not successful for me. That doesn't mean it won't be for successful for someone else. If you are considering the Challenge, I urge you to do a little bit of research about the products BEFORE you start. I did not. I wanted to go in blind without any preconception or a biased attitute of how it might or might not work. Hindsight being what it is, I wish I'd done some research on what was in the supplements (or I wish I had just known the AMOUNT of supplements I'd be taking each day). I feel like I let my Advocare gal down. I tried, I really did. I just have to listen to my body. 

I feel somewhat liberated this morning by not having to take the 7 supplements I would have already taken by this time of day (and the 4 more to come!).

I am starting Weight Watchers soon. I really would like like to lose 10-15 lbs. That is it. I'm never going to be super skinny again. Its just not happening. Oh sure, I could lose 30 lbs by mid-summer, but if I were being honest with myself, I know I can't maintain that. I can probably maintain a 10-15 lbs loss. And I'm never going to be a exercise queen. Its just not going to happen.

I am not going to be blogging anymore about my Advocare journey. I am either going to change the name or possibly starting a new one with just healthy recipes and stuff. Hubby is going to start the Insanity Workout soon, too, and that diet is VERY similar to the Advocare diet, minus the supplements, but with the increased protein (which will be different than what I'm going to be doing - this should be interesting!!). Well, all I can do is keep providing healthy dinners on the table and having healthy choices in the pantry and frig. 

Here we go again....

Days 16-17 - More of the same

Days 16 & 17 are more of the same....

Dinner on Day 16 was Salsa chicken "quesadillas" for dinner. Monday nights are insane at our house, so I need something on those nights that I can eat and run.

Basically - I threw 2 lbs of chicken breasts into the crockpot, sprinkled them with a little taco seasoning and added a jar of salsa. It cooked about 5 hours on low and it was done (sometimes I do 6-8 hours on low or 3 hours on high). I shredded it all up and mixed it well, and left the top off for the last 15 minutes or so as to allow it to thicken up. I've had this recipe in my files for years....like 10 years or longer. Its a old stand-by that can be customized in many, many ways.

I ate mine with a sprinkling of cheese and 1/2 of an avacado on a wheat tortilla. For dinner- I actually "grilled" mine on the griddle so the tortialla was nice and crispy and then I cut it into triangles. I ate the avacado slices on top. For lunch on Day 17, I basically had the same thing, except I squished up 1/2 of an avacodo on a wrap, added about 3/4 cup of the heated up chicken-salsa mixture, rolled it all up and ate it (no cheese). It was also good this way. I've used the mixture in tacos, on nachos or even  on top of baked potatoes. Its pretty versatile. Some people add corn or black beans to it- I don't like either of those things, so I don't. Some people add cream cheese. I've done that, too, but it really doesn't change the overall taste too much, so like to keep it healthier and don't add the cream cheese. (fyi- below is not my photo- its a stock photo I found on Google images- but its exactly what mine looks like.)



Dinner last night was Baked Tilapia. It was good, but very "garlicy". My house still smells this morning! I served it with Quinao, broccoli, carrots and fruit salad. But here is the kicker- my 9 year old ate an entire filet of tilapia. NEVER.BEFORE.HAS.THAT.HAPPENED.   EVER. I was in total and complete shock. I originally gave her 1/2 of one to taste. She ate it all and asked for more. She was given another 1/4 of the filet - she ate it and asked for more. She ate it all. SHOCK. I am in SHOCK.

Baked Tilapia3 ounce tilapia filets
Pam (olive oil flavor)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
minced garlic

Preheat oven to 450°. In glass baking dish, spray Pam.Lightly coat the top of filets with Pam,Season well with salt, pepper, garlic powder and lots of minced garlic. Bake for 20 minutes.

For me personally, the garlic was pretty overpowering  in this recipe and I like a little bit of other flavors, too. I like the Broiled Tilapia Oreganata better. I have a Broiled Tilapia Pamesan recipe that is really good, too. I'm making that this coming weekend, along with a meatloaf recipe. Yes- meatloaf.  A healthy meatloaf recipe. I used to make it ALL THE TIME. When my oldest daughter was just starting to eat  "solid" foods, I was on my post-baby Weight Watchers diet plan and I made this recipe many times. SHE LOVED IT. She would eat as much or more per meal then either my hubby or me. Now- she won't touch it. Go figure. Maybe she'll suprise me- she DID eat the tilapia, after all! I'll post that recipe after I make it.


So, how is my 24-Day Challenge going? Well...I wish I could say SUCCESSFUL!!!  But, no.

I've still only lost 3 lbs and no inches after 17 days. Okay - maybe 1/2 inch on my chest and 1/2 inch on my leg, that is if I'm measuring in the exact same place I measured on Day 1. :-) I was SOOOO hoping that I'd be blogging about losing 1 pound every few days and by now- I'd be down by 8-9 lbs. I'm disappointed.  But, I'm over it. I'm still plugging along doing what I'm supposed to be doing. It is what it is. I wanted to try something different, hence the 24-Day Challenge, but in the end, I'll be going back to what works for ME - Weight Watchers.

I think I'm eating TOO MUCH protein on the 24-Day Challenge and its why I'm not loosing weight. And my urologist would not be happy with me- she told me to cut DOWN on the protein or I'd be back in her office with another kidney stone.  I sooooo do not want to do that again. Ever. That little stone ended up costing more than the diamond on my left hand! Not to mention it hurt worse than childbirth. Yes...it did.

Again - different body types = different ways of successfully losing weight. 

And there is always exercise...or lack thereof. I just cannot do it consistently. I KNOW this lack of exercise hinders and slows weight loss. Its MY fault. I know that. Its not going to change. I could tell you I was going to change- that I was going to work out 4-5 times a week. I'd be lying.

Sorry Advocare peeps - please, please know that I'm probably NOT the norm. I am probably in the 5% of people that do not have success with the 24-Day Challenge. Its just not the right fit for me or my life. I'm totally ok with that. I am going to finish the program, though. I've adjusted my goal to 5 lbs. If I can lose 5 lbs total, I will be happy. I'm totally jealous of everyone that lost 12-15 lbs doing the Challenge, though. 

Tonight was originally going to be dinner at Church, but after seeing the "Valentines Dinner" menu of Beef Bourguignon Over Egg Noodles and Assorted Decadent Desserts, I may opt to stay home and eat left-over salsa chicken quesadillas. :-)

Day 13, 14 & 15 - spaghetti, FroYo, Eating out and Superbowl

The truth and nothing but the truth....

Friday- Day 13 - Shake for breakfast. Pink lemonade Spark a little later. Banana for snack. Leftovers from dinner the night before for lunch. Snack was a Baggie of bell pepper strips and one of those weird banana applesauce oatmeal cookies I made. Dinner was spaghetti with whole grain noodles, light no-sugar added sauce and 1 lb. of ground venison, which is similar to ground turkey. I served it with some frozen microwave "steam in the bag" green beans, which tasted like rubber. Yuck. I choked down about 1/2 cup and threw the rest away.

The kids have been begging for 2 weeks to go to our local frozen yogurt bar, so we caved. I had about  6 oz. of fat free banana and splurged with some Reeces Peanut Butter Cup crumbled on top.....so good!

Late night snack of fruit salad.

And yes, I took all the Max C supplements at the designated times.

And the morning of Day 14, I am down another pound. Total lost...4 1/2 lb. Yeah!

Saturday -Day 14 was the first "eat out" night on my meal calendar.  My youngest had her big ballet that night, so between getting her ready and having to be there an hour early, cooking wasn't happening! We ate at O'Charleys and I had the Chicken Bruscetta (under 550 calories) with asparagus. It was good. Not great. Its not what I REALLY wanted. And I didn't have any bread, but I wanted to. :-(

Sunday - Day 15 - I guess that Brushetta chicken had more calories than it claims - I gained 1 pound back. Boo! (yes, I'm blaming the chicken)

I'm really starting to hate this...one step forward, two steps back.

Superbowl Sunday- I ate well most of the day. Doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. Eating what I'm supposed to be eating. Taking ALL the Supplements when I'm supposed to. I splurged on dinner this night - Bob's smoked chicken wings (only 6), some Scoops and guac, cheese & crackers, fruits and vegies...and 1 beer.

And guess what - I gained 1/2 pound back. No surprise.

So - 15 total days are in the book. I've lost 3 lbs in two weeks. I'm frustrated. I realize I'm not 29 anymore...the pounds are not going to melt off of me just because I give up the foods I love. I'm going to have work harder. But I hate to exercise. I mean...HATE IT. So....what IS going to work? 

9 more days on the 24-Day Challenge. Not that I'm counting down or anything......

....and then I'm going back to Weight Watchers.

Day 12- Sticking with it & yummy chicken recipe

Wow- I really opened up a can of worms with my post yesterday! :-)  I had more page views than any other post and also more comments than all of my other posts combined. I heard from many of you offering advice and many of you sharing similar stories of your hard times or experiences with Advocare. It was nice to hear from BOTH sides. Thanks to everyone for that.

So - yesterday (day 12) was normal. Completely 100% normal. No weirdness. No crankiness or a bad case of the grumpies. I felt fine. I think what I just needed to do was give myself permission to make a decision - one way or the other. The "waivering" and "wrestling" with myself was driving me crazy. Once I decided to give it one more day, I felt better. Strange, I know. I don't like indecision. And I think the fact that started a ton of new supplements on Day 11 might have made my body chemistry all confused that day! Who knows- maybe it was the crazy weather? :-)

I've decided to stick with it and not change anything for now. I thought I might switch to the Max3 instead of the Max C that I'm currently taking, but really, yesterday was just fine. I don't really have a reason to switch for now. My Advocare gal gave me a few pointers, one of which was to drink the shake in the morning to add some protein to my diet in the morning. (which I did today - I made it in my kids' Magic Slushie cup....worked great!!) Another tip was to take the "30 minutes before meal" pack no MORE than 30 minutes before a meal...or even only 15 minutes before a meal, which I also did this morning (day 13 in actuality).

I tried the pink lemonade Spark this morning too- SO GOOD!  My favorite so far. Maybe cause its not nearly as sweet as the fruit punch? It reminded me of Crystal Lite pink lemonade.

And oh - I lost 1 1/2 more lbs. Total down is only 3 1/2...but its 3 1/2, right?

Yesterday I did alter my eating plan a little. Oatmeal and fruit for b'fast, which I will change from now on to add protein to my morning instead. Snack....a banana maybe? I forgot. Lunch - after taking my 30 minutes before lunch pack, I wasn't hungry. Not even a little bit. Nothing sounded good, so I had my first Meal Replacement shake for lunch. It was pretty yummy. I'm not sure I can drink one every single day, though. Afternoon snack was a baggie of bell pepper strips and something else- sorry - it was a crazy afternoon. Dinner was delish. I made a great chicken recipe, which has been a staple in my house for years. See below. I served it with a side of a stuffed portabelle mushroom (produce section at Kroger - only 80 calories!), roasted asparagus and tomatoes and Quinoa. Oh, and fruit salad.


After dinner - I made these Banana Oat "breakfast" cookies :

Full recipe:http://caloriecount.about.com/banana-oat-breakfast-cookies-watching-recipe-r1087838

I wish I could say they are GREAT! Fantastic! Awesome!  But...no. They are ok at best. They have a weird texture and a strange aftertaste. And maybe too much cinnamon? I wasn't impressed. I'll eat what I made, but I won't be making them again.

Here is the chicken recipe. I promise its REALLY GOOD!

Pan Glazed Chicken with Basil  

WW – 4pts each

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (4 oz. each) or boneless thighs

2 teaspoons olive oil

¼  teaspoon salt

¼  teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Basil (or 2 teaspoons dried leaves crushed, but its best with fresh)

Put oil in a skillet and heat to Medium high. 

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper – I don’t                           measure it!

Cook chicken on medium-high for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.                    Flip it over and brown for about 6 minutes or until done.

 

Mix vinegar, honey and basil and drizzle over chicken and into skillet. Cook about one minute and flip it over for about one minute on the other side.  Very easy and very yummy! 

Day 11- At a Crossroads

This is going to be long. Sorry.

OK - here's the deal. When I started this blog, it was more for my benefit then anybody else's. I wanted a diary of sorts, so I could remember and refer back to what I ate, drank, how I felt, etc. I will be 100% honest in what I write regardless of who may or may not like it. I had REALLY REALLY hoped that this blog would be full of nothing but positive experiences. I really wanted to enjoy and like the 24-Day Challenge. But here's the thing...I don't.

My body isn't liking something. I am trying to figure out what it is. But ever since I started, I've really been out of sorts, emotionally. I am VERY grumpy, irritable and have a very stressed out feeling. And it takes A LOT to stress me out. Yes, we've had a busy schedule lately, but its nothing to stress about. We just do it. It all gets done. No big deal. And before anybody suggests it - no, it is not PMS. Not for 11 days.

I have dieted before. I have done Weight Watchers successfully 3 times (losing at least 20 lbs each time I did it). I never felt this way on that "diet."  So, I have no clue what is going on with me.

I don't know if its the sugar "detox" and its withdrawal symptoms from that? I don't know if its the multitude of supplements I'm putting in my body that is making me feel weird because my body isn't dealing well with it all. I don't know. I don't want to blame Advocare if that isn't the problem, you know? I hate not knowing how to fix something. And here's the deal. I'm NOT a quitter. I HATE stopping something in the middle. I DON'T want to quit the 24-day challenge...but I can't take this anymore.  Yesterday while sitting in my children's school pick-up line and attempting to take care of writing some emails while I waited, I started to feel fuzzy. Then I couldn't read the words on my screen on my phone. Then my vision got "blotchy".  And....I still had to DRIVE home. That was a little scary. It lasted about 2 hours and went away to be replaced by a headache, but WHAT THE?!?!  I started a whole entire regiment of new supplements yesterday...did they cause that? Or was it something entirely different?   I did a lot of "research" yesterday afternoon and found no mention of any kind of vision problems associated with Advocare...but some dizziness. So maybe it was dizziness? I don't know.   (edited later to add- I have now realized what I was experienceing this day was a migraine)

So, here's the deal. I am giving it ONE MORE DAY. If the same crazy dizziness/vision issue happens today, I will know what it was - probably some sort of chemical reaction to the new supplements and I will stop taking them (or at least whatever the NEW ones are - the ones I took the first 10 days were fine). If it doesn't happen again, I will consider it a fluke and continue on. 

And I made another decision. I am going to change my eating plan a little. This whole caveman diet - fruits, berries, leaves, nuts, eggs and fish is killing me. (and yes,I know, I can eat more than that, but it certainly feels like it). I am going to do the eating plan I would do while on Weight Watchers...adding in eveything I want to (including sugar), but doing so in moderation, watching portion sizes and keeping sweets at a bare minimum. I LIKE that "diet" better. Maybe if I pair the 24-Day Challenge supplements with that "diet" plan, I will FEEL better. I can't possibly feel worse. I know it won't be a 100% testament to how the 24-Day Challenge EXACTLY works, but somethings gotta give. I cannot continue this way.

And EXERCISE is my enemy right now. I just don't like to do it, as I've mentioned before. Time is not on my side. And exercise has ALWAYS been the key to my weight loss before and as I get older, even more so. I am just going to have to accept that if I am not going to work out 5-6 days a week, the weight isn't going to melt off, like it does when I DO work out regularly. Its going to be a SLOW process this time. Working and managing the home + 2 kids with 2 busy schedules kills mom's workout time. Some will call that an excuse. Ok. whatever. Its how I feel. I am fitting in the Can You 24 workouts when I can. Some is better than none, right?  I can't wait for it to get nice outside so I can walk again...maybe jog a little. I don't mind that too much as long as I'm outside.

So, now that I've completely unloaded all my feelings - this is how my Day 11 went:
30 minutes before b'fast- 1st supplement pack
B'fast of oatmeal and another supplement pack
Snack - 1 hard boiled egg and a banana
30 minutes before lunch - I was SUPPOSED to take another supplement pack. I forgot.
Lunch - leftover fish and vegies from night before and the last supplement pack.
Snack - almonds and maybe some fruit- I  can't remember.
Dinner was tuna salad, whole grain crackers and other things...I can't remember. My whole day was fuzzy.
And I honestly wasn't hungry again (until I laid down to go to sleep at 11:00!). No evening snack.

I spent the evening going to the grocery, prepping fruits and veggies for the week, and I made hubby some B'fast burritos with turkey sausage, eggs, peppers, onions, cheese and whole wheat tortiallas and popped those in the freezer for his b'fasts. Hope they turn out ok! :-) He said they looked wonderful.

And on a side note- Hubby says he feels great! He's lost about 7lbs. I'm happy for him.

And I've noticed another thing this last week and a half. I run my dishwasher EVERY day, which is about 2x as much as I used to. Prepping all these FRESH foods and mixing up salads, etc, sure makes a LOT of dirty dishes! I tend to go through all 4-5 good knives and all three cutting boards EACH DAY! :-)  Invest in a lot of dishwashing detergent before starting this plan! :-) Hehehehe!!

So today is the morning of Day 12. I'm down a total of 3 1/2 lbs. I did take my supplements this morning. And I did have a cup of coffee...it actually ended up being more like a 1/2 cup of coffee, though.  B'fast was oatmeal and a small bowl of berries. So far, so good. I didn't drink a Spark this morning. I can tell the difference, though. While I'm AWAKE, my head feels a tad cloudy. I do like the Spark! And I do like my coffee- I may have to rotate them.  And I'm not really sure what to do with my Meal Replacement Shakes. Bfast? Lunch? As a snack? I have yet to try one. I just wonder how a shake can be better than a meal full of yummy fruits or vegies and other healthy things?

Today is decision day for me. I HOPE, for so many reasons, that yesterday's weirdness was a fluke. I HATE, HATE stopping something in the middle. I WANT to like this program and I WANT it to work and I WANT to finish it. I also want to feel good and happy again. So, I'm at a crossroads. What to do...what to do???

I will update tomorrow morning.

Days 9 & 10 - Cleanse FINISHED

So, Days 9 and 10 were just as uneventful as the previous days. No real changes. CRAZY schedule days, so one again - no workout for me. I am a full-time working mom with 2 kids with insane January schedules. Its either get up at 5:30 a.m to work out (which I'm not willing to do - my sleep is more valuable to me) or work out at 9 or 9:30 at night on days like these and by that time of night, all I want to do is crawl into bed. Exercise has never been my strong point. I hate it and honestly, time just isn't on my side most days.

I did try a new recipe last night. Hubby and I both really liked it. The kids wouln't even taste it. Oh - correction - my oldest took one bite and immediately hated it. Neither of my kids like fish, unless its smothered in butter sauce! :-)  Regardless, I loved this and will add it to my regular recipe rotation. I served it with leftover roasted vegies, steamed broccoli and a yummy Whole Grain rice flavored with pecans...I wish I could remember the brand name...Orient something, I think. Rice aisle at Walmart. I didn't take a picture of dinner, but it was yummy!

Almond-Crusted Tilapia

by Kristy Denney

 

Ingredients

1/4 cup whole natural almonds

2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs

1 tsp garlic and herb seasoning blend (like Mrs. Dash), (I didn't have any so made my own using garlic powder and rosemary)

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 (6 oz) tilapia fillets

fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

 

Instructions

Place the almonds, bread crumbs, garlic-herb seasoning, and pepper in a food processor, and pulse until finely ground. (I just used my Pampered Chef food chopper and it did the trick)  Pour crumb mixture into a shallow dish or plate.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush mustard over both sides of your tilapia fillets. Dredge the fillets in crumb mixture then place fish in skillet. Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes away easily. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley if desired.

 

 

 

So - Cleanse Finished!!!!   10 days....and I'm only down 2 pounds and I lost 0 inches. Yep - it WAS 3 pounds...but another pound came back on and I have no idea how. I am staying 100% on plan. No variations. My only thought is maybe I'm not getting ENOUGH calories? Maybe my body is in starvation mode and won't let go of the fat??  But I DON'T FEEL like I'm starving by any means. I am staying full and content. But...no weight loss to really speak of.  Frustrated is how I'm feeling. I am sure hoping I see some sort of turn around in Phase II with the MNS. Ho hum....

Days 6, 7 and 8...new recipes

I'm going to lump all three of these days together, because there isn't much variation on the day-to-day routine of b'fast, snacks and lunches as I've already been doing. I do have a few dinner recipes to add, but other than that, same old...same old.....

I hate to admit that during Days 6, 7 & 8, I only did 1 Can You 24 workout. Time is not on my side right now.

I made several new recipes these nights.

DAY 6:
I made Easy Chicken Ratatouille (yes...like the Disney movie....)
This dish was FULL of vegie goodness

Squash, zuccini, mushrooms

 

Eggplant (and I must confess...my FIRST time cooking with eggplant)

yellow and red bell peppers

 

You mix all that with other yummy goodness and add chicken ( I used shredded chicken from the previous night's meal of roasted chicken, not ground chicken, and it worked just fine) and 30 minutes later---it resembled a goulash of sorts....a THINK stew. It was really good.

Easy Chicken Ratatouille

Posted on 24. Dec, 2009 by AdvoGirl in Recipes

This is a quick and easy version of a super satisfying “comfort food” that won’t sacrifice your Advocare healthy eating plan.

PAM Olive Oil Spray
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 pound lean ground chicken
1 large sweet onion
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 red pepper, cut in approx 1/2″ pieces
1 yellow or orange pepper, cut in approx 1/2″ pieces
1 medium eggplant, peeled, and cut in 1/2″ pieces
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 summer squash, quartered and sliced
12 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
1 large can tomato puree (I added about a can full of water, too)
salt, pepper
3 tablespoons dried basil, crushed
garlic powder
4 packets Splenda

Use large nonstick pan, spray well with PAM. Add minced garlic and onion. After 3 minutes add the peppers, olive oil, stir frequently. After 3 minutes add the eggplant. Cook for 5 minutes then add the mushrooms, zucchini, and squash. Cook for 5 minutes.

In separate pan, spray PAM. Add the ground chicken and season with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Cook until done. Add the chicken to the veggies, then the tomato puree.

Add the Splenda, salt, pepper, basil, and very generous amounts of garlic powder. Mix well and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook on low for 15 minutes (or more).

Good by itself, or you can serve with brown rice. This reheats very well.

Serves 4. (there is NO way this serves 4 people....more like 8! I put 3 servings in the frig for lunches and still had enough to put at least 2-3 servings in the freezer for a quick dinner some time down the road.)


 

DAY 7
I made a new fish recipe:

Broiled Tilapia Oreganata
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 piece • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 5 pts

Calories: 196.5 • Fat: 7.7 g • Protein: 30.1 g • Carb: 2.4 g • Fiber: 0.5 g

• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
• 4 (5 oz) tilapia fillets
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh pepper
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs

Preheat broiler. Line broiling pan with aluminum foil.

 Rinse tilapia. Pat fillets dry with paper towels. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Add garlic, drizzle with oil and sprinkle bread crumbs on top.

 Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil about 8 inches from the heat until the topping is browned. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Serve with lime (I didn't do this) and your favorite vegetables.

I served it with steamed broccoli and carrots, some Quinea and some cantelope. I liked it. Hubby LOVED it.
 

 

DAY 8:

 

Tonight wasn't really a new recipe. Hubby smoked a turkey on our charcoal grill (which he converts into a smoker for such occasions). And OH MY GOODNESS...his smoked turkeys are the bomb! Other than a DRY seasoning rub, nothing else goes on the turkey - no sauces or anything. It is smoked on the grill, so it does not soak in its own fatty juices. This thing is heavenly. If the idea of smoking your own turkey scares you, most BBQ places will do it for you if you provide them with a turkey, or they may have whole turkeys available for purchase, as well.

 

We ate roasted vegies (recipe below - I love these vegies!) with the turkey and I also made a side of wild and whole grain rice with some sort of mushroom seasoning. It was ok. I thought hubby would like it since he LOVES mushrooms, but he thought it tasted funny, so I will skip that from now on.

 

Here are the vegies prior to roasting....it makes a TON so we have lots for leftovers. I filled HALF my plate with these vegies and I had 2 slices of turkey and a serving of whole grain rice.

 

 

 

Roasted Vegetables

2 medium Zucchini
2 medium Yellow Squash
1 Large Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Large Onion
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Butter Buds
Pepper to taste
Garlic Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut all vegetables into sticks (about the size of a french fry). Or rounds....it doesn't matter.
Toss with olive oil, butter buds, pepper and garlic salt. Spread out onto a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until desired tenderness is achieved. (I usually toss them around about 1/2 way through the roasting process)

Serves: 4 (approx. 4 ounces each)
Per Serving: 44 Calories; 1g Fat (26.0% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 21mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Vegetable; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

WWP: 0

 

So....8 complete days finished. I am still only down 3 lbs. And I have to be honest....I'm not really noticing much of any other kinds of changes either...enengy level, etc. I feel about 99% the same as I did the say I started. Maybe Phase 2 will change that?  And I'm still craving my coffee. Gosh I miss my coffee....along with a whole host of other things I won't allow myself to eat b/c I want to do this 100%. No cheating. I have had a crazy schedule these last 8 days and the next 7 are just as insane. I will attempt to work out at least every other day. My youngest is in a big ballet performance this coming weekend, along with serveral school performances during the days this week...and several evening dress rehearsals. This on top of our "normal" crazy weekly schedule. Fun times.