Hello!!??

Hello bloggers!

Is anyone still out there?

Do you see my breakfast?

Anyone? Anyone?
 

Weekend Gone By

What a great weekend.

I’ll be honest.  My eats weren’t stellar… and I didn’t track them.  Back at it tomorrow.

Here’s a photo of last night’s dinner.

My fresh grilled tilapia & Greek salad.

The meatatarian’s steak with grilled mushrooms and potato salad.

And… here’s a couple of photos of how the back yard is looking now.  We intended on getting lounge chairs but mistakenly walked out with gravity chairs.  They’ll suffice.

Cheers

Well, yesterday was weigh in and I stayed the same this week.  I started new medications from my doctor so now I have to keep plugging away and see if they affect my weight loss at all (hopefully for the better).

The flower bed has been weeded, the lawn is cut.  It’s time to enjoy a glass bottle of wine!

This weekend is going to (hopefully) involve some…

Ribfest!! Okay, so I don’t eat ribs.  But, I do love the chicken at Ribfest!

Happy weekend (I’m off to polish off another glass of wine).

G-Free Crunchy Chocolate Squares

I decided to try to make my own gluten free, healthy, chocolate squares of some sorts on the weekend. 

I threw together a bunch of ingredients.

I mixed them up.

I put them into a pan.

I put them in the fridge them brought them out later to cut them in to 16 squares and eat them!  Delicious!

Don’t be fooled.  These are not low in calories (thanks to the coconut oil).  My Fitness Pal says they’re 195 calories for 1/16th.  I may try making them again by cutting way down on the coconut oil and using some brown rice syrup.

Here’s what went in them:

• 2c gluten free brown rice krispies
• 1c oats
• 1/2c unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 scoops chocolate protein powder (optional – next time I’ll leave out)
• 1/2c almonds, chopped
• 3/4c coconut oil
• 1/2c raw honey
• 1/4c cocoa powder (could use 1/2c if you want)

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.  Mix the last 3 ingredients in a food processor (or blender) until whipped.  Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix them up (get your hands in there!).  Put them in a parchment paper lined pan and let set in the fridge for half an hour or so.  Because they’re held together by coconut oil, I keep them in the fridge.  Next time I may put them in a bigger pan to make flatter squares… maybe making them more like a chocolate bar.

Back to Basics

.We’ve been having creative dinners as of late  Last night I couldn’t think of what to have… when I was reminded I didn’t have to come up with a creative dish.  I could simply do chicken, veggies, and a carb.  And so I did.

Chicken breast cooked in a pan with some BBQ sauce, sweet peas and brown rice.  It was delicious.

I also wanted to share my snack from the other day.  I have Stacy’s pita chips to use up.  I measured out 1 portion, grated some light old cheddar and melted it in the microwave.  Topped it with some Penny’s Pico de Gallo.  If I had sour cream, I likely would have added a little.  It hit the spot perfectly and only took 2 minutes to make.

I’ve been keeping up with my exercise.  I get cardio in 6 days a week on average.  I’m aiming for 7 days a week.  Yesterday I did the stationary bike in the morning and some sit ups, planks, bridges and wall sits.  I think I’m going to use the different circuits I’ve seen on Pinterest and try to come up with my own circuit that I’ll follow.

Happy Tuesday!

Mom’s Chicken Chow Mein

Growing up my mom was always looking for ways to make cost efficient dishes to cook.  This one was a staple.  She cooked it for us when we went to visit not long ago and it became a hit with a certain Indian guy.  It has now become a staple here.  I thought I’d share… because it’s fairly healthy.

Mom’s Chicken Chow Mein

Brown together:

• 1 pkg extra lean ground chicken (or turkey)
• 1 onion

Add in:

• 1c uncooked brown rice
• 2c shredded carrots
• 3 celery stalks (chopped)
• 1 can green beans (not drained)
• 4c shredded cabbage (you can put more or less if you like)
• 1pkg chicken noodle soup mix, dissolved in 2c HOT water

Cover and cook for at least 20 minutes.

You can serve it different ways.  My mom likes ketchup on it.  My dad likes soy sauce.  We like Kikkoman Teriyaki sauce on it.

Quebec Maple Syrup

This morning we decided to make use of the maple syrup we bought in Montreal last weekend.

I whipped up some pancakes (and cooked them in coconut oil. Mmmm).

And because we always seem to need something savoury with our breakfast, we had some scrambled eggs with light old cheddar, and a couple of pieces of blue menu turkey bacon.

Great start to the day! Today’s plans include laundry, cardio, and some sort of strength circuit (which I have yet to decide the details of).  For now I will continue to enjoy my Teaopia Love Spell green tea while watching Muriel’s Wedding.

Happy Sunday!

Weigh In Day

Down 1.2lbs!

For a total of 14.3lbs!

I'm getting there.

I celebrated today by doing a half hour stationary bike ride. It felt good to get back to a morning cardio routine after a week away from it. I celebrated with a delicious smoothie. It had frozen banana, frozen cherries, chocolate protein powder, chocolate amazing grass & flax seed.

Home Sweet Home

I’m back!

Actually, I got back on Sunday night.  We had a long weekend in Montreal.  After walking 5+ hours a day, I did indulge in some not-so-great-for-me food.

There may have been a little of this

Best red velvet cupcake ever. Apparently the cookies and cream was really good also.

Then… we have exhibit B from the weekend of poor choices.

This was a lunch that we split.

I didn’t do so hot on my breakfast either.

The Intercontinental Montreal offered a buffet breakfast in their restaurant.  Best buffet at a hotel ever.  The top plate has lox & capers, turkey breast, brie & swiss, potato latkes (x2), a crepe with maple syrup, and scrambled eggs (with potato).  The bottom is self explanatory.  I ate that darn Danish.  And loved it.

We also had dinner at a fabulous restaurant (one of the top 10 in Canada).  It’s going to get it’s own post though.

A couple of other shots…

Me in my new Coach glasses

Us in our carriage before the ride through Old Montreal

And our tour guide, CeCe

More pictures from the amazing weekend will follow!

His & Hers

First things first. I was down 2.3lbs this week. The total is now 13.1lbs. Getting there.

I thought I would post a side by side shot of our dinners the other night. Can you tell which is mine & which is his? (hint: I don't eat red meat. I also love peas).

I've been drinking more tea again lately. Green tea specifically. A girl at work introduced me to her new favourite. Which I fell in love with right away & had to go purchase today.

In other news... I got my new Coach sunglasses today! The prescription is so slight I don't even notice it. But I do love my sunglasses!

Happy Friday!