Sunshiney day

Hi friends!

I am in an unusually good mood today. I believe is a combinations of reasons:

1. It's absolutely gorgeous outside. Sunny, blue skies, crisp and chilly!
2. I'm wearing my new Ray-Ban geek-chic glasses I got yesterday at LensCrafters (only took an hour!?!) and I absolutely LOVE them.
3. Also wearing my new City Chic skinny jeans that I picked up for a DOLLAR, and they make my ass look fantastic!
4. My boyfriend is coming over tonight for a romantic homecooked meal and a movie - we both crush on Leo DiCaprio so we're going to see J. Edgar!
5. I lost this week, so after a little Thanksgiving gain I'm only 1 pound away from where I was.  Also, only 1.4lbs away from reaching my first big goal - 10% body weight lost!

Last week's weight: 206.6

This week's weight: 205.2

-1.4lbs for 21.2 total

I made some really tasty recipes this week, supplemented with some good frozen stuff from Trader Joe's those days I didn't have a premade lunch.

First up: this is a tweaked version of Skinnytaste's Cilantro Chicken Salad. First of all, I had an entire rotisserie chicken sitting in the fridge so I used that instead of cooking fresh breasts. I'm not a huge fan of cilantro so I subbed in dill, and I also didn't have light mayo so I used less regular and left out the chicken broth. I like my deli salads on the drier side so it worked out perfectly for me. I LOVE this chicken salad, and I'm usually very picky with mine! To take it up even a notch further, I'm planning to add some celery next time to give it some fantastic crunch! My tweaked recipe is below - click here for the original.

14oz rotisserie chicken, shredded/chopped

3 Tbsp mayo

3 scallions, chopped

Juice of half a lemon

4 Tbsp chopped dill, more or less to taste

salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and chile powder to taste

Makes 4 servings, 6 Points Plus each.

Next is another spin on a Skinnytaste recipe. Her beet salad also called for cilantro, and more mayo than I'd like. I halved the mayo, replaced the cilantro with dill again, and added a sprinkle of sugar to sweeten the beets and vinegar for some tanginess.

2 cans of sliced beets
1 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp fat free sour cream

3 Tbsp dill
1/2 small onion, sliced thin
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
3 servings, 1 Point Plus each

Both recipes can be lightened further - just use low fat or fat free mayo, and poach chicken breasts instead of using rotisserie chicken for the chicken salad :)

One lunch I had two servings (so 4 pieces) of Spicy Shrimp Bao from Trader Joes, they're only 3 points for 2 and quite delicious!

Another night's dinner was Trader Joe's Pork Gyoza Pot Stickers - 1 Point each, with a crap load of steamed broccoli with a little soy and ponzu sauces :)

Back on track

I've not been doing to well updating on Fridays on weigh in day, have I? Gotta work on that...

Despite the temptation of Halloween candy lying around (I won't say I didn't snag a few snack sized Snickers!), I did pretty well this week!

Last week's weight: 208 lbs
This week's weight: 206.6 lbs

So I'm pretty much back on track. Last week was a mess with no power and no way to cook my dinners or prepare my lunches. This week is a fresh start, and I'm going to take the opportunity to try out my new crock pot! I'm thinking this recipe, or maybe this one...

My boyfriend has been super supportive of my weightloss journey thus far and is so obliging and understanding about my fanaticism of cooking from Skinnytaste (the recipes are so good that he hardly has reason to complain!), and making sure he measures all the ingredients according to the recipe when we cook together or when he cooks for me (which he usually will do every Friday while I drive out to see him after work - what a peach!). I spent the whole weekend with him in Brooklyn and we tried out two new recipes from Skinnytaste with delicious results -  Friday night we had Carne Bistec over multigrain rice, and Saturday we whipped up some Bruschetta Chicken with a side of my favorite Sauteed Brussel Sprouts.

Delicious! It was his first time trying brussel sprouts since childhood and they were a hit!

Mmm, curry...

I damn near died when I saw this super simple and quick recipe for a thai shrimp curry on Skinnytaste last week and I knew it needed to be made STAT. At a measly 3 points for a fourth of the recipe (a quarter pound of shrimp! Plus tons of curry sauce) there's no guilt for having a nice sized serving of rice to sop up that curry goodness :) The smell coming off your pan while you cook this will have you salivating til the first bite!

Thai Green Curry Coconut Shrimp with Basil
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4 • Size: 1/4th of shrimp + sauce • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 134.1 • Fat: 4.4 g • Protein: 18.5 g • Carb: 4.4 g • Fiber: 1 g • Sugar: 1.8
Sodium: 501.2 (without salt)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp oil
• 4 small scallions, whites and greens separated, chopped
• 1 tbsp Thai green curry paste (or more to taste) (Thai Kitchen makes a great one)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (from 1 1/4 lbs unpeeled)
• 6 oz light coconut milk
• 2 tsp Thai fish sauce 
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• salt to taste

In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat oil on medium-high flame. Add scallion whites and green curry paste; sauté one minute. Add shrimp and garlic, season with salt and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add coconut milk, fish sauce and mix well; simmer about 2-3 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through. Remove from heat, mix in scallion greens and basil.

I served my curry over basmati rice (4 pp for a half cup), and made an extra batch of just the curry sauce (simply followed the directions but omitting the shrimp) to toss my green beans in (1 extra pp). A little bit of tomato, onion and basil salad rounded out a delicious meal :)

Chicken Pot Pie

It's been a pretty productive week as far as cooking goes! First, my delicious fish tacos, and now chicken pot pie!

Doesn't sound very Weight Watchers friendly, I know, but I of course turned to Skinnytaste for a light recipe, and this turned into a hot, satisfying, comforting meal, perfect for a chilly day!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 3 pt • Points+: 4 pts (without crust)
Calories: 169.2 • Fat: 1.2 g • Protein: 18.5 g • Carb: 21.2 g • Fiber: 2.3 g
OR
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1 bowl (1-1/2 cups) • Old Points: 5 pt • Points+: 6 pts (without crust)
Calories: 253.8 • Fat: 1.8 g • Protein: 27.7 g • Carb: 31.9 g • Fiber: 3.4 g 

• 1/4 cup flour (to make gluten-free use 2 tbsp cornstarch instead)
• 2 cups water 
• 4 cups fat free milk
• 1 large celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 medium chopped onion
• 8 oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms 
• 2 chicken bouillons
• fresh ground pepper
  
• pinch of thyme
• 10 oz frozen classic mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed small
• 16 oz cooked chicken breast, diced small
• salt
• 9-12 PillsburyReduced Fat Crescents (3pp each), depending on your bowl size/preference*

Create a slurry by combining 1/2 cup of the cold water with flour in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside.

Pour remaining water and milk into a large pot and slowly bring to a boil. Add celery, onion, mushrooms, chicken bullion, thyme, fresh pepper, frozen vegetables and return to a boil. Partially cover and simmer on low until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove lid, add potatoes and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken, and slowly whisk in slurry, stirring well as you add. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until soup thickens, adjust salt and pepper to taste.

*My optional addition:
As I had some extra points today, I decided to treat myself and add a delicious crust to make this as true to a real pot pie as possible. As I was serving the bowl size, I used two crescents (3pp each) per bowl. Preheat oven to 375. Unroll the crescents, stretch as much as possible without tearing, and drape them over your oven safe bowl of soup. Trim extra dough and cover and open spots. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Fish Taco!

The first time I heard of fish tacos, I have to say I didn't find the general idea that appealing. The first time I tried fish tacos was a different story all together - Sweet, salt, crunch, all wrapped up in a soft tortilla; just what the doctor ordered to tantalize my tastebuds!

If you've been reading a while you know that Gina's Skinnytaste recipes are basically my bible - I've been waiting and waiting for and even requested a fish taco recipe from her because I know she'd come up with a real stunner, but to no avail. But when I was faced with some delicious leftover grilled fish for dinner, I knew it was time to take matters into my own hands. Here's my humble recipe for what I  have to say came out to be a pretty fantastic fish taco!

Ariana's Fish Tacos
5 pp each, 10 pp for 2 tacos

2 Trader Joe's Reduced Carb Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
4 oz grilled tilapia, divided (or plug in the point value for whatever fish you choose)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder - Basically, seasoning for your fish, to taste
2 Tbsp low fat sour cream, divided
2 Tbsp tomato, chopped, divided
2 Tbsp onion, minced, divided
2 Tbsp scallions, finely sliced, divided
2 Tbsp Trader Joe's Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa, divided
1/4 cup Trader Joe's Broccoli Slaw, divided
1/4 cup Trader Joe's Lite Mexican Blend Cheese, divided
Salt, pepper, garlic powder 

Season and prepare your fish - I prefer to grill, but baking or cooking in a pan with a light spray of olive oil (just enough to prevent it sticking) will work to. If you're using leftovers like I did, simply reheat in the microwave.

Warm up your tortillas in the microwave (20 seconds) or oven (just a few minutes on a low heat, maybe 250 degrees).

Spread a tablespoon of sour cream on each tortilla, then add half of fish, tomato, onion, scallions, slaw, and cheese. Top each with a tablespoon of salsa, wrap up, and enjoy!

I ate my tacos with a double serving of my new favorite veggie: Brussel sprouts! Weird, I know!! But I never had them before last week and this recipe got me hooked.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Size: about 1/2 cup • Calories: 82 • Old Points: 1 pt • Points Plus: 2 pts
Calories: 86.2 • Fat: 3.7 g • Carbs: 11.9 • Fiber: 4.3 • Protein: 4.1 g

• 1 lb brussels sprouts (outer leaves removed and washed)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (I'm a garlic lover, so I double this)
• 1 shallot, minced (this too)
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

 

Finely shred the brussels sprouts after thoroughly washing. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil. Add shallots and sauté about 2 minutes, add garlic and saute until golden. Add brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and sauté on medium-low for about 4-5 minutes. (I added a little garlic powder too, and sauteed for longer, so my brussels are a little more golden brown than Gina's).

Dinner: 15 pp

Yum!

Souper low fat mushroom soup

Get it?? Souper...super...

....well, I giggled!

Here's a recipe I made last night from Skinnytaste - creamy mushroom soup! This soup is so so so delicious, I'm still in disbelief that it's only ONE POINT for a 1 1/4 cups of soup!! And it's super easy to make! This soup has become a staple in my house.

Low Fat Creamy Mushroom Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 5 • Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup • Old Points: 1 pts • Points+: 1 pts
Calories: 49 • Fat: 1.8 g • Carb: 6.6 g • Fiber: 1.1 g • Protein: 3.2 g

• 3 tbsp flour
• 4 cups water
• 2 chicken bullion cubes
• 5 oz shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 8 oz baby bella, sliced
• 1 celery stalk, whole with leaves removed
• 1 tbsp light butter

Place cold water and flour in a blender and blend until smooth, pour into a medium pot and set heat to medium. Add celery, mushrooms, chicken bullion and butter and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove celery and a cup of soup, blend, then return back to the pot.

 Ta da!! Quick and easy and so tasty!! I didn't bother to blend the celery, my soup was creamy enough so I simply discarded the stalk and served. I had 2 cups for dinner, and plan on a cup for lunch to go with my salad :)

Chewy, chocolately breakfast

Skinnytaste to the rescue again! I was looking for a sweet and satisfying breakfast to go with my morning coffee and I found it in these Ricotta Cheese Chocolate Chip Muffins. Low in points, high in delicious.

Ricotta Cheese Chocolate Chip Muffins

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 12 • Size: 1 muffin • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 195.4 • Fat: 4.7 g • Carb: 34.2 g • Fiber: 0 g • Protein: 4.9 g • Sugar: 19.2
Sodium: 324.2

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self rising cake flour (Presto)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 8 oz fat free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla
• 9 tbsp mini semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mix flour and baking soda. Mix and cream butter and sugar. Beat egg whites and add to butter/sugar mixture. Mix in ricotta cheese, then flour mixture and vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips and spoon into lined muffin tins about 3/4 filled.

Bake at 375° for 15-16 minutes and let cool.

Makes 12 muffins.

Monday, Monday

A bright sunshiney Monday morning seems like the perfect time to really get this project going, doesn't it!

So let me talk about my routine a bit. For almost three months I've been doing the online Weight Watchers program. This means no meetings or weigh-ins for me, I just log into Weight Watchers (or more often, open up their app on my iPhone) to track my food. I like the fact that you can do everything on your phone because it make it easy to look up point values and track on the go. After a few weeks of experimenting I've settled on Friday mornings as my weigh in day. It works for me because I usually have weekend plans that involve dinner or drinks (or both if I'm really naughty). When I used to weigh in Monday mornings I would stress out all weekend about my points, to the point where I would rather stay home rather than risk going over points. Weighing in Friday allows me to enjoy myself (in moderation of course) because I know that I have all week to eat right and work off those extra points.

The first month after I started the program I have to say that I was not as dedicated as I am now. I was not working out regularly or making an effort to change the quality of the food I was eating, just the portion to fit into my points limit. Now, I work out 2-3 a week, and I pre-plan wholesome homemade meals for dinner (which gives me leftovers for lunch!). Skinnytaste.com has been a lifesaver for me. If you haven't before, you need to check out Gina's site. Her meals are amazing and so low in points! You'll be seeing a lot of her recipes make appearances on here.

Here's what's on the menu for today:

Breakfast:
Yoplait Light fat free Boston Creme Pie: 3pp

Coffee with regular milk and Splenda: 1pp

Snack:
3 Clementines: 0pp
Snack size bag of Pirate's Booty: 4pp

Lunch: 
Leftover Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Rabe: 9pp (I added a ton more broccoli rabe to the recipe so my points and serving size are a bit different than Gina's original recipe)

Yum!

Dinner:
Turkey Burgers With Zucchini (4pp), plus bun: (2pp), plus avocado: (2pp): 8pp
Side salad with Basil Green Goddess Dressing: 2pp
Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries: 3pp

That brings me to 30pp with 5pp left over for a pre-gym snack and a light dessert :)

Today's activity:
1 hour of Zumba earns 5pp

What's on your menu today?