This was a crazy weekend. But, title to the contrary, I did pretty well. I “survived” a trip to a wonderful Mexican place with the in-laws. It’s a wonderful hole-in-the-wall restaurant where the owner cooks you wonderful, delicious, authentic food with her own hands…in completely enormous portions. I got some shrimp fajitas. Shrimp is a nice lean protein, and because it is so expensive, those fajitas tend to have mostly grilled vegetables and just a few shrimp. I eat them straight out of the pan with a little guacamole, no tortillas required. I did overdo it on the tortilla chips…this is what I get for letting myself go out to dinner when I was really hungry. This place is delicious, but fast it definitely isn’t.

I seem to have broken through my plateau a bit. As of this morning, I weigh 131.6. I’m excited, but I have mixed feelings…my relationship with food wasn’t the most emotionally healthy this week, and I don’t want to get into the mindset that any loss is a good loss. I hope to post more about this later when I have time to explain better. In the mean time, here is my food log for yesterday.

Food:
–1 whole wheat scone (plain)
–1 mango
–Nonfat latte

–Handful of nuts and dried fruit

–Leftover shirataki noodles with chicken and veggies
–1 rye crispbread with avocado
–Light string cheese
–.3 oz extra dark chocolate

–roughly 15 tortilla chips with salsa
–Shrimp and veggie fajitas
–Salad (chopped lettuce and tomato in lemon)
–Two tbsp. guacamole
–Two bites of refried beans

–apple

Steps: 10215
20 minutes on stationary bike
20 minutes lifting weights

There are two foods that I really wanted to share with everyone. One is a brand new discovery for me–shirataki noodles! The other is an old favorite–homemade hot cocoa. I realized that lots of people have never made cocoa from scratch…trust me, it’s much better made yourself.

Shirataki noodles are made from a combination of tofu and the starch of a particular asian plant that I cannot pronounce. The exciting part? There are 40 calories, 6 grams of carbohydrate, and 4 grams of fiber in the entire package! I made up two packages for the husband and I to eat yesterday, and we have tons of leftovers. They are incredibly filling. They are also very easy to prepare, as they do not require cooking. They come packed in water, so you just rinse and heat. I added them to a skillet with chicken, garlic, ginger, carrots, cabbage, soy sauce, sesame oil, and fresh basil, scallions and cilantro. Just stir the sauce through and you are all done. I will definitely be buying those again. Look for them in the refrigerated section of the grocery store near the tofu.

My other tidbit for the day is my strategy for making yummy hot cocoa. I just add a packet of spenda and a heaping spoonful of unsweetened cocoa power to the bottom of a cup. I love to add cinnamon, nutmeg, and sometimes a nice spoonful of dried ginger, as well. I then wet these ingredients with a splash of vanilla and mix it thoroughly until the mixture becomes a paste with no lumps. (This is key…it’s pretty much impossible to get a bunch of dried powders to properly mix into a full cup of milk, at least in my experience.) I fill up my mug the rest of the way with milk and once again stir thoroughly until the paste is disolved into the milk. Then I microwave my mug until it is hot and drink! (The friend who taught me this technique likes to use nonfat milk, but then cool off the hot liquid with a splash of cream.)

Happy eating!

I’ve still been extra hungry the last few days, but I’ve managed my hunger pretty well by eating lots of small meals full of fiber and protein. I’m hanging in there. I wonder if part of my hunger is due to the fact that I’ve recently increased my exercise or it its just garden variety stress cravings?

Food:
–Ezekiel English muffin with peanut butter
–1/3 cup strawberries and 1/4 cup nonfat yogurt drizzled with honey
–Café au lait

–Pistachio raisin trail mix
–apple

–v-8
–1 Fish taco (50 calorie low carb tortilla, catfish, black beans, avocado, salsa, part skim mozzarella)
–Pepper sticks
–Two light rye cracks and 1/2 wedge of laughing cow light

–.6 oz 85% dark chocolate
–Coffee with half and half

–crockpot chicken vegetable curry over whole wheat couscous

–High fiber cereal with skim milk

I have the yummiest dinner last night! I was feeling creative so I mixed up a batch of homemade puttanesca sauce…it was delicious. Flavorful and tasty and not too heavy!

First, I sauteed two shallots and one diced red pepper in some olive oil. When those had gotten carmely and sweet, I added a can of diced tomatos, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. (Easy on the salt…you’ll be adding more salty things later). When the sauce was partially reduced, I added a big handful of chopped fresh basil, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a couple tablespoons of capers, a squirt of anchovy paste, and a drained 6 oz. can of albacore tuna. (Traditional puttanesca sauce has olives in it, but the husband hates them, so I just added extra capers instead.) I realized a bit late that I didn’t have nearly enough fresh garlic, so I compensated by crushing in the garlic at the very last minute and adding a little garlic powder. Served it over whole wheat spaghetti with a grating of fresh parmesan. Delicious! And the husband loved it!

I had a really hungry day yesterday. I just wanted to eat everything in sight. My strategy when that happens is to nibble all day long, but stick to very healthy foods and try to keep portion sizes small. If I try to convince myself that I don’t need food, I just end up binging later. I did okay…ate CONSTANTLY, but mainly stuck to healthy food.

Food:
–Small orange
–Two tsp peanut butter
–1/4 cup Greek style nonfat yogurt
–Pumpkin oatmeal pancakes
–Coffee with cream

–1/4 cup raisin pistachio trail mix

–Small orange
–Black beans, tomato and avocado wrapped in a 50 calorie low carb tortilla

–Light rye crackers and laughing cow
–v-8
–Bell pepper sticks

–Luna bar

–Banana

–1 cup whole wheat pasta with puttanesca sauce

–.3 oz 85% dark chocolate

–Glass of nonfat milk
–Two pieces of dried tamarind

Steps: 10085