Kraft Free Italian with a regular Italian dressing as described below
Turkey slices
Snack
Dried apricots
No protein, saved for dinner
Dinner
3 grilled chicken drumsticks
Olive oil
1 tbsp barbeque sauce
South Beach Diet 100 calorie whole wheat crackers
2 cups lettuce with cucmbers and snap peas
Newman's Own Sesame Ginger Dressing
Dessert
?
I am going to the movies tonight, so I'm not sure what to have for dessert or whether I should skip it in case I have movie popcorn. Of course I realize this isn't the healthiest choice! But going to the movies is such a rare occasion, that I don't worry about things like this. I have done it once before since starting Nutrisystem. I don't sweat the small stuff, will eat more fat than allowed (especially with using the coconut oil since I take it as a health supplement), and allow myself splurges like this on occasion. I truly believe this is what works for me - I have been losing fairly steadily. My biggest concern is refined carbs - white flour and sugar. Even if you use white flour and sugar, the portion control (aka calorie limit) is a key to losing, and having adequate protein and plenty of produce helps.
The banana bread was delicious, by the way. Someone gave us some over-ripe bananas, knowing how much we bake, and I used one for a couple of these loaves. You can see that I added coconut oil, walnuts, and a tiny amount of chocolate chips. Because there were so few of them, the chocolate chips were not really noticeable, so I don't think I'll do that again - Da Vinci SF chocolate syrup would probably have more of an impact.
Lunch and snack were kind of messed up as I was running all over today. I forgot my protein at lunchtime, ate some apricots and turkey while I was cooking dinner, and figured I'd add an extra protein serving at dinner. I might have planned it that way if I had thought about it - I love grilled chicken! I added barbeque sauce to everyone else's chicken and left mine plain (with just seasoning). I chose not to have barbeque sauce because I didn't want to spend calories on the sugar, but I only planned to have two drumsticks. After entering my information in the NS online food diary, I realized I needed one more, and proceeded to eat one with BBQ sauce on it. Was a nice compromise, but they are delicious even without the sauce. Yes, I did eat the skin also.
Sometimes, if I don't feel like having 2 servings of veggies, I'll count my salad as my two veggies and have applesauce. I would have done that tonight but I also had some veggies in my salad.
Totally boring stuff, I know. Just the everyday (and occasional) stuff that works for me.
*Note - this was yummy! Next time I'll add less ice to make it more creamy, but it was satisfying and I'll make it again.
1/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 Tbsp splenda
1 Tbsp Sugar Free Da Vinci chocolate syrup
1/2 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp vanilla
4-5 Ice cubes
Place everything in your blender except the ice and whirl. Add ice cubes and process till crushed. Pour into a large cup and chill in the freezer.
Okay, so I haven't actually eaten this yet, except to taste it while I made it. It was yummy! I'm just hoping the chilling process will make it taste more like the real thing.
Today was a yummy day, even if everything else was blah!
Breakfast
My current favorite bagel sandwich with Laughing Cow Cheese wedge and a full serving of turkey (see below)
Dried apricots
Lunch
Omaha sirloin steak left over from Memorial Day (3 oz. serving at 150-160 cals)
South Beach Diet 100 cal Whole Wheat Snack Crackers
2 cups lettuce
Newman's Own Lite Sesame Ginger Dressing
Snack
Blue Bunny Lite85 Yogurt
Dried apricots
Dinner
Nutrisystem Basil Chicken Breast Dinner entree
1/2 zucchini
1/2 medium tomato
Onion slices
Sprinkles of Parmesan and the tiniest taste of Asiago
Applesauce
Dessert
Chocolate Ricotta Milkshake (recipe to follow)
This is my favorite NS dinner! Tonight I made our long-time recipe - which doesn't have a name. Saute sliced onion for a minute or so, then add the zucchini slices and cook intil they are browned a little. Add the tomatoes to the top but be gentle with them. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve when heated through, sprinkled with Parmesan or any hard cheese. Of course, my husband had more Asiago on his. This is delish with the chicken.
Didn't walk today, nope. I got up late, was soo tired. I didn't sleep too well last night. I've been walking for 35-50 minutes a pop, about 2 miles or so. I don't walk every day, just MWF.
So, last night I ate my Cafe Au Lait Moussy Thing for dessert and decided I didn't like it. I really just tased like hot cocoa jello. No, not very appealing, I know. It needs tweaking for sure, so don't go using that recipe without a little adventure. I'm really into working with Knox though, so I'll keep at it. Not tonight though - I'm just so dead. It's hamburgers all around for dinner, I ain't cookin' for no one. Well, except me, I'm not eating hamburgers unless it's In-n-Out, and since that's out of town (probably a good thing), it's not, and I don't want em.
I counted the bagel, cheese, and turkey as entree plus protein. I only had one slice of turkey left, and was out of ham, otherwise I would have had a full serving of ham. Toast the bagel and spread each side with cheese, making a sandwich with the meat. This is positively my favorite breakfast right now. Delish!! I count the bagel and cheese as entree, and add my protein (ham). Amy Smith counts the bagel itself as entree, but I prefer to add the cheese, as the bagel by itself has only 6 grams of protein, and bagel plus the cheese equals many of the NS breakfast entrees in calories and protein.
Lunch
2 slices light bread
2 oz tuna mixed with 1/2 tbsp mayo, pickles, and red onions
1 slice FF American cheese
2 cups lettuce
Newman's Own Light Sesame Ginger Dressing
Okay, so obviously I made a tuna melt. Very yummy! I have mentioned before that I use coconut oil as a supplement? Well, instead of PAM spray for grilling my sandwich, I used coconut oil. The choice is yours.
Snack
1/2 grapefruit sweetened with a packet of Stevia
1/3 cup ricotta mixed with 1 tbsp. milk, vanilla, and my sweetener combo (stevia and splenda)
I chilled and stirred, chilled and stirred the ricotta in the freezer to make it somewhat the consistency of soft serve, because the taste reminded me so much of vanilla ice cream. Was yummy!
Dinner
1/2 cup homemade spaghetti sauce w/ meat
1/2 cup angel hair (approximately, fist size)
2 cups lettuce
Combo of Kraft Free Italian and Bernstein's Basil Parmesan
Sprinkles of Parmesan
1 zucchini, sauteed in PAM
Anything with an Italian flavor doesn't work with the coconut oil, IMO - hence the PAM for the zucchini. I have no idea how many calories are in my homemade sauce, but I know what I put in there, and know it fits. Perhaps the only thing I'd change is adding more meat to my serving. I've started using stevia for my sauce, instead of the sugar I used to put in. I doubt anyone ever got fat eating red tomato meat sauce, it was the huge mound of pasta, 4 slices of french bread slathered with butter, croutons, cheese, gobs of full fat dressing that did it.
Oh, on my salad, I used a tbsp of the fat free italian, and 1/2 tbsp of the Bernstein's. It really did the trick - I can't stand that FF Italian alone, but this combo really boosted the flavor.
Dessert
Last night's Cafe Au Lait Moussy Thing (see below)
I hope you are doing well yourself! Remember, you control food, not the other way around.
*Note - before you go making this, I wouldn't personally make it again as is. It was too much like hot cocoa jello, not really creamy. I intend to revamp it at some point, I think it has potential. If you play with this and come up with something better, let me know and I'll post it here.
An adaptation of a recipe from the Knox website:
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatine (20 cals)
3/4 cup fat free evaporated milk (150 cals, 12 g protein)
3 Tbsp. hot coffee (3-4 cals, trace fat)
1/4 cup splenda or equivelent sweetener to equal 1/4 cup sugar (splenda = 24 cals)
1 to 2 tsp Da Vinci Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup (3-5 cals)
Ice cubes (I used 3-4 but original recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups)
Fat Free Cool Whip
In a blender, sprinkle gelatin over half the milk and let stand for a minute or two. Add hot coffee and combine to dissolve gelatine. Add remaining milk, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, chocolate syrup, and blend. Add ice cubes, one at a time, blending till melted. I also add a pinch of salt, because sweets just don't taste right to me without it. Taste to make sure you like, then pour into two large glasses or bowls. There are large servings! Chill until set, about 2 hours. Serve with a dollup of Cool Whip.
Half recipe: 151 calories, 7 grams protein
Tasted much like hot cocoa, cept it was cold and jello-y. I can't say this was "perfect" yet, I'll play around with it more. I increased the milk and reduced the coffee from the original recipe to up the protein, so coffee flavor was not evident. Adding whey powder would probably be better. If you play around with the recipe, I'll be happy to post your variation here.
Trying this with different syrups and fruit sounds good too. By the way, I made my own jello the other day using Kool Aid and splenda. It was really good and I didn't have to eat that nasty SF Jello stuff.
Whoa - it's been a long time since I wrote. I hope you haven't been waiting around all that time, you'd be mummified by now!
So, I hit a stall. This seems to be a regular occurance, like monthly, right before I do the NS Body Boost. I'll be doing that after the 8th, with my own food of course. Anyway, last time we spoke, I had eaten a tiny piece of my dad's birthday cake, and ended up not being totally careful with my plan for the next week or so - nothing like falling of the wagon or anything drastic, just a few extra calories here and there. Yes, I do still believe the cake itself was okay, it was the choices I made during the next week that kept me bouncing around 158 to 160.
This morning I was so hoping to see 157, but nope - I flew right past it! 156.5. Being careful paid off, finally! I kept hoping every day, but this morning, I knew there would be a good change on the scale.
I found a yogurt that I love - it's Blue Bunny Lite85 yogurt found at Walmart. It has more protein than the typical 6 oz. yogurt, and it's sweetened with splenda. I love it because normally I can hardly eat a full protein size of yogurt. Not that I want another reason to shop at Walmart...
No time for a walk today - the girls have a ballet rehearsal this morning and we have a b-day celebration for my pop this afternoon. I have to give two haircuts and make a pecan pie (which I will not be eating).
I finally dropped another pound! I've been bouncing between 159 and 162 for the past week due to not-always-so-regularly scheduled circumstances.
B-fast this morning was a Cinnamon Western bagel with cream cheese frosting (1.5 oz ff cream cheese softened with some splenda and stevia, vanilla, coconut oil, and a couple of drops of lemon juice added to taste - courtesy of Amy Smith), and two Dannon Raspberry Light & Fit cups blended with some milk, raspberries, coconut oil, and a little ice. Very filling, and, I know, boring. I can't make carrot cake every day!
Yeah, I make a point to add coconut oil to my diet. The medium chain fatty acids supposedly don't get stored like long chain fatty acids do. Google it and research for yourself.
Edited to add: So, I debated whether or not I should tell you this. I did not eat any pecan pie. I did, however, eat a tiny piece of birthday cake. I made a decision, albeit a spur of the moment decision, to allow myself a small piece. It was about 1" by 2". My reasoning was that I am making a lifestyle change, one which, for me, if it is going to be livable, will include an occasional piece of cake. Although something like that is better left for maintenance, I want to know I can control myself, control all portions, including an occasional splurge. If Nutrisystem is going to work for me, I will have to allow myself these splurges. Not every day, or even once a week. Special occasions. I don't feel like I cheated because I made a decision and was, and am still in control. My tiny piece was just a taste, all I wanted, and I had no desire for any more. In a way, I consider this a victory. Maybe I'll feel differently in the morning.
