Travel snacks

Dieting while traveling is not the easiest, but a big part of my diet plan includes eating about every 2 hours to maintain my blood sugar levels without big dips from not eating (this seems to be very effective for me). On my most recent trip to New York, I tried to stay on track by bringing Apples, hardboiled eggs and string cheese in a cooler, Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds, buying Oatmeal for breakfast, eating chicken salads for lunch, drinking as much water as possible and using the bank account analogy from Bethenny. Overall, I didn't lose or gain any weight this week which I take as a win. I didn't get the excercise in that I wanted and I was stressed from work, so I attribute that as the blocker that kept me from loosing. On to next week with an optimistic view :)

Trees aka Broccoli

Roasted Broccoli is to die for. Seriously so very very good.

Recipe for Roasted Broccoli
Roast 1 head of Broccoli separated into it's own little trees with some Olive Oil, Lemon zest from 1 lemon, Chopped garlic, ample salt and Red pepper flakes at 400 degrees for 20 minutes stirring once half way through.

SOOOOOOO good and easy it's scary. Dave said please make broccoli like this every time from now on.

Cauliflower

In an effort to continue loosing weight (8lbs so far) I've been trying to find different ways to cook healthy foods following the Diet plan I've adapted for myself using the concepts I've learned from Jackie Warner and Bethenny Frankel.

I made Ina Garten's perfect roast chicken (sans fennel since I didn't want to go back to the store) and made Cauliflower Mash instead of mashed potatoes (my dad even said he like the cauli mash better) which is much lower in carbohydrates. The result is a little thinner, but still very tasty.

CauliMash recipe
Steamed a head of chopped cauliflower until very tender
Blend in food processor or blender with a spoonful of lowfat sour cream, S&P.
Add in a few splashes of milk one at a time whenever it looks like it stopped processing and needs the liquid until smooth. Serve while warm.

side note: I like how Dave pronounces Cauliflower with an emphasis on the U. I find it weird that I like that, I could say it that way too, but somehow I just like hearing him say it.

Healthier Alfredo

Hungry Girl recipe for 1 serving:
http://www.hungry-girl.com/week/weeklydetails.php?isid=468

My adapted recipe 4 servings:
Sautee 1/2cup of finely chopped onions
or ¼ cup finely chopped shallots
in a small amount of butter in a sauce pan until soft but not browned

Add
1 cup skim milk
6 wedges Laughing Cow Light Swiss cheese
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 Pinch garlic powder
4 Leaves fresh Sage chiffonade(roll up leaves, slice thinly into ribbons) Alternatively fresh or dried dill could be used

Whisk until everything is melted and the sauce is smooth, about 20 minutes.
It will thicken as you cook, but if it still seems liquidy after 20min you can add another wedge.

Add Salt and Pepper to taste Serve immediately over noodles, shirataki tofu noodles, chicken, etc.


Laughing Cow Wedge Flavors:
The Laughing Cow® Wedges
Light Creamy Swiss
Light Garlic & Herb
Light French Onion
NEW! Light Blue Cheese
NEW! Light Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil
NEW! Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle
Original Creamy Swiss

"This is Why You're Fat"

Jackie Warner, famed trainer from the Bravo network shows Thintervention and previously Workout wrote "This Is Why You're Fat (And How to Get Thin Forever): Eat More, Cheat More, Lose More--and Keep the Weight Off". I haven't purchased the book yet, but I have skimmed the Look Inside feature and watched Thintervention in attempts to gain some knowledge on her philoshophy. It covers most of what I already have heard, but has a simple to follow plan that seems to work for me when I follow it to heart. This is what I took from perusing the info provided (not at all meant to provide as much info as in the book

Diet:
EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT FOURTEEN DAYS, ADD IN THE FOLLOWING FOODS:
Eggs (2 daily)
Oatmeal (1 cup daily)
Hormone-Balancing,
Detox Vegetables (2-3 cups daily)
Fresh Fruit (2 servings is 2 whole fruits)
Water and Lemon Juice Herbal Teas
Whey Protein Shake (8-ounce serving daily)

Sample menu basics: four proteins, three veggies, two grains, two fruits, and one fat per day.

My interpretation of her sample menus from the book:
BREAKFAST
Protein (2 eggs) hardboiled, sunnyside up, scrambled no added fats
1 cup of chopped fresh veggies (or 1/4 c avo, I usually add spinach tomatoes, zucchini and/or broccoli to my omlets)
Multivitamin

SNACK
Fruit (1 cup of fresh berries, for example)
Grain (1 cup of oatmeal)

LUNCH
4 ounces of protein (sirloin steak, chicken breast, scallops, shrimp, or 2 eggs)
1 cup of a vegetable or 1 baked sweet potato

SNACK
~Protein shake (scoop of whey mixed with water and 1 cup fresh fruit, for example)
~OR 1/4 cup Almonds (I like Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds) with 1 cup of fresh fruit or apple
~OR 1 oz cheese with an apple

DINNER
4 ounces of protein (sirloin steak, chicken breast, scallops, shrimp, or 2 eggs)
Vegetable (1 cup of steamed broccoli, for example)
Grain with Bfast OR Dinner (1 slice Whole Wheat bread, 1 cup of oatmeal OR 1 cup of brown rice)

~I try not to do the same protein twice in one day, or the same grain. If I don't have time to make eggs for breakfast, I'll eat the Oatmeal with fruit for breakfast and have 2 hardboiled eggs and 1 cup of raw veggies that I can take on the go.

~Another option for a snack I sometimes substitute is 1 ounce of cheese and an organic apple (and yes I weigh the cheese along with my 4 oz of lowfat proteins)

~As for right now I also drink coffee in the morning, but I am planning to cut that out in the next month and I really try to drink as much Lemon water as possible. Jackie does emphasize the importance of adding lemon juice to the water for extra fat burning power, and the value of eating the yellows of the egg for the same reason.

~There is great value to eating 6 meals a day 2 hours apart, and I really try to space the meals out 2 hours. She also encourages two cheat meals on the weekends to give your mind and body a break from dieting.

~I think a big part in my recent success has been lowering my sugar intake. On the show, she had participants purge their homes of foods that had over 6 or 7 grams of sugar per serving (which I now look at nutrition labels for)

~My interpretation of Detox Vegetables is spinach, tomatoes, zucchini and/or broccoli (ie. not corn) and for fruits I'm sticking with apples, pears and berries (not bananas, ewe, or grapes which are high in sugar), it may be more defined in the book

~my only gripe is the lack of Calcium, so I'm alternating adding in milk and considering Calcium supplements


Cardio Workout:
20 min
"Raise ramp to maximum uphill and slow walk (almost a lunge) for 2 minutes. Then lower the ramp and run for 2 minutes. Take 1 minute to bring your heart rate down and then start over. Repeat 4 more times (equals a 20 minute session). It’s less boring too! "

Variations:
Do 4,5min intervals swim or run or bike
2min Medium pace swim or 40% bike or uphill walk
2min Fast pace swim or 80% bike or no hill run
1 min Recovery slow pace

Strength Training:
"Women, make sure to include weight training at least 3-4 days a week. If you add 3-5 pounds of muscle to your body, you will burn 250-500 extra calories per day which equals 3-5 pounds of fat loss per week"

"The only muscle groups that really burn fat are the primary muscles like the chest, back, quads, glute and hamstrings. Focus hard on those!"

"Your body hits a plateau with cardio and resistance training in one month so change your weight, reps and exercises accordingly"
"The fastest way to get the body you want is through my power circuit training. Combine 3 upper body exercises and 3 lower body exercises together to make one big set. Do not rest in between and alternate quickly from upper to lower for maximum fat burn."

One Shiny Star

"In Defense of Food" Book Giveaway on
http://oneshinystar.com/?p=1054&cpage=1#comment-1144

Should be a pretty interesting read.