Monday Recap...

Good Morning!

Monday is finally over and we are now into Tuesday. Four more days until the weekend!!!

So, let me tell you about my day yesterday. Well, I will mainly tell you about my eating habits. Breakfast started off great:

I had almond bread cake with a side if peaches. After one bite I knew I needed more since I was ravenous so I smeared some peanut butter on top. This was an 8:30am breakfast. 

By noon, I decided to forgo my lunch workout because I was starving and wanted to eat my lunch at that time instead. 

Lunch was a curried chicken kale salad with avocado. I devoured this in seconds. I was still hungry afterwards but decided to wait some time before I had something else. 

After about an hour I was still hungry so I had a Larabar. For some reason this only kept me full for half an hour. This is where things took a turn for the worse. 

I had TWO bowl fills of goldfish crackers and a cookie. This was followed by a handful of Hershey kisses. I was just so hungry!

Well, when I had all this I was finally full. So full that I could not eat dinner. I also felt extremely lethargic, down and my stomach was cramping up. Despite all these issues I had a large slice of chocolate cake with almonds at night. 

As you can see, there was absolutely nothing nutritious put into my body after lunch. Not one thing and I definitely felt it. 

I think I wrote this post more for myself. To see the choices I make and the way they make me feel. To remind myself that if I have a goal in mind to keep at it to see results. Yes, I was starving yesterday. Maybe I need to readjust my portions but I also need to work on better food choices when hungry. 

Today is a new day. I've packed a nutritious breakfast and lunch along with a few healthy snacks. If I continue to be ravenous I at least have healthy choices on hand. 

The Food Choices We Make...

When working in obtaining a healthy lifestyle, did you ever ask yourself how you obtained such an unhealthy lifestyle? I asked myself this question today and realized the answer was all the poor, unhealthy choices I've made, thinking "Oh, why don't I have this cupcake now...it's a special occasion" or "Hey, I've eaten well for two days, I deserve a cheat day". When I added it all up, I realized I actually gave myself more excuses to make bad choices and less reasons of making healthy decisions.

Today alone I almost convinced myself to have a cupcake. After making a conscious decision I decided to have an apple. I could have also totally blown my lunch but instead but opted to have a healthy tuna sandwich and soup.

Continuously making healthy choices will allow you to see results that last and let you appreciate real, clean eating and not overload on sugar.

What also really helps is planning. Every Sunday I hit up the grocery store and buy a bag of apples, string beans, carrots and bell peppers. I cut up all the vegetables, place them in baggies and bring these and the apples to work and leave them there. Now, if I want an unhealthy snack I think twice and reach for an apple instead.  I also take some time out to make some healthy meals for the week.  This way I know when I come home from work, I have a healthy, homemade dinner waiting for me.

We are what we eat and if every time we want a snack and reach for chips... guess what...we are going to look like a sack of potatoes :-p

I hope this post allows you to think twice about the food choices you make...especially if you are unhappy with your body and wonder why. Sometimes you just need to put things in perspective to realize what's going on, and that's OK. Better late than never!

Kanwal & Tika's Lunch Adventure...

Tika and I met up for lunch, but after last week's disaster we decided to keep it safe and went to Energy Kitchen.

I ordered the Mediterranean Salad with feta, cucumbers, kalamata olives, red onions, tomatoes, corn and romaine, all chopped up and tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette.

Tika ordered the veggie burger.

For our next lunch I'm trying to convince Tika to bring lunch and we'll eat in the park :-) Oh yes, save $$$ and time. Sorry Energy Kitchen, I love ya but sometimes I can't wait 20 minutes for a salad. Don't worry, I know it's because your popular :-)

Total lunch calories: 302

The Breakfast of Champions...

Still thinking about last night's post, I decided to have a more nutrient dense breakfast as well. Lately, my breakfast has been 4WW points; that's 3 points for organic instant oatmeal and 1 point for a serving of oatbran mixed in. It's still a little chilly outside so I know I wanted something warm, but more earthy. So, I created my own version of a healthy oatmeal for only 4WW points! Not only is this filling but I am eating more nutritious, natural food :-)

My oatmeal:

1TB. of raisins

1TB. of chopped almonds

1 small banana, diced

1 serving of oatbran

1TB. of cinnamon

1/4.c of boiled water, more if you'd like your oatmeal thinner

1/2c. of vanilla soy milk

Mix all of these ingredients, except the soymilk in a bowl. Slowly stir in the soymilk.

Enjoy!

WW pts: 4

What am I getting from this meal: fiber from the oatbran, potassium from the banana, healthy fats from the chopped almonds, the cholesterol lowering powers of cinnamon and antioxidants from the raisins.

Yeah...seriously, you can't go wrong with this one :-)

Enjoy!

***Recipe Alert: Spicy Vegetarian Tacos***

Hello Everyone,

Lately, I've been on a soft taco kick. Not only are they so fast to make, but with just a few ingredients, these tacos are low in points and yet, oh so delicious! Enjoy one of my most favorite soft taco recipes below:

Ingredients:

4 corn tortillas, toasted on an open flame on your stove

2TB of shredded romano cheese

1/2c of shredded cabbage

1c of small white beans

1/2c of salsa of your choice

1/2c of chopped cilantro

1 packet of taco seasoning mix

Preparation:

Heat the beans on your stove and mix in the taco seasoning mix.

Evenly divide each ingredient into fourths.

Lay the tortilla's on a flat surface and top them with each of the remaining inredients.

Enjoy!!

Servings: 2, each serving has 4 WW points!!!!

For another variation of this recipe using black beans, go to www. theajnabee.com!

Week Two...Tryin Somethin New...

Good Morning Everyone, We are now into week 2 of the New Year. This week I've decided to try something different, something that I've been wanting to do for a while, and that is a raw foods diet. At work, I found Ani Phyo's book: Ani's Raw Food Kitchen. I LOVE this book because number one, most of the recipes are very simple, number two the fancy schmancy equipment that other raw foods recipes ask for, are optional in this book! Surprisingly, being on the raw foods diet has worked out well in conjuntion to weight watchers. Although there are a lot of nuts and EVOO used in recipes, with proper portion control I stay within my points. So, what have I noticed thus far being on a raw foods diet? Well, I do have more energy. I've also realized that a raw food diet does not mean eating bland fruits and veggies. When the right foods are combined, this is really delicious! You can make everything from burgers to wraps, to decadent desserts!! Ani is amazing when it comes to this!! Last night I made a whole 3 course raw food meal which consisted of: Lemon Fennel EVOO soup Cabbage slaw with thyme and apple cider vinegar Delicious Dolmas stuffed with dill, raisins, pine nuts and sun dried tomatos!!! Yum..all this was around 9 points!!! So good and delicious!!! Go ahead and try something new and healthy this week!!! How have you guys been doing this week?

Healthy Ways to Bulk Up Your Food...

Sometimes when you are trying to watch out for portion distortion, you'll realize that actual portion sizes are pretty small! We do eat with our eyes as well, and if we see such a small amount of food, we think..how will this ever fill me up?!? Have no fear because there are healthy ways to bulk up your portion sizes without adding many points..and I mean hardly any! Next time you're cooking, try these suggestions out:

• Anytime you have a meat dish using ground beef, chicken, turkey, or even chunks of meat such as chicken salad or even tuna salad, you can increase the bulk of your meals by adding finely diced mushrooms! When diced, mushrooms can be very meaty and you’ll hardly know they are mushrooms because they will absorb the flavor of whatever youre cooking.
• Making a creamy dip? Substitute half of the 'creamy' part with non fat Greek Yogurt. This is awesome because Greek Yogurt is not tart, and is thick and rich. Best of all, it's fat free!
• When baking, you can save a ton of fat and calories by substituting 3/4 of the oil for apple sauce!
• Love mashed potatos but cannot take all the carbs....no problem, boil up a head of cauliflower and mash this into the potatos! You'll get twice as many 'mashed potatos'!
• Double up your guacamole by adding mashed peas...seriously, people will not even know the difference!

These are just a few tips and tricks I have. As I find more out, Ill post them. Do you guys have tips?

New Year, new day, new you....

Good Morning Everyone, Today is the first Monday of the new year! Usually I am against setting a specific date to start a healthy lifestyle, but since this is a new year to start off fresh and coincedentally also a Monday (the day most people decide to start their healthy lifestyle), why not take advantage of this if it works for people? Yes peoples, this is a new year to start off fresh! Forget about the past and work on the present so you can have a future! You are well equipped to take control of your life now. You have the knowledge to make healthy decisions, and if not, I will always be here to help out and give advice!! Here are a few steps to help you get started: 1. Restock your pantry with fruits, veggies, heart healthy nuts, lean protein. 2. Look through the ingredients of all your breads, pastas and rice. If this starts with enriched flour, switch over to 100% Whole Wheat or Whole grains! 3. Buy healthy on the go snacks such as part skim string cheese, apples, low fat yogurt and granola bars. 4. Invest in a 32oz. stainless steel water bottle. You can bring this anywhere and remember to keep yourself hydrated! 5. Plan out atleast 30 minutes a day of physical activity! This seems to be the hardest for people, but serious, even if its a walk during your lunch, every bit helps! 6. On a weekend day, plan your meals out for the week. Your breakfast, your lunches and dinners. This will make your trip to the grocery store easier and quicker. You will also be in control of what you feed your body! 7. Out of sight, out of mind. Throw away any trigger foods. Cakes, cookies, chips. If these are not with in reach, you cannot have them! I hope you all take these tips and work on bettering your eating habits! Feel free to share any tips you may have!! We are in this together!