April's Diet Blog

Post Thanksgiving Gain

aprilsdiet — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 01:43:36 +0000

I gained 2 pounds over thanksgiving, which isn’t that bad, considering a ate a whole pumpkin pie by myself. The menu I posted this week is very lean on sugar and carbs, so we’ll see how it goes. It is my goal to lose 1.5 pounds each week before New Year’s but I don’t think this week is going to be a good start. I missed Zumba on Tuesday & we’ve only eaten junk. Things are incredibly busy right now & the busier I am the more I eat. I will be starting the menu below on Monday, so even if this week is bad, hopefully next week will make up for it! Good luck!!

Monday
Breakfast
1 slice Ezekiel 4:9 bread w/ 1 tbsp cream cheese
Snack
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Lunch
Grilled chicken & pepper jack cheese wrapped in romaine lettuce
Snack
6 Triscuits
Dinner
Grilled Stuffed portabella mushrooms, spinach salad w/ Newmans Lite balsamic vinaigrette
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 4 portobello mushroom caps
Directions – Preheat grill for medium heat. In a large bowl, mix the red bell pepper, garlic, oil, onion powder, salt, and ground black pepper. Spread mixture over gill side of the mushroom caps. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place mushrooms over indirect heat, cover, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Tuesday
Breakfast
1 slice Ezekiel 4:9 bread w/ 1 tbsp cream cheese
Snack
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Lunch
Grilled Stuffed portabella mushrooms, spinach salad w/ Newmans Lite balsamic viniagrette
Snack
6 Triscuits
Dinner
Fish w/ cheese sauce & Fennel Rice
Fish
1 1/4lb salmon steaks, cut 3/4 inch thick; 1/2cup fat free sour cream , or plain nonfat yogurt; 1pinch salt and pepper; 1/2cup Cheese, mozzarella, reduced fat, shredded , or Monterey Jack; 2tsp fresh tarragon , snipped, or 1/2 tsp crushed tarragon

Directions
1 Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. If necessary, cut fish into 4 serving-size pieces.
2 For sauce, stir together yogurt, cheese, and tarragon and set aside. 3 Preheat broiler. Place fish on the greased unheated rack of a broiler pan. 4 Sprinkle fish with salt and black pepper. Broil about 4 inches from the heat for 6 to 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. 5 Spoon sauce over fish steaks. Broil for 30 to 60 seconds more or until heated through and cheese starts to melt.
Fennel Rice
1fennel bulb , top trimmed and bulb cubed; 1medium red bell peppers , cubed; 1small onions , chopped;
1tbsp vegetable oil; 1/2cup short grain brown rice; 1bay leaves; 2cup cold water

Directions: 1 Mix together the fennel, pepper, onion, and vegetable oil in a saucepan. Cook for about two minutes over medium heat. 2 Stir in the rice, bay leaf, and water. 3 Bring to a boil then decrease to low and cook for about 30 to 35 minutes.

Wednesday
Breakfast
1 slice Ezekiel 4:9 bread w/ 1 tbsp cream cheese
Snack
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Lunch
Fish w/ cheese sauce & Fennel Rice

Dinner
Chicken Parmesan & Angel Hair Pasta
1tbsp olive oil; 1tsp poultry seasoning; 1tsp Italian seasoning; 1tsp garlic powder; 1/2tsp salt; 3tbsp Bread Crumbs, Italian style; 2tbsp grated parmesan cheese, low sodium; 1cooking spray; 20oz boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 x 5-ounce breasts); 1 1/2cup no-salt tomato sauce , warmed; 1tbsp fresh basil , chopped

Directions: 1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 2 Combine and mix together in a small bowl the olive oil, poultry seasoning, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Brush the mixture evenly over the chicken. 3 In a shallow bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Roll the chicken breasts in the bread crumb mixture. Place in a cooking spray coated baking dish and coat the top of the chicken with fat free cooking spray. 5 Bake until an instant read thermometer registers 160 degrees F in a breast and the juices run clear, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. 6 Serve with the sauce and top with the basil.

Thursday
Breakfast
1 slice Ezekiel 4:9 bread w/ 1 tbsp cream cheese
Snack
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Lunch
Chicken Parmesan & Angel Hair Pasta (Barilla Plus)
Dinner
Fast food grilled chicken salad w/ Newmans Lite balsamic vinaigrette

Friday
Breakfast
1 slice Ezekiel 4:9 bread w/ 1 tbsp cream cheese
Snack
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Lunch
Grilled chicken & pepper jack cheese wrapped in romaine lettuce
Dinner
Cheesy Tortilla Rolls & Mexican rice
Tortillas
4medium corn tortilla; 1tsp ground cumin; 1/2tsp hot red pepper flakes; 3oz mozzarella sticks , four cheese sticks
Directions: 1 Put the tortillas on a flat surface and cover each with 1/4 teaspoon cumin and 1/8 teaspoon of dried pepper flakes. 2 Put a cheese stick in the center of each tortilla, roll the tortilla around the cheese, and lay on a microwave-safe plate. 3 Set in the microwave and cook on a high setting for approximately 30 seconds, or until the cheese starts to melt. 4 Take out of the microwave and let sit for 30 seconds before serving.
Rice
1cooking spray; 1large tomato , chopped; 1/2cup fresh chopped onion; medium garlic cloves , minced; 1/2tsp oregano leaves , diced; 1/4tsp ground cumin; 1cup Rice, long grain, FastCook, dry; 14 1/2oz low sodium vegetable broth; 1/3cup cold water; 1medium carrots , cooked and diced; 1/2cup frozen green peas , thawed; 1pinch salt; 1pinch black pepper

Directions
1 Heat a cooking spray coated pot over medium heat. Cook tomato, onion, garlic, oregano, and cumin 3 to 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Stir in rice and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until rice is golden, stir often while cooking. 2 Pour broth and water into pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat, place lid on pot, and simmer 25 minutes or until rice is soft and liquid is absorbed; stir in carrots and peas during the last 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Technical Difficulties

aprilsdiet — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:05:35 +0000

My Internet is down at home & I am Posting now from my phone. As soon s the web is up I’ll post. Thanks

Sorry I missed

aprilsdiet — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:36:54 +0000

Last week was not a good week. Trevor & I were both sick & in my haze of sickness, I never did get the blog updated. I had lost 1.8 pounds last week. I am trying really hard this week in anticipation of next week’s Thanksgiving splurge. I think I am going to have to do extra Zumba.

I did get lucky this week and found the Good Life Ezekial 4:9 bread at a local store. I’ve had to go to Lexington to get it before, so that was an added bonus. If you haven’t tried the bread, you should. It’s got a little different taste at first, but it quickly grows on you.

Week 5

aprilsdiet — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:06:36 +0000

Week 5

Monday
Breakfast
Good Life Ezekial 4:9 bread w/ cream cheese
Snack
String Cheese
Lunch
Chicken Romaine Wrap
Snack
6 Triscuits
Dinner
Creamy Chicken Alfredo pasta

Tuesday
Breakfast
Good Life Ezekial 4:9 bread w/ cream cheese
Snack
String Cheese
Lunch
Creamy Chicken Alfredo pasta
Snack
6 Triscuits
Dinner
Grilled pork chop, Smart Pasta mac & tomatoes, Spinach salad w/ Newman’s Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette

Wednesday
Breakfast
Good Life Ezekial 4:9 bread w/ cream cheese
Snack
½ cup raw carrots
Lunch
Grilled pork chop & Spinach salad w/ Newman’s Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette
Snack
6 Triscuits
Dinner
Steak fajitas, on carb balance tortillas with green & red peppers, fat free sour cream, guacamole, and black beans

Thursday
Breakfast
Good Life Ezekial 4:9 bread w/ cream cheese
Snack
½ cup raw carrot sticks
Lunch
Steak fajitas, on carb balance tortillas with green & red peppers, fat free sour cream, guacamole, and black beans
Snack
6 Triscuits
Dinner
Grilled chicken salad with Newman’s Own Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

Friday
Breakfast
Good Life Ezekial 4:9 bread w/ cream cheese
Snack
½ cup raw carrots
Lunch
Chicken romaine wrap
6 Triscuits
Dinner
Bacon Cheeseburger with lean beef, low fat cheese, lean bacon on whole wheat bun

Birthday Blunder

aprilsdiet — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 02:27:52 +0000

This week was my son’s 5th birthday. It feels like we’ve celebrated 10 times and I’ve eaten cake & ice cream every rime. It is not going to be a good weigh in.

Roll with it baby

aprilsdiet — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 01:51:11 +0000

I lost 4.6 pounds this week. Another good week, so I’m officially on a roll. We have two massive bowls of Halloween candy and my husband refuses to let me take it to work. I’m sure I will have a gain this week. I work with Liz Ison and she does the food pantry for her church. I didn’t know if it would be a good thing to take candy to a food pantry & she assured me it is OK because the kids come with the parents sometime to get food and the candy can be a little treat that they may not otherwise get. So if you need to get rid all of that Halloween candy, then bring it to our office and Liz can use it in her food pantry. Good luck to all this week!!

Menu – Week 4

aprilsdiet — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 01:39:26 +0000

Monday
Breakfast
3 low carb/low sugar pancakes & sugar free syrup
Snack
6 Triscuits
Lunch
Romaine chicken wrap w/ swiss cheese
Just a grilled chicken and swiss wrapped in a big leaf of romaine instead of a tortilla
Snack
Pumpkin Seeds
Dinner
Italian Sub
Whole wheat hotdog buns with slices of mortadella, capicola, hard salami and salami. Layer with thin sliced tomatoes, black olives, sliced pepperoncinis and a little mayo and Dijon mustard.

Tuesday
Breakfast
3 low carb/low sugar pancakes & sugar free syrup
Snack
½ cup raw carrot sticks
Lunch
½ Italian sub
Snack
Pumpkin seeds
Dinner
Beef Burrito
Cook beef roast in crockpot all day. Shred beef, add 1 cup shredded Mexican mix cheese and ¼ cup salsa. Add cumin, finely chopped onion, jalapeño and cilantro. Wrap in a carb balance tortilla shell. Serve w/ 1 cup Uncle Ben’s Country Inn Fiesta rice and ½ cup black beans.

Wednesday
Breakfast
3 low carb/low sugar pancakes & sugar free syrup
Snack
½ cup raw carrot sticks
Lunch
½ Beef Burrito
Snack
Pumpkin Seeds
Dinner
Meatloaf, steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes
Recipe is pg 223 of Belly Fat Cure

Thursday
Breakfast
3 low carb/low sugar pancakes & sugar free syrup
Snack
½ cup raw carrot sticks
Lunch
Meatloaf
Snack
Pumpkin Seeds
Dinner
Grilled chicken salad with Newman’s Own Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

Friday
Breakfast
3 low carb/low sugar pancakes & sugar free syrup
Snack
½ cup raw carrot sticks
Lunch
½ cup low fat cottage cheese & 6 Triscuits
Snack
Pumpkin seeds
Dinner
Baked tenderloin w/ roasted red peppers and cream cheese

Pick a Pumpkin for Health

aprilsdiet — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 01:33:02 +0000

I lost 1.4 lbs. this week. I’m very excited. I am fighting off really bad sugar cravings. I did eat some candy over the weekend & it got sooo sick. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest & was incredibly nauseaus. Don’t go to the dark side, trust me.

We carved our pumpkins on Sunday & the roasted seeds are almost all gone by Tuesday. Pumpkin seeds are incredibly heallthy. I am going to buy a couple more pumpkins just to have fresh seeds. I might even get adventurous and cook the pumpkin. Okay, we both know that isn’t going to happen. Seriously though, take advantage of the pumpkins and roast some seeds, you really won’t find a healthier snack.

Week 3 Menu

aprilsdiet — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 01:16:54 +0000

Monday
Breakfast
Quiche
(6 eggs, 4 tbsp ½ & ½, ¼ cup swiss, 8 strips bacon crumbled, ½ cup wilted spinach, 2 tbsp salsa.
Whisk ingredients together. Use oversize cupcake pan & pour ½ cup of mixture per cup & bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.)
Snack
Low fat string cheese
Lunch
Chicken Wrap
Carb balance tortilla, 1 serving chicken sandwich meat, slice Colby jack cheese, light mayo, baby spinach
Snack
Pumpkins seeds ¼ cup
Dinner
Italian Sausage & Pasta
2 oz Ronzoni Smart Pasta cooked, ½ cup low sugar spaghetti sauce, lean Italian sausage browned

Tuesday
Breakfast
Quiche
Snack
Low fat string cheese
Lunch
Italian Sausage & Pasta
Snack
Pumpkin seeds ¼ cup
Dinner
Hamburger on whole wheat bun, 1 small individual bag of Sun Chips

Wednesday
Breakfast
Quiche
Snack
Low fat string cheese
Lunch
Chicken wrap
Snack
Pumpkins seeds ¼ cup
Dinner
Grilled chicken tenders, celery sticks, mac & cheese (made w/ Smart Pasta & no milk), spinach salad w/ Newman’s Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette

Day 4
Quiche
String cheese
Chicken Tenders, mac & cheese
Snack
Pumpkins seeds ¼ cup
Grilled Chicken Salads w/ Newman’s Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette

Day 5
Breakfast
Quiche
Snack
Low fat string cheese
Lunch
½ cup low fat cottage cheese, 1 serving Triscuits w/ Colby jack cheese
Snack
Pumpkins seeds ¼ cup
Dinner
Steak Fajitas