2 Week Crunch!

I have only 2 weeks left until my deadline, which also happens to be my son's birthday! Things have been absolutely crazy busy insane lately. I haven't been able to keep up with my blog...


BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Blackberry Maple Almond Butter Toast:

2/3 cup frozen blackberries, thawed
1 slice whole grain bread, toasted
8 oz. organic skim milk
1 TBSP Justin's Maple Almond Butter
Dash nutmeg

Don't know why, but I just couldn't eat the full cup of berries.


LUNCH (1:30 pm)

Refried Bean Pita:

1 cup shredded purple cabbage, 1/2 cup all-natural salsa, 1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 of a whole grain pita
1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans
1/4 cup Wholly guacamole
Dash cumin

Again, I just couldn't think of what else to add in the pita to meet the full 2 cups of veggies that is required.

I had my daily dark chocolate right after lunch.


SNACK (4:30 pm)

Nutmeg Parfait:

No fruit (I planned on having a kiwi, but forgot my peeler)
No whole grain
6 oz. honey vanilla greek yogurt
2 TBSP slivered almonds
Dash nutmeg

I did the elliptical for 30 minutes after work.


DINNER (7:30 pm)

Lentil and Feta Cheese Salad with Confetti Rice:

1 cup fresh spinach, 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper, and 1/2 cup chopped zucchini (sauteed)
1/2 cup Trader Joe's cooked confetti rice (not whole grain, but so delicious!)
1/4 cup cooked lentils plus 1/4 cup feta cheese
1 TBSP olive oil for veggie saute
Lemongrass, garlic, ginger, white pepper, and tumeric in the rice

This dish was sooo yummy! I might try to make the confetti rice next time and use whole grain brown rice instead.

Mostly A Good Day

I almost made it through the day where I didn't put extra food in my mouth at non-meal times. (Just typing that out makes me feel ridiculous...) I ended up eating some pretzels with lentil dip before dinner, and some cinnamon flavored baking chips after dinner because I had a major sweet tooth. Tomorrow, my plans are to drink more water during the day and eat every 3-4 hours. Although I am having dinner at my in-laws, so I will do the best I can.


BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Strawberry Muesli:

1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal
6 oz. Chobani brand honey vanilla Greek yogurt
2 TBSP chopped peanuts
Dash cloves


LUNCH (1:30 pm)

Zesty Bean and Summer Slaw Bread Salad:

1 cup shredded cabbage, 3/4 cup shredded carrot, and 2 TBSP chopped red onion
1 slice rye bread, chopped
½ cup great northern beans
¼ of an avocado, chopped
1 TBSP orange juice, 2 TBSP rice vinegar, ½ tsp celery seed, sprinkle of pepper

This was a modified version of the Zesty Bean and Summer Slaw Pita recipe in the Cinch book. I am becoming bored with the recipes, and I am also on a rye bread kick lately, so I jazzed this one up. It was really good.

I had my daily dark chocolate right after lunch.


SNACK (4:45 pm)

Plum with Yogurt and Cinnamon:

1 plum, peeled and sliced
No whole grain
6 oz. Chobani brand very berry Greek yogurt
1 TBSP slivered almonds and 1 TBSP PB & Co Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter
Dash Vietnamese cinnamon

YUM!


DINNER (7:30 pm)

Tuscan Panzenella Salad:

½ cup cup chopped cucumber, 1 vine-ripened chopped tomato, ¼ cup chopped red onion, and 1 chopped beet
2 TBSP whole grain croutons
½ cup great northern beans
¼ of an avocado, chopped
Dash balsamic vinegar and dash dried basil


I was inspired yet again by California Pizza Kitchen's salad menu, so I modified this one to meet the Cinch plan. I thought it was OK. Hubby didn't like it... said it was "too beany".

A quick follow-up on my "becoming bored with the recipes" comment above. Although the recipes in the book really are quite delicious, I wish a Cinch cookbook would come out. I have been an avid meal planner for years, and I find a lot of satisfaction in keeping up the variety of foods for myself and my family. Lately, I have been spending a lot of time searching for new recipes to try. I even made a list of Spring foods to incorporate into my next grocery list and meal planning, including:

Apricots
Cherries
Radishes
Cherry Tomatoes
Asparagus
Zucchini
Fennel
Scallops
New Potatoes
Okra
Sugar Snap Peas
Kumquats

I love Spring!

Busy Day Yesterday

I'm still having trouble putting random food in my mouth. Yesterday I had a handful of peanuts at work because someone conveniently brought in a "make-your-own brownie" buffet, and peanuts were one of the toppings. I also had a few pretzels while I was cooking dinner. The problem is that I'm starving when it is time to eat my next meal. I need to start eating sooner, like every 3-4 hours instead of every 5 hours. I am also going to do another FF phase starting in a few weeks on April 17 for 3 days.

BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Peanut Butter Banana Toast with Milk:

¾ of a banana
1 slice whole grain bread, toasted
8 oz organic low-fat milk
2 TBSP Justin’s maple almond butter
Dash nutmeg


LUNCH (1:00 pm)

Panera Bread:

1 cup field greens & romaine lettuce, 1 chopped vine-ripened tomato, chopped cucumber, and red onion
Whole grain baguette
Black bean soup (black beans, vegetarian broth, onion, red bell pepper)
Balsamic vinaigrette for salad. Cilantro, garlic and cumin in soup.


SNACK (5:30 pm)

Coconut cream lara bar
8 oz organic low-fat milk

I had my daily dark chocolate during my snack today.

I jumped on the elliptical for 40 minutes after work.


DINNER (7:30 pm)

Spinach Orzo Pasta with Feta Cheese and Cranberries

1 cup sautéed spinach leaves, ¼ cup shredded carrots, ¼ cup sautéed diced red onion, plus ¼ cup dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice
½ cup whole grain orzo pasta
¼ cup herb and garlic feta cheese
2 TBSP pistachios
Dash balsamic vinegar

Love, love, loved this meal!!

Plus, I had a handful of chocolate chips after dinner.

No More Excuses

At first, it was too much snacking, and then my son was sick. Then, I was extremely busy working 2 jobs, and then I was out of groceries. If there is one glaring lesson for my Cinch journey over the past month, it is life will get in the way. My weight hasn't budged in the past month, and I've got to kick it into high gear!

For this upcoming week, I have groceries in my kitchen, and my son is finally feeling better after 2 straight weeks of being sick. I do have a lot of work to do this week, but with some advance planning, I can (and will) keep up with my eating plan. I really miss the gym too, so I plan to get back into my workouts.

Today, I made up my own recipes that follow the plan, and they were all very good!

BREAKFAST (9:30 am)

Dark Chocolate Oatmeal with Apples and Cinnamon:

1 Gala apple, chopped
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
8 oz skim milk
1/8 cup Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips
Dash Vietnamese cinnamon


LUNCH (1:00 pm)

Israeli Salad with Feta Cheese and Rye Bread:

3/4 cup chopped cucumber, 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper, 1 chopped plum tomato
1 slice rye bread, chopped and tossed into the salad
1/4 cup garlic & herb feta cheese
10 olives
Dash lemon juice and balsamic vinegar

I had my daily dark chocolate right after lunch.




SNACK (5:30 pm)

No fruit (because I knew that I'd be tossing in fruit into my salad at dinner)
No whole grain
1 oz cheese
2 TBSP Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter by PB & Co


DINNER (8:00 pm)

Morrocan Chicken Chopped Salad:

1 cup spring salad mix, 1/4 cup shredded carrots, 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1/4 cup steamed butternut squash, 1/8 cup dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice, and 1/8 cup chopped dried apricots
2 TBSP whole grain croutons
3 oz cooked "Smart" chicken breast (no antibiotics or hormones used in raising the chicken)
1 TBSP slivered almonds, plus 1/2 TBSP olive oil for the salad dressing
Vietnamese cinnamon dry rub on the chicken, dash champagne vinegar, dash dried mustard

I was inspired by California Pizza Kitchen's version of this chopped salad, but I deleted the avocado, hard boiled egg, and beets to make the meal fit the Cinch plan. I bought the beets during my shopping trip this weekend, but I realized that this meal had plenty of ingredients already. This salad was DELICIOUS!!