Woah! What a crazy month I’ve had in April. Between caring for my sick son, sick husband (migraine + ER trip), softball practice starting, an Easter weekend get-away to Indiana, planning for a 2-year old birthday party, a crazy busy full-time job during the day coupled with an equally busy part-time job in the evening, it's no wonder I made it through the month with all of that stress.
Although because of my crazy chaotic life, I managed to gain 5 lbs back from all of my hard work on the Cinch plan. I’m pretty bummed about that, so today I started all over on the detox Fast Forward phase. As usual, I modify this phase each time, so here is how today shaped up:
BREAKFAST (8:30 am)
Spinach Scramble:
1 cup sautéed spinach + 1 scrambled egg
1 cup Trader Joe’s Very Berry Cherry Blend (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and cherries) + 2 TBSP slivered almonds
Dash onion powder for the spinach scramble and dashes of cinnamon & cloves for the berries
LUNCH (12:00 pm)
Smoothie:
1 cup frozen blueberries
6 oz Chobani brand vanilla greek yogurt
2 TBSP Justin’s Maple Almond Butter (on the side scooped with a spoon)
Dashes of cinnamon & cloves for the smoothie
SNACK (4:30 pm)
Parfait:
1 cup Trader Joe’s Very Berry Cherry Blend (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and cherries)
6 oz Chobani brand vanilla greek yogurt
2 TBSP slivered almonds
Dashes of cinnamon, nutmeg, & cloves
DINNER (7:00 pm)
Spinach “Mess”:
2 cups sautéed spinach
1 hard-boiled egg
2 TBSP slivered almonds
Dash onion powder
The day was mostly OK until RIGHT NOW! I'm pretty hungry, so I'm going to bed before I can think about going into the kitchen to get food.
Showing posts with label Very berry cherry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Very berry cherry. Show all posts
Monday, May 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Day 2 - Modifications
I am enjoying making up my own recipes that follow the Cinch plan. Although, I had to modify the plan slightly since I was eating dinner at my in-laws.
BREAKFAST (8:30 am)
Fruity Waffle Sundae:
1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
1 Van’s brand whole grain waffle
¼ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 TBSP chopped pistachios
Dash Vietnamese cinnamon
LUNCH (1:30 pm)
Cran-Broccoli Chicken Pecan Wrap:
1 cup shredded broccoli slaw plus ¼ cup dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice
1 whole grain tortilla wrap
3 oz. cooked chicken breast
2 TBSP chopped pecans
Dash balsamic vinegar, dried mustard, garlic powder
I know that in the book you’re supposed to have fruit at breakfast and snack, and then vegetables at lunch and dinner, but in search of new recipes, I sometimes combine fruit and vegetables in the right portions. And this wrap was awesome!
I had my daily dark chocolate right after lunch.
SNACK (4:30 pm)
Apple pie lara bar
DINNER (7:00 pm)
8 steamed asparagus spears
1/2 cup sweet potato
3 oz. pork tenderloin
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips after dinner
Dash pepper on asparagus spears
And I had 2 glasses of Chardonnay, which is not allowed on the plan, but I rarely drink alcohol anymore, so I will not beat myself up about it.
BREAKFAST (8:30 am)
Fruity Waffle Sundae:
1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
1 Van’s brand whole grain waffle
¼ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 TBSP chopped pistachios
Dash Vietnamese cinnamon
LUNCH (1:30 pm)
Cran-Broccoli Chicken Pecan Wrap:
1 cup shredded broccoli slaw plus ¼ cup dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice
1 whole grain tortilla wrap
3 oz. cooked chicken breast
2 TBSP chopped pecans
Dash balsamic vinegar, dried mustard, garlic powder
I know that in the book you’re supposed to have fruit at breakfast and snack, and then vegetables at lunch and dinner, but in search of new recipes, I sometimes combine fruit and vegetables in the right portions. And this wrap was awesome!
I had my daily dark chocolate right after lunch.
SNACK (4:30 pm)
Apple pie lara bar
DINNER (7:00 pm)
8 steamed asparagus spears
1/2 cup sweet potato
3 oz. pork tenderloin
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips after dinner
Dash pepper on asparagus spears
And I had 2 glasses of Chardonnay, which is not allowed on the plan, but I rarely drink alcohol anymore, so I will not beat myself up about it.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Day 1 - Starting Over
I've been missing for a few days, and I confess it is because I have been randomly snacking and not wanting to be accountable to my blog. I haven't really been able to understand why; I cannot find any explanation in the book, nor do I feel that the exercises help me understand my behavior. I wonder if my random snacking is purely rebellion at this point? (Unfortunately, I have always considered diet success to be an "all" or "nothing" measurement.)
I think it's related to the number of food decisions we make in our daily lives. A Cornell study published in 2009 said that participants estimated they made about 15 food decisions per day. But, when they answered specific questions about when, what, how much, where they ate, and who made decisions about meals, the participants actually made an average of 221 food-related decisions each day.
"So many food decisions are made on mindless autopilot," Brian Wansink, the John S. Dyson Professor of Marketing and of Applied Economics at Cornell, said in a prepared statement. Wansink said the problem with making more food decisions than we are aware of is that each decision is influenced by the environment.
He has published a book: "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think" that maybe I should read.
Although today was quite difficult, I made it through...
BREAKFAST (9:00 am)
Berry Wafflewich (folded in half like a sandwich):
1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
1 Van’s brand whole grain waffle
8 oz. organic skim milk
2 TBSP Trader Joe’s all-natural almond butter
Dash nutmeg
LUNCH (12:30 pm)
Refried Bean Wrap with Side of Broccoli florets:
1 cup fresh spinach, ¼ cup all-natural salsa, ¾ cup raw broccoli
1 whole grain wrap
½ cup vegetarian refried beans
¼ cup Wholly guacamole
Dash cumin
I had my daily dark chocolate right after lunch.
SNACK (5:30 pm)
Peppery Kiwi Almond Twist:
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
No whole grain
½ cup skim-milk cottage cheese
2 TBSP slivered almonds
Dash pepper
DINNER (8:00 pm)
Toasted Tuna Pita with Tomato and Cucumber Salad:
1 cup chopped cucumber and 1 plum tomato, sliced
½ whole grain pita
3 oz tuna
No plant-based fat
Balsamic vinegar for the salad/Pickle relish and dried dill for the tuna pita
(I did manage to have a few of my son's sweet potato fries at dinner too.)
I think it's related to the number of food decisions we make in our daily lives. A Cornell study published in 2009 said that participants estimated they made about 15 food decisions per day. But, when they answered specific questions about when, what, how much, where they ate, and who made decisions about meals, the participants actually made an average of 221 food-related decisions each day.
"So many food decisions are made on mindless autopilot," Brian Wansink, the John S. Dyson Professor of Marketing and of Applied Economics at Cornell, said in a prepared statement. Wansink said the problem with making more food decisions than we are aware of is that each decision is influenced by the environment.
He has published a book: "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think" that maybe I should read.
Although today was quite difficult, I made it through...
BREAKFAST (9:00 am)
Berry Wafflewich (folded in half like a sandwich):
1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
1 Van’s brand whole grain waffle
8 oz. organic skim milk
2 TBSP Trader Joe’s all-natural almond butter
Dash nutmeg
LUNCH (12:30 pm)
Refried Bean Wrap with Side of Broccoli florets:
1 cup fresh spinach, ¼ cup all-natural salsa, ¾ cup raw broccoli
1 whole grain wrap
½ cup vegetarian refried beans
¼ cup Wholly guacamole
Dash cumin
I had my daily dark chocolate right after lunch.
SNACK (5:30 pm)
Peppery Kiwi Almond Twist:
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
No whole grain
½ cup skim-milk cottage cheese
2 TBSP slivered almonds
Dash pepper
DINNER (8:00 pm)
Toasted Tuna Pita with Tomato and Cucumber Salad:
1 cup chopped cucumber and 1 plum tomato, sliced
½ whole grain pita
3 oz tuna
No plant-based fat
Balsamic vinegar for the salad/Pickle relish and dried dill for the tuna pita
(I did manage to have a few of my son's sweet potato fries at dinner too.)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Day 17 - New Favorite Breakfast
Today was slightly better. It certainly started out great with my new favorite breakfast:
BREAKFAST (8:00 am)
Fruity Waffle Sundae:
1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
1 Van’s brand whole grain waffle
¼ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 TBSP chopped pistachios
Dash Vietnamese cinnamon
I could eat this breakfast everyday. The Banana Ricotta Hazelnut Toast used to be my favorite, but this one is even better!
LUNCH (12:00 pm)
Mediterranean Lentils with Couscous:
1 cup chopped cucumber and 1 chopped plum tomato
½ cup whole wheat couscous
½ cup cooked lentils
1 TBSP olive oil
Minced garlic
SNACK (4:00 pm)
Cinnamon Yogurt with Apple & Peanut Butter:
1 Gala apple, sliced
6 oz. honey vanilla Greek yogurt
1 TBSP Justin’s all-natural chocolate peanut butter
Dash Vietnamese cinnamon
DINNER (7:30 pm)
Layered Bean Nachos:
3 celery stalks chopped, ½ cup shredded carrots, ½ cup shredded purple cabbage
Too many whole grain tortilla chips :/
½ cup vegetarian refried beans
¼ cup all-natural guacamole
Dash pepper
This alteration of nachos was very yummy!
BREAKFAST (8:00 am)
Fruity Waffle Sundae:
1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
1 Van’s brand whole grain waffle
¼ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 TBSP chopped pistachios
Dash Vietnamese cinnamon
I could eat this breakfast everyday. The Banana Ricotta Hazelnut Toast used to be my favorite, but this one is even better!
LUNCH (12:00 pm)
Mediterranean Lentils with Couscous:
1 cup chopped cucumber and 1 chopped plum tomato
½ cup whole wheat couscous
½ cup cooked lentils
1 TBSP olive oil
Minced garlic
SNACK (4:00 pm)
Cinnamon Yogurt with Apple & Peanut Butter:
1 Gala apple, sliced
6 oz. honey vanilla Greek yogurt
1 TBSP Justin’s all-natural chocolate peanut butter
Dash Vietnamese cinnamon
DINNER (7:30 pm)
Layered Bean Nachos:
3 celery stalks chopped, ½ cup shredded carrots, ½ cup shredded purple cabbage
Too many whole grain tortilla chips :/
½ cup vegetarian refried beans
¼ cup all-natural guacamole
Dash pepper
This alteration of nachos was very yummy!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Day 5 - Usual Day
I spent nearly the entire day taking care of my sick son. Through careful planning, I was still able to make food for myself that adheres to the plan. Other than that, not much else to report today. I'm looking forward to the week ahead and hoping to keep my sanity due to an equally as busy week as last week. Hoping to actually relax someday soon?!
BREAKFAST (9:30 am)
Cherry Almond Green Tea Smoothie:
1 cup Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend, frozen berries
1/4 cup whole oats
8 oz organic skim milk (I cut this in half, so my smoothie was thicker.)
2 TBSP almond butter
Green tea leaves and dash cinnamon
This smoothie was just OK. It had too much of an almond taste for me. I like my smoothies to taste more like berries. Next time, I will leave the almond butter out of the smoothie itself & eat it on the side.
LUNCH (1:30 pm)
Turkey Almond Pita:
1 medium chopped plum tomato, 1/2 cup diced cucumber, 1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 whole grain pita
3 oz Trader Joe's roasted and sliced turkey breast
2 TBSP almond butter
Dash balsamic vinegar for the pita
After lunch, I was kind of bad and had too many of those cadbury eggs with the candy crunch shell. No more substituting for the dark chocolate allowance...
SNACK (4:30 pm)
Cranberry Pesto Egg Spread:
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 serving whole grain crackers
1 hard boiled egg, sliced
1 TBSP sun dried tomato pesto
Dash rosemary
DINNER (7:30 pm)
Edamame Cashew Stir Fry:
1/4 cup each diced red pepper, shredded carrots, chopped celery, diced onion
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup shelled edamame
2 TBSP chopped cashews
1 TBSP each OJ and rice vinegar, dash ginger, and chopped scallions
I was able to cook with edamame again! This meal was really yummy. I added cooked chicken to my husband's meal, but I really liked mine just as the recipe directed.
Tomorrow, I am planning to have Berry Walnut French Toast for breakfast, Cinch Caesar Salad for lunch, Berry Smoothie with Hazelnuts for a snack, and the Turkey Mock Tacos for dinner.
BREAKFAST (9:30 am)
Cherry Almond Green Tea Smoothie:
1 cup Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend, frozen berries
1/4 cup whole oats
8 oz organic skim milk (I cut this in half, so my smoothie was thicker.)
2 TBSP almond butter
Green tea leaves and dash cinnamon
This smoothie was just OK. It had too much of an almond taste for me. I like my smoothies to taste more like berries. Next time, I will leave the almond butter out of the smoothie itself & eat it on the side.
LUNCH (1:30 pm)
Turkey Almond Pita:
1 medium chopped plum tomato, 1/2 cup diced cucumber, 1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 whole grain pita
3 oz Trader Joe's roasted and sliced turkey breast
2 TBSP almond butter
Dash balsamic vinegar for the pita
After lunch, I was kind of bad and had too many of those cadbury eggs with the candy crunch shell. No more substituting for the dark chocolate allowance...
SNACK (4:30 pm)
Cranberry Pesto Egg Spread:
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 serving whole grain crackers
1 hard boiled egg, sliced
1 TBSP sun dried tomato pesto
Dash rosemary
DINNER (7:30 pm)
Edamame Cashew Stir Fry:
1/4 cup each diced red pepper, shredded carrots, chopped celery, diced onion
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup shelled edamame
2 TBSP chopped cashews
1 TBSP each OJ and rice vinegar, dash ginger, and chopped scallions
I was able to cook with edamame again! This meal was really yummy. I added cooked chicken to my husband's meal, but I really liked mine just as the recipe directed.
Tomorrow, I am planning to have Berry Walnut French Toast for breakfast, Cinch Caesar Salad for lunch, Berry Smoothie with Hazelnuts for a snack, and the Turkey Mock Tacos for dinner.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Day 26 - Mindless Eating Again
I had a fine day on the plan except for the random "putting things in my mouth at non-meal times" again (i.e., a couple of crackers before lunch, a few whole grain tortilla chips after dinner, etc.) I've got to get to the bottom of this mindless eating. Maybe I need to read the chapter in the book about emotional eating again. I am certainly looking forward to my 2nd Fast Forward phase next week. The best part about it is that it forces me to be more disciplined.
I just found a lovely blog from one of my favorite mail order catalogs in Ann Arbor Michigan: Zingerman's. They have some balsamic vinegars that I want to order soon, so I went to their site. And I discovered they have food tours in Italy! Oh, how I would love to go back to Italy and on a guided food tour nonetheless! Check it out in my blog list. I've got my eye on the Sicily tour in Fall 2012.
BREAKFAST (9:00 am)
Almond Toast with Berries and Milk:
1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
1 slice whole grain bread, toasted
8 oz skim milk
1 TBSP Justin’s honey almond butter
Dash nutmeg for berries
LUNCH (1:30 pm)
Turkey Almond Pita:
½ cup shredded purple cabbage (I was out of spinach leaves), 1 medium chopped plum tomato, and ½ cup chopped cucumber
½ whole grain pita
3 oz roasted sliced turkey breast
2 TBSP almond butter
Dash balsamic vinegar and pepper
I'm so glad that I can eat almond butter at every meal if I want to. I love it so much!
SNACK (5:00 pm)
Cranberry Pesto Egg Spread:
(I halved the whole grain and plant-based fat puzzle pieces again, so I could have the full recipe. I find myself doing this a lot.)
¼ cup dried cranberries
4 Trader Joe’s whole grain crackers
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
½ TBSP sun-dried tomato pesto
Dash dried rosemary
DINNER (8:00 pm)
Pineapple Avocado Tacos:
1 cup fresh pineapple
2 soft taco-sized corn tortillas
¼ cup reduced fat feta cheese
¼ of a medium avocado
Dash pepper and lime juice
Yes, you read that correctly. I've been curious about this recipe since I love the combo of sweet & salty flavors together, but it was in the snack section of the book. I wouldn't have been able to eat it as a snack since I have to eliminate the whole grain from my snack each day, so I decided to try it for dinner telling myself that Cynthia's recipes usually do not disappoint. Well, it was just OK. Not sure I will make it again. It certainly isn't the prettiest thing to look at:
I just found a lovely blog from one of my favorite mail order catalogs in Ann Arbor Michigan: Zingerman's. They have some balsamic vinegars that I want to order soon, so I went to their site. And I discovered they have food tours in Italy! Oh, how I would love to go back to Italy and on a guided food tour nonetheless! Check it out in my blog list. I've got my eye on the Sicily tour in Fall 2012.
BREAKFAST (9:00 am)
Almond Toast with Berries and Milk:
1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
1 slice whole grain bread, toasted
8 oz skim milk
1 TBSP Justin’s honey almond butter
Dash nutmeg for berries
LUNCH (1:30 pm)
Turkey Almond Pita:
½ cup shredded purple cabbage (I was out of spinach leaves), 1 medium chopped plum tomato, and ½ cup chopped cucumber
½ whole grain pita
3 oz roasted sliced turkey breast
2 TBSP almond butter
Dash balsamic vinegar and pepper
I'm so glad that I can eat almond butter at every meal if I want to. I love it so much!
SNACK (5:00 pm)
Cranberry Pesto Egg Spread:
(I halved the whole grain and plant-based fat puzzle pieces again, so I could have the full recipe. I find myself doing this a lot.)
¼ cup dried cranberries
4 Trader Joe’s whole grain crackers
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
½ TBSP sun-dried tomato pesto
Dash dried rosemary
DINNER (8:00 pm)
Pineapple Avocado Tacos:
1 cup fresh pineapple
2 soft taco-sized corn tortillas
¼ cup reduced fat feta cheese
¼ of a medium avocado
Dash pepper and lime juice
Yes, you read that correctly. I've been curious about this recipe since I love the combo of sweet & salty flavors together, but it was in the snack section of the book. I wouldn't have been able to eat it as a snack since I have to eliminate the whole grain from my snack each day, so I decided to try it for dinner telling myself that Cynthia's recipes usually do not disappoint. Well, it was just OK. Not sure I will make it again. It certainly isn't the prettiest thing to look at:
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Day 25 - Pre-Pregnancy Weight!
Apparently 4 days of being on the road and not completely following the Cinch plan didn’t derail my progress too much because the scale is down another pound! I am officially at my pre-pregnancy weight. I’m completely elated and super motivated to continue my weight loss journey on this plan. I also tried on a pair of jeans that my Aunt gave me months ago that I could not fit into at the time, and this morning they fit! I am truly amazed and happy with all of my hard work. By the end of this week, I will have lost 8.5 pounds in 4 weeks. And I am about to start all over again on the Fast Forward phase. I'm thinking that I will only do 3 days since that is what the author recommends in the book if you do it a second time. Next Tuesday through Thursday will be Days 1-3, and then I will do the Core plan for another 27 days, which should bring me to about March 23rd.
Today has been much better than yesterday. I went back to work, and luckily I have some fresh food left in my fridge that hasn’t gone bad yet.
BREAKFAST (8:30 am)
Dark Chocolate Oatmeal and Yogurt with Green Grapes:
1 cup green grapes
¼ cup whole oats
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Dash cloves
Unfortunately, my green grapes were rubbery, so I didn’t eat many of them. The cottage cheese with a dash of cloves was better than I thought it would be.
LUNCH (1:30 pm)
Turkey (Chicken) Almond Pita:
(I subbed chicken since my turkey slices weren't defrosted from the freezer yet.)
½ cup fresh spinach, ¼ cup chopped cucumber, and ¼ cup chopped plum tomato
½ whole grain pita
3 oz cooked chicken
1 TBSP raw natural almond butter
Dash balsamic vinegar
This pita was awesome!
SNACK (4:30 pm)
Berries & Yogurt with Crackers & Peanut Butter:
(I halved the whole grain and plant-based fat portions of the recipe.)
1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
4 Trader Joe’s whole grain crackers
6 oz vanilla yogurt
1 TBSP Justin’s Honey Almond Butter
Dash cinnamon
DINNER (7:30 pm)
Tuna Pecan Pasta:
1 cup chopped green beans, 1/3 cup chopped onion, 2/3 cup chopped carrots (omitted mushrooms + increased carrots), and ¼ cup low sodium vegetable broth
½ cup cooked whole grain penne pasta
3 oz. canned tuna, in water
2 TBSP chopped pecans
Garlic, oregano, and basil. This time, I added a dash of balsamic vinegar.
I love this recipe too!
I started working on my upcoming grocery list for this weekend tonight as well. I'm trying some new recipes this time as well as some traditional favorites of both me & my husband while I have been on this plan.
Today has been much better than yesterday. I went back to work, and luckily I have some fresh food left in my fridge that hasn’t gone bad yet.
BREAKFAST (8:30 am)
Dark Chocolate Oatmeal and Yogurt with Green Grapes:
1 cup green grapes
¼ cup whole oats
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Dash cloves
Unfortunately, my green grapes were rubbery, so I didn’t eat many of them. The cottage cheese with a dash of cloves was better than I thought it would be.
LUNCH (1:30 pm)
Turkey (Chicken) Almond Pita:
(I subbed chicken since my turkey slices weren't defrosted from the freezer yet.)
½ cup fresh spinach, ¼ cup chopped cucumber, and ¼ cup chopped plum tomato
½ whole grain pita
3 oz cooked chicken
1 TBSP raw natural almond butter
Dash balsamic vinegar
This pita was awesome!
SNACK (4:30 pm)
Berries & Yogurt with Crackers & Peanut Butter:
(I halved the whole grain and plant-based fat portions of the recipe.)
1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
4 Trader Joe’s whole grain crackers
6 oz vanilla yogurt
1 TBSP Justin’s Honey Almond Butter
Dash cinnamon
DINNER (7:30 pm)
Tuna Pecan Pasta:
1 cup chopped green beans, 1/3 cup chopped onion, 2/3 cup chopped carrots (omitted mushrooms + increased carrots), and ¼ cup low sodium vegetable broth
½ cup cooked whole grain penne pasta
3 oz. canned tuna, in water
2 TBSP chopped pecans
Garlic, oregano, and basil. This time, I added a dash of balsamic vinegar.
I love this recipe too!
I started working on my upcoming grocery list for this weekend tonight as well. I'm trying some new recipes this time as well as some traditional favorites of both me & my husband while I have been on this plan.
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