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!!

Day 3 - Success

I'm so tired tonight. Other than a handful of animal crackers that I had after dinner, today was mostly successful. A quick post for the day:


BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Cranberry Cashew Parfait:

1/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal
6 oz. honey vanilla Greek yogurt
2 TBSP chopped cashews
Dash cinnamon


LUNCH (1:30 pm)

Thai Chicken Wrap:

1 cup chopped cucumber and 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 whole grain tortilla wrap
3 oz. cooked chicken breast
2 TBSP Justin's maple almond butter
Dash balsamic vinegar


I had my daily dark chocolate around 2:00 pm.


SNACK (5:30 pm)

Ginger Snap lara bar
8 oz. organic skim milk


I have found a new favorite lara bar, the ginger snap. It is so yummy!


DINNER (8:00 pm)

Zucchini and Black Bean Quesadillas:

1 cup sauteed zucchini, 1/2 cup sliced red onion, and 1/2 cup all-natural salsa
1 whole grain tortilla wrap
1/4 cup black beans plus 1/2 oz. cheese
1/4 of a medium avocado
Dash cumin

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.

Day 14 - I Love Plums!

I tried a plum today for the very first time, and I'm in love. It might be my new favorite fruit. Before the Cinch diet, I was never a huge fruit person. I would usually eat my traditional favorites (bananas, strawberries, apples, pineapple, grapes), but I wouldn't venture out and try new fruits.

Today was pretty good on my diet for the most part. (I had too many chips with dinner.)

BREAKFAST (8:30 am):

Almond Butter Plum Toast with Yogurt:

1 plum, peeled and sliced
1 slice whole grain bread
6 oz. honey vanilla Greek yogurt
1 TBSP Justin’s honey almond butter
Dash nutmeg

This might be my new favorite breakfast. I’ve never tried a plum before, and wow, was it delicious!




LUNCH (1:00 pm)

Spinach Walnut Bleu Cheese Pita:

1 cup fresh spinach and 1 large chopped plum tomato
1/2 whole grain pita
1/4 cup bleu cheese
2 TBSP chopped walnuts
Dash balsamic vinegar

I finally found a portable bottle of balsamic vinegar. It is an aged 10-year vinegar from Trader Joe's. I cannot believe how much of a flavor difference I notice with this vinegar VS a vinegar that isn't aged. It has traveled in my work lunch bag 3 times this week, and twice my co-workers have asked me what it is. :-)




SNACK (4:30 pm)

Almond Butter and Gouda Cheese with Apple Slices:

(I skip the whole grain puzzle piece at each snack.)

1 apple, sliced
1 Babybel Gouda cheese
1 TBSP Justin’s honey almond butter
Dash nutmeg


DINNER (7:00 pm)

Chipotle:

Peppers and onions, lettuce, tomato salsa
Whole grain tortilla chips (had at home) and a little corn salsa
Black beans
Guacamole
Lots of spices in the salsa

Day 13 - Back to the Gym!

It was so nice to squeeze in a 3 mile walk with my friend Holly after a long hiatus. I really missed the gym over the past few weeks, and I'm looking forward to getting back into my group exercise classes.

Today was pretty good on the Cinch plan until the end of the day where I ate way too many animal crackers. And if I'm being completely accountable, I also ate 2 dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joe's. They are extremely good, and I'm going to get my Daddy some next weekend when he comes to visit us. :-) He loves dark chocolate too!


BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Cranberry Cashew Parfait:

1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal
6 oz. honey vanilla Greek yogurt
2 TBSP chopped cashews
Dash cinnamon and cloves


I had my daily dark chocolate around 11 am again today!

LUNCH (1:00 pm)

Leftover Avocado Crab Dip with Whole Grain Tortilla Chips:

½ cup celery sticks, ½ cup all-natural salsa, 1/4 cup shredded carrots, 1/4 cup sliced red bell pepper, ½ cup chopped cucumber
1 serving whole grain tortilla chips
3 oz lump crab meat
½ of a medium avocado
Lime juice and chopped cilantro

SNACK (4:30 pm)

Lemon Lara Bar
8 oz. organic skim milk

DINNER (7:00 pm)

Leftover Pistachio Nut Dusted Chicken, Wild Rice, and Salad:

Salad with 1 1/2 cups romaine lettuce and 1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup wild rice
3 oz cooked chicken
2 TBSP crushed pistachio nuts
Balsamic vinegar for the salad

Day 12 - Down Another Pound!

Those 3+ pounds are gone, and I'm down another pound. Hoorah! That is now a total loss of 12.5 lbs. I am so excited.

BREAKFAST (8:30 am):

Banana Ricotta Hazelnut Toast:

1 slice whole grain toasted bread, topped with:
¼ cup low fat ricotta cheese
½ banana
2 TBSP whole hazelnuts
Sprinkled with cloves

I had my daily dark chocolate around 11 am. Wow, I didn't make it very long into the day before I had chocolate, huh?

LUNCH (1:00 pm):

Turkey Almond Pita:

½ cup fresh spinach and 1 chopped plum tomato
½ whole grain pita
3 oz roasted turkey breast
1 TBSP raw natural almond butter
Dash balsamic vinegar


SNACK (4:30 pm):

Minneola Almond Twist:

Wedges from 1 medium Minneola
½ cup non-fat cottage cheese
2 TBSP slivered almonds
Dash dried basil


DINNER (8:00 pm):

Avocado Crab Dip with Whole Grain Tortilla Chips:

(I made this one up myself!)

½ cup celery sticks, ½ cup all-natural salsa, 1/4 cup shredded carrots, 1/4 cup sliced red bell pepper, ½ cup chopped cucumber
1 serving whole grain tortilla chips
3 oz lump crab meat
½ of a medium avocado
Lime juice and chopped cilantro

Day 11 - Feeling Better

I'm not 100%, but I am getting there. I suppose there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm actually quite surprised how quickly I jumped right back on the Cinch plan. I spent 3 straight days of random eating; I was sick and stressed out all of last week; Mother nature paid me a visit; The scale climbed up 3 lbs.; and amazingly I started over yesterday with no problem. I think this "diet" will be easy to maintain over the long-term.


BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Strawberry Green Tea Muesli:

1 cup strawberries, sliced
2/3 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal
6 oz. honey vanilla Greek yogurt
2 TBSP chopped peanuts
Green tea leaves


Love, love, love this breakfast. The breakfasts in this plan are easy to pack on-the-go for work.




LUNCH (1:00 pm)

Spinach Walnut Bleu Cheese Pita:

1 cup fresh spinach and 1 large chopped plum tomato
1/2 whole grain pita
1/4 cup bleu cheese
2 TBSP chopped walnuts
Dash balsamic vinegar


As I ate my pita today, my co-worker right next to me said "Something smells good." She looked to see what I was eating, and then my other co-worker pops his head over my cube and says "Seriously? How do you have time to make that?" I actually realized how easy it is to throw a plum tomato in my lunch bag, pack a handful of spinach in a ziploc bag, measure 2 TBSP of walnuts in a side container, wrap a pita in foil, pack a knife, and keep some balsamic vinegar on hand at work. Sounds like a lot, but it took me 5 minutes this morning to pack both my breakfast and lunch. I already had a snack waiting on me at work, so there was no need to pack one.

SNACK (5:30 pm)

Lemon Lara Bar
8 oz. organic skim milk


DINNER (8:00 pm)

(I made this one up based on a recipe in the book.)

Pistachio Nut Dusted Chicken, Wild Rice, and Sauteed Spinach with Tomatoes:

1 cup fresh spinach leaves, ¼ cup green onion, and 1 chopped plum tomato - sauteed
½ cup cooked wild rice
3 oz cooked organic “Smart” chicken
2 TBSP chopped pistachios
Dash basil and 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar for the spinach and tomatoes; Dash garlic powder and tarragon for the chicken

This one was quite yummy!

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:

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.