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 10 - 3 Days Later

I've been MIA...

I spent the entire weekend sick with a terrible respiratory virus that finally made it's way to me. I've never coughed so hard in my life. My husband has had this cold for about a week and a half now. I've been eating zinc lozenges to try and avoid it. My boss swears that if you start eating them before the cold strikes, you might miss it completely. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for me.

Last week was so hard with my son starting daycare AND him being sick with this thing at the same time. I just wanted to cuddle with him and take care of him as soon as we got home each evening. He coughed all over me, and we went through boxes of kleenex. It was inevitable. The cold got me too.

So needless to say, I haven't been sticking to my diet. With little to no groceries, we ordered pizza and salad on Friday night and had soup & crackers on Saturday night. On Sunday night, we did have a Cinch-based dinner, the Fiesta Pasta Salad, which was delicious. However, I didn't stick to the plan the entire day, so I am picking up where I left off today. I'm still feeling quite crappy, but I'm going to do my best...


BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Cranberry Walnut Parfait:

¼ cup dried cranberries, sweetened with apple juice
¼ cup whole oats
6 oz. honey vanilla Greek yogurt
2 TBSP chopped walnuts
Dash Vietnamese cinnamon from Whole Foods (thanks for the recommendation, Laura!)


LUNCH (12:00 pm)

Black and Blue Salad:

1 cup field greens and 1 chopped plum tomato
1 serving Trader Joe’s whole grain crackers
¼ cup reduced fat crumbled blue cheese
10 Kalamatta olives, sliced
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar and dash each basil and oregano




SNACK (5:30 pm)

Cherry Pie Lara Bar
8 oz organic skim milk


DINNER (8:00 pm)

Turkey Pita Pizzalad:

1/2 cup marinara sauce, 1/2 cup field greens, 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 whole grain pita
3 oz. organic ground turkey breast, cooked
Chopped garlic, dash oregano, and dash basil

And I had a serving of Ghiradelli 60% dark chocolate chips as the plant-based fat. I still love that I am allowed to substitute chocolate chips for the fat part of a meal!




Hopefully, tomorrow is another successful day!

Day 9 - Sick?

I think I am getting the cold that has spread through my house this past week. Ugh. I’ve been coughing a little, blowing my nose occasionally, I have a headache, and I’ve been cold all day. Sounds exciting huh?

I didn’t have time to take any pictures again today, but hopefully my life starts to slow down a little here soon.

BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Berries with Milk and Toast with Chocolate Hazelnut Butter:

1 cup blackberries, frozen and de-thawed
1 slice whole wheat bread, toasted
8 oz organic skim milk
2 TBSP Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
Dash nutmeg for the berries

LUNCH (12:00 pm)

Leftover Herbed Chicken Pasta Salad from yesterday, and I had my daily dark chocolate right after lunch.

SNACK (3:30 pm)

Apple pie Lara Bar
1 skim milk string cheese
Mug of hot chai green tea

DINNER (7:30 pm)

Turkey Pesto Salad:

1 ½ cups field greens, ¼ cup each chopped cucumbers and green onion
½ cup frozen corn, lightly roasted in a skillet
3 oz Trader Joe’s roasted and sliced turkey breast
1 TBSP sun-dried tomato pesto
Dash balsamic vinegar and pepper

Day 8 - Still Crazy Busy

Today has been a very hard day. I was distracted most of the day because my son spent his very first day at daycare. Somehow, I managed to stay completely on my diet. I’m starting to think that sometimes my random snacking is simply due to boredom. When I am so busy that I don’t have time to think about food, I don’t feel the need to put something in my mouth. It might help to start asking myself if I am bored the next time that I find myself thinking of food.

No pictures today as I was super busy at work. And I am about to run out of groceries, so the next few days are going to be interesting...

BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Strawberries and Cereal with Milk:

1 cup sliced strawberries
¾ cup Kashi Go Lean cereal
8 oz skim milk
1 TBSP chopped pecans and 1 TBSP slivered almonds
Dash cloves


LUNCH (12:30 pm)

I had another serving of the leftover Garlicky Barley Vegetable Chicken soup from yesterday followed by 1 TBSP of Justin’s Chocolate Peanut Butter on a spoon on the side.

I had my daily dark chocolate shortly after lunch.

SNACK (3:30)

Chocolate Coffee Lara Bar
6 oz Greek Honey Vanilla yogurt
Mug of hot chai green tea

I wasn't thrilled with my lara bar today. Considering that I love both chocolate and coffee, I thought this one would be a home run. Sadly no.


DINNER (7:30 pm)

Herbed Chicken Pasta:

½ cup fresh spinach, ½ cup diced tomatoes, ½ cup chopped celery, and ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup whole grain penne pasta
3 oz cooked chicken
1 TBSP olive oil
Dash each of dried basil and oregano

Days 6 & 7 - Busy, Busy

I'll have to condense 2 days into this one entry. Yesterday I was just too busy to post. And I'm noticing the scale is starting to rise again...I'm definitely stressed out lately. I miss working out too... :(

DAY 6

BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Berries with Milk and Peanut Butter Toast:

1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
1 slice whole grain bread, toasted
8 oz. organic skim milk
1 TBSP Justin's Chocolate Peanut Butter
Dash cloves for the berries

LUNCH (1:30 pm)

Cinch Caesar Salad:

2 cups torn romaine lettuce
1 serving whole grain crackers
1/4 cup fresh shredded parmesean cheese
1 TBSP olive oil
Dash balsamic vinegar

I had my daily dark chocolate right after lunch.

SNACK (4:30 pm)

Berry Smoothie with Hazelnuts:

1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries)
8 oz. organic skim milk
2 TBSP hazelnuts (eaten on the side)
Dash cloves for the smoothie

DINNER (7:30 pm)

Turkey Mock Tacos:

Romaine lettuce leaves, 1/2 cup all natural salsa, 1/4 cup each chopped bell peppers, diced onion, and vegetable broth
1/4 cup frozen corn
3 oz Trader Joe's roasted and sliced turkey
1/4 of an avocado
1 TBSP cilantro and lime juice

And I also had a handful of whole grain tortilla chips since I cut the corn serving in half.


DAY 7

BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Cranberry Cashew Parfait:

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

LUNCH (1:30 pm)

Tomato, Basil, and Walnut salad with Great Northern Beans:

1 medium plum tomato, chopped
1/2 cup cooked wild rice
1/2 cup great northern beans
2 TBSP chopped walnuts
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp basil



No snack -- was too busy today.


DINNER (7:00 pm)

Garlicky Barley Vegetable Chicken Soup:

1/4 cup each chopped onion, zucchini, green beans, carrots, cauliflower and 1 cup canned Italian tomatoes, and 2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup cooked barley
3 oz cooked chicken
1 TBSP olive oil
Chopped garlic (A LOT!)

Although the barley took an hour to cook, this soup was delicious and well worth the wait!