Cauliflower Power - Round 2

Back in February, I posted about my new found love of cauliflower! Well....I'M BACK!!

Here is the latest (and dare I say, greatest) cauliflower recipe:

Twice Baked Cauliflower
Ingredients:
1 large head cauliflower
4 oz. low fat or light cream cheese
1/2 cup low fat or light sour cream
1/4 cup minced green onions (if you have it...we didn't and it was still good)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (if you only have finely grated Parmesan, use a bit less)
6 slices turkey bacon, cooked until very crisp, fat blotted with paper towel and then crumbled
1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Cut out stem and core from cauliflower, and cut into small pieces. Cook in large pot of boiling salted water until cauliflower is tender, but not overly soft. Drain well and mash with potato masher, leaving some chunks. Mix in light cream cheese, light sour cream, green onion, Parmesan, and 3/4 of the crumbled bacon.

Spread evenly in a medium-sized glass casserole dish. Sprinkle with low-fat cheddar cheese and reserved bacon. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Enjoy!

Personally, I think this recipe tastes JUST like a baked potato!

Monument Ave 10k - I DID IT!

This past Saturday, March 31st, I ran my first race ever - the Monument Ave 10K in Richmond, VA!

I surprised myself by running the WHOLE THING! No stopping to walk!! Can you believe it??? Because I can't! The whole time I was running I was thinking "This is sooo weird!"

My goal was to make it to mile 3.1. I'm running two 5ks this month so I wanted to make sure I could do it! Once I got to mile 3.1, I didn't want to stop! And by the time I made it to mile 4, I knew that if I stopped I wouldn't start running again.... so I didn't stop!!!

Seth was much faster than me and ended up running ahead of me by mile 2. He finished the race in 1 hour and 3 minutes. I finished in 1 hour and 17 minutes :)

Here are some pictures from after we finished the race!

We did it!!

The whole gang

Me and Cousin Emma

So happy to be done!

Me and big brother

(who caught a lot of shit for his awesome shirt! GO DUKES!)

JMU gang representing (minus mom)

Our photographer and #1 cheerleader!

(we had to take this picture because we got a good laugh at his umbrella/coat tail)

Next stop: 3 mile run in Indianapolis where I will be for a work conference!

Before and After

I really don't want to do this but I promised myself to stay honest through this whole process.....

Although I'm proud of the progress I've made, I've still got a long road ahead of me to reach my goals!

Before             and                    After

Day 1: 189 pounds                    Day 64: 157 pounds

          (size 12-14)                          (size 6-8)         

Day 64 - And the Winner is........

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not me.

It's hard to believe that I lost 32 pounds and still came in second place. I'm totally bummed, but still really proud of myself! 17.3% loss!

If nothing else, this has given me even more motivation to stick with it and lose even more weight!

Thanks for sharing in this journey with me. This blog has been a huge support system for me and even though I feel like I'm talking to no one most of the time, it's been a blessing in disguise!

As I continue on with my weight loss, I will check in here every now and then... but sorry no more daily posts and food/exercise tracking. You're heartbroken I'm sure :)

On that note, I think I'll go treat myself to a Shamrock Shake. Cheers!

Day 61 - Final Weekend Challenge

This morning I am officially 29 pounds lighter :) That means I only have ONE pound to go to reach my goal of losing 30 pounds! That is SOOOO doable!

And 3 pounds in 3 days (including today) to lose the 9 pounds that has been predicated that I need to lose in order to win first place! This weekend is going to be TOUGH, especially being St. Patrick's Day on Saturday!

St. Pattys Day is fun and all but I'm def not one of those hardcore Irish-wannabes that just use St Pattys Day as an excuse to get shit blasted. I think I grew out of that in college, unfortunately. Damn I'm getting old.

It's just gonna be a nice little Saturday with my future hubby:



Since there is no chance that I'm going to be drinking any green beer this weekend, I'm just going to keep myself busy doing stuff and when I'm not doing stuff I'm going to SLEEP! Exercise and sleep (hopefully) = minus three pounds.

I WANT THIS SOOOO BAD!

2- Day Recap:

3/14
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs
Snack: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon

Lunch: Progresso Light Soup: Chicken and veggie

Dinner: Chicken breast and peas
Snack: Nutrigrain bar
Water: four 24oz bottles of water

Exercise: (morning) 30 minutes on the treadmill, (evening) 35 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes core and lower body strength

3/15
Breakfast: Banana and 1 hard boiled egg

Lunch: Small salad, carrots and green peppers
Snack: Orange
Dinner: 4 scrambled egg whites with onion, green pepper, and reduced fat cheese, and a fruit salad (grapes, orange, grapefruit, and bananas)

Water: four 24oz bottles of water

Exercise: (morning) 30 minutes on the treadmill, (lunch) a couple laps around the building with my girlfriends, (evening) 45 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes core and upper body strength

Day 59 - I think I can, I think I can, I think I can

Thank you Thomas for those encouraging words!

Throw backkkkk

Now that I've officially passed my initial goal of losing 13.5%, my newest goal is to lose a total of 30 pounds! I'm only 3 pounds away from that goal and even if I don't lose the 5 more pounds needed to secure first place, I think 30 pounds is nothing to shake a stick at!

The end is so close...I can almost taste it! (And by taste it I mean I can almost taste the delicious McDonalds breakfast that I'm planning on inhaling right after I weigh in next Monday!!!!)

But don't worry....I'm not yet at my ideal weight so I will NOT be quitting after the competition is over. That being said, I'm also not going to be a food nazi and gym junkie like I have been!

Yesterday' Recap:

3/13

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs
Lunch: Small salad with some leftover steamed broccoli
Snack: Mixed nuts

Dinner: (thanks my love) Tilapia and green beans
Water: four 24oz bottles of water

Exercise: (morning) 30 minutes on the treadmill, (lunch) a couple laps around the building with my girlfriends, (evening) 1 hour run/walk with Jasper

Day 58 - Just Look Away

WARNING: do not continue to read this post if you are dieting and do not have strong will power to resist temptation.

OK...you've been warned.

99% of the time I LOVE Pinterest.com. I think it's a great site. For those of you who aren't familiar with Pinterest, here is my best attempt at explaining it: Pinterest is like a virtual pinboard. You can "follow" people and view all of their boards and things that they have pinned to their boards, like recipes, DIY ideas, clothing, etc. You can repin something someone has pinned or you can pin an image or video of something you've seen on the web. Get it? Well anyways, my favorite boards are my "Yum-O" for all things delicious (see below for examples), "My Dream Wedding" for great ideas, tips, and tricks for my upcoming nuptials, "Biggest Loser Motivation" where a lot of my motivational images on this blog come from, and "If I had free time" board for all the stuff I'd like to make if I ever find the time.

Now back to that 99%....well that 1% is today, when I'm feeling especially vulnerable and craving chocolate like it's my J-O-B.

But, honestly, who could blame me after seeing stuff like this:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie

or THIS:

Smores on a stick

or THIS:

Banana Nutella "Spring Rolls"

SOMEBODY SHOOT ME!!!!!!!!!

must stay strong
Must Stay Strong.

MUST STAY STRONG!

Yesterday' Recap:

3/12

Breakfast: 1/2 cup cottage cheese
Snack: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon
Lunch: Progresso Light Soup: Maryland Style Crab
Snack: Apple and some mixed nuts

Dinner: (thanks Sefffff) Chicken thighs marinated in Fat Free Italian, some leftover cauliflower "potato" salad, and broccoli
Water: four 24oz bottles of water

Exercise: (morning) 30 minutes on the treadmill, (lunch) a couple laps around the building with my girlfriends, (evening) 1 hour of ZUMBA!

Day 57 - The Final Push

No, I'm not birthing a child :) One week from today is the last official weigh in for the Biggest Loser Competition here at work. I've been in first place the entire competition, until last weigh in when I was bumped to second out of nowhere! I was told that I need to lose at least 9 pounds to win the whole thing (assuming the current first place competitor continues to lose at the same rate).

Well its one week down since this news and I've lost 3 more pounds, which means I need to lose 6 pounds in 7 days. Possible? I think not, but I sure as hell am going to try my hardest!!!!

We had a great weekend visiting some of Seth's family and it sure felt great for them to notice our weight loss :) So far Seth and I have lost 49 pounds combine!! Stay tuned for a before and after picture of us :)

Weekend Recap:

3/9

Breakfast: 1/2 cup cottage cheese (per a fellow competitor suggestion to get more protein in the morning...thanks Wendi!)
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Tuna and a pear
Snack: Apple

Dinner: a bowl of peas (haha too lazy to cook anything and I LOVE peas!) and light vanilla yogurt with granola
Water: four 24oz bottles of water

Exercise: (morning) 30 minutes on the elliptical, (evening) 45 minutes on the treadmill, 15 minutes core and lower body strength

3/10

Late Breakfast: 4 scrambled egg whites with onion, green pepper, and 2 slices of turkey bacon

Dinner: Grilled tilapia and peas
Water: four 24oz bottles of water

Exercise: 1 hour and a half walk with Jasper

3/11

Very Late Breakfast: Light vanilla yogurt with granola

Lunch: Veggies: carrots, green peppers, and broccoli with homemade veggie dip

Dinner: Grilled chicken thighs, asparagus, and cauliflower "potato" salad....Sunday was such a beautiful day outside so we took advantage and grilled out! So happy that my college roomie stopped by for dinner :) Hi Court!
Water: four 24oz bottles of water

Exercise: 1 hour run/walk with Jasper

Day 54 - 8 Down, 1 to Go!

8 weeks down, 1 to go!

BRING IT ON

Yesterday's Recap:

3/8

Breakfast: Pear
Snack: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon

Lunch: Tuna and some carrots

Snack: Grapefruit

Dinner: Lemon chicken thighs and Seth's famous green beans
Water: four 24oz bottles of water

Exercise: (morning) 15 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the stationary bike, (lunch time) a couple laps around the building with Jess, (evening) 2-3 mile walk with Seth and Jasper

Day 53 - Sleep Deprived

Today marks day two of my 2-a-day workouts. Yesterday wasn't too bad except for the fact that I went to bed at about 7:30! I'm exhausted! Getting up at 6am and two workouts makes me sleeeeepy. Not to mention that this little furball likes to take up most of the bed. Lucky for him he's so damn cute! Plus he loves me not matter how much I weigh :)

If only he would sleep in his bed like he's supposed to....here is his famous "Snoopy" shot when he was just a baby:

Doesn't he look like Snoopy dancing??

Anyway....this schedule appears to be working! I'm down two more pounds which means I'm officially 25 pounds lighter :) Only 6 pounds to go!



2 Day Recap:

3/6

Breakfast: Grapefruit

Snack: Almonds

Lunch: Progresso Light Soup: Savory Vegetable Barley and some carrots

Snack: Almonds and one tiny mandarin orange

Dinner: Bonefish grill: Saucy shrimp appetizer, salmon, broccoli, and asparagus

Water: four 24oz bottles of water

Exercise: 30 minutes on the treadmill, 15 minutes core strength

3/7

Breakfast: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon

Lunch: Tuna and some cucumbers

Snack: Grapefruit

Dinner: (thanks master chef!) Baked chicken breast with Ken's Lite Asian Sesame dressing marinade, with sauteed onions, and steamed broccoli

Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: 30 minutes on the treadmill in the morning and evening, 25 minutes core and arm strength

Day 51 - Bad News Bears

So yesterday I was boasting about my 12.43% loss....that was until I found out that I've officially been bumped to second place. This guy came out of NOWHERE with a 14% loss!! He wasn't even on my radar of potential threats...until now.

The "commissioner" (as we like to call him) did some projections, and according to him, I need to lose at least NINE POUNDS in order to retake first place and win the competition. 9 pounds in two weeks?!?!? I'd like to think it's possible considering I lost 10 pounds in the first two weeks of the competition. But things were different then...my body was literally shocked by the drastic change in diet and exercising. Our bodies are made to adapt and over the past 8 weeks my body has adapted to the changes. I mean I only lost 4 pounds the past two weeks and now I need to pull 9 pounds out of my butt. *SIGH*

I'm caught between just keeping with what I've been doing and taking an inevitable second place or kicking my ass into gear and go for first place. But I've decided that I've worked too damn hard to give in now. Therefore, the plan is fruits, veggies, fish, and chicken ONLY. No more carbs/starches period. Also, starting tomorrow I'm going to start two-a-day workouts. Last year I spent the last week of the competition working out in the morning and the evening and I lost 3.37% over the last two weeks. So maybe if I start two-a-day this week I'll be able to loss the 9 pounds or 4+%. The hardest part is making myself get up even earlier than I already do to beat the traffic. Just gotta remember:

Lord help me....

Yesterday's Recap:
3/2
Breakfast: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon
Snack: Grapefruit
Lunch: Progresso Light Soup: Roasted Chicken and Veggies
Snack: Almonds and one tiny mandarin orange
Dinner: Baked chicken breast with Ken's Lite Sundried Tomato dressing marinade and steamed broccoli
Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: 1 hour of ZUMBA!

Day 50 - 12.43%

Today was the last weigh in before the final weigh in, which is only TWO weeks away! Ah! Some days it feels like the longest 9 weeks ever and some days it feels like just yesterday we started this crazy competition.

After today's weigh in, I'm officially -12.43%! I need to lose 4 pounds in the next two weeks in order to reach my goal of -13.5% weight loss! It's going to be tough but what's two weeks out of my life :)

Weekend Recap:
3/2
Breakfast: Banana
Snack: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon
Lunch: Salad with tuna
Snack: Mixed nuts
Dinner: Tilapia and steamed broccoli
Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: 40 minutes on treadmill and 15 minutes core strength

3/3
Breakfast: Banana smoothie
Lunch: Grilled chicken salad with honey lime vinaigrette from Chilis
Dinner: Shrimp and steamed broccoli
Water: three 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: 40 minute run with Jasper

3/4
Breakfast: Banana smoothie
Snack: Grapefruit
Snack: Apple
Dinner: Tilapia and zucchini
Water: three 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: 30 minute walk with Jasper

Day 47 - Be an Angel, Honor an Angel, Give it a Tri

In a little over a month, my dear friend Brittany would have been turning 25!! However, in 2002 she died in a tragic car accident. Brittany was such an amazing friend, athlete, daughter, and sister, and she is missed every single day. Her infectious personality and bright smile made all of the lives she touched better.

Not long after Brittany died, her amazing family started the Angel's Race Triathlon to raise money for the Brittany Groover Memorial Scholarship Fund. I've been participating and volunteering in this race for many years and yesterday I just signed Seth and I up again!

Every year that I have participated in this race, I've been on a relay team in which I swim the 300m leg of the triathlon, while another team member bikes the 20k and another runs the 5k. I've had a goal for a few years now to work my way up to doing the whole race myself. This year I'm stepping it up and doing both the swim AND the run.

There is no doubt in my mind that I can do this because each year Brittany lets me borrow her angel wings :)

And I know she's watching over me everyday....yesterday I was kicking myself because I forgot to scan this awesome picture of Brittany and I that I have at home. So while I was writing this blog post yesterday that very same picture that I had forgotten hangs in cube at work fell off my pinboard and landed right beside my computer! Thanks Britt :)

Brittany's parents gave me this picture when we went to visit them after the funeral. I love it because it shows the true essence of Brittany. This picture really is worth a thousand words!

2-day Recap:

2/29

Breakfast: Banana
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Small salad and grapes
Snack: Clementine and mixed nuts
Dinner: Ground turkey casserole
Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: 30 minutes on the treadmill, 25 minutes core and lower body strength

3/1

Breakfast: Banana
Lunch: Leftover ground turkey meatloaf
Snack: Clementine and mixed nuts
Dinner: BBQ chicken thighs, couscous, and moo shu veggies (see below for recipe)
Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: short walk after lunch around the building with my girls

Moo Shu Veggies
Ingredients:
3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
4 large egg whites, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 12-ounce bag shredded mixed vegetables, we used broccoli slaw
1 bunch scallions, sliced, divided
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Directions:
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and scramble egg whites. Remove to a plate. Wipe out the pan and heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat and cook the garlic for about a minute. Add shredded vegetables, half the sliced scallions, soy sauce, and vinegar. Stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved eggs and hoisin; cook, uncovered, stirring and breaking up the scrambled eggs, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining scallions and remove from the heat. Enjoy!

Day 45 - Live and Learn

I am fortunate enough to be marrying a guy who is not only amazing but also an awesome cook! After graduating from JMU in 2006, Seth headed down to Virginia Beach to "live the dream" and landed a pretty sweet job at a high end restaurant where he was taught by some great chefs. Lucky for me a couple years later, he decided to come home and pursue a career using his college degree and the rest is history :)

Before living with Seth, I thought I liked to cook. I usually got a new cookbook for Christmas and enjoyed spending my free time in the kitchen (which is probably not a good thing for my weight). But now that I have a personal, live-in chef, I've decided that I like eating much more than I like cooking!

I'm pretty spoiled when it comes to not having to cook. But I do try to cook dinner by myself at least one night a week. Well that night this week was last night. I found a healthy, yummy looking recipe for turkey meatloaf so I decided to give it a try.

Ya know...for being a technical writer and bitching all the time about how no one reads the "Help" that we write...I sure don't take my own advice and read instructions. I ended up cooking the damn ground turkey in a skillet which is completely wrong for a meatloaf which bakes in the oven! Oy vey! Luckily we had enough ground turkey in the freezer for me to try again, so I stuck the cooked ground turkey in the frig for another night. Unfortunately, we didn't end up eating until like 8:30...sorry honey!

Anywho...it turned out delicious so here is the recipe:

Ground Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients:
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1.3 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 ketchup + 2 tbsp
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 tsp marjoram
salt

Directions:
Saute onion in olive oil until translucent. In a bowl, using your hands combine uncooked ground turkey, onion, oatmeal, egg, 1/4 cup of ketchup, salt, and marjoram. Form a loaf in a greased glass baking dish. In a cup, combine 2 tbsp ketchup and 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce and spread on top of loaf. Bake on 350 for at least an hour and half...probably longer. Make sure to cut into it to make sure it's done. Serve with garlic mashed cauliflower and enjoy! :)

Yesterday's Recap:
2/28

Breakfast: Mixed fruit: grapefruit, orange, watermelon, and strawberry
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Dinner leftovers...wild rice, crock pot carrots, and a couple bites of tilapia...which is NOT good reheated (you were rii...riiii....right Seth)
Snack: Clementine and mixed nuts
Dinner: Ground turkey meatloaf and cauliflower mash (see above for recipe)
Water: three 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: 40 minutes on the treadmill, 25 minutes core and upper body strength

Day 44 - Coffee....Yay or Nay?

When I list coffee as one of the things I gave up on my "diet", I'm immediately met with shock faces and "OMG how do you do it"s.

A couple of people have mentioned that "coffee really isn't that bad for". So why did I give up coffee? The answer is that I tried to cut out things that did not provide any nutritional value. If I'm drinking coffee and it isn't helping me loss weigh and nurse my body, then why?

I've never been a coffee drinker to wake up. I started drinking coffee in college because, honestly, everyone else was and I was usually sleep deprived and desperate for a pick me up. My mom bought me my first single cup brewing coffee machine for Christmas. Having never made coffee before in my life, I filled the little basket up to the TOP with coffee grounds, made my travel mug of coffee, and headed off to class. BIG MISTAKE. Not long after I was sitting in class with my arms and legs literally shaking!

Once I figured out how to actually operate the coffee maker, I've been drinking a cup (or two) of coffee almost everyday since. I genuinely like the taste of coffee and sometimes I'll even drink it black. But since I've been on this "diet", eating right, and exercising, my body hasn't felt the need for the caffeine. NOTE: this does not mean I don't groan when the alarm goes off and need a hot shower to get me going in the morning. It's just that once I get to work I don't immediately make a b-line for the Keurig machine.

Having dearly missed the taste of coffee, I wanted to do some research to see if I'm really crazy after all for giving it up! I found an article on Livestrong.com called "Is Coffee Good or Bad for Weight Loss?". Precisely my question....ah Google...you know me so well.

To summarize the article, it all comes down to have to take your coffee. All those specialty and amazingly delicious "coffee" drinks from places like Starbucks add a TON of calories. But since I sometimes drink my coffee black, this doesn't really apply.

So this is what it really comes down to: caffeine. What does caffeine do to our bodies? Some research has shown that caffeine can act as an appetite suppressant. (Add a check to the Pro column) Caffeine is also a diuretic, meaning that it makes you have to pee a lot. The down side is that it can also make you dehydrated. I already drink so much water and pee all the time that this doesn't really apply. (Add a check to the Con column) Finally, coffee has been known to speed up your metabolism, "but researchers believe this extra calorie burn is not enough to have a significant impact on weight loss". (Add one more check to the Con column)

In conclusion, I think I'm going to stick with my sans-coffee dieting. But I do miss you dearly, mister coffee bean.

Yesterday's Recap:
2/27

Breakfast: Unsweetened apple sauce with cinnamon
Snack: Grapefruit
Lunch: Campbell's Select Light: Maryland style crab, with some leftover couscous
Snack: Apple
Dinner: (thanks SM) Tilapia (split with Seth), wild rice, and zucchini
Water: three 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: 40 minutes on the treadmill

Day 43 - Daily Motivation

Not too much to report on today. Still in 1st place, which feels good! But still have lots of work to do!

Here's some motivation as I reflect on  my weight loss goals:

Weekend Recap:
2/24

Breakfast: Banana
Snack: Clementine
Lunch: Salad with tuna and Ken's Lite Sun dried Tomato dressing
Snack: Grapefruit and some nuts
Dinner: Tilapia, coucous, and peas
Water: five 24 oz. bottles

Exercise: 20 minutes on treadmill, 15 minutes on bicycle, and 15 minutes core and leg strength
2/25

Breakfast: Banana smoothie
Snack: Clementine
Lunch: Chicken salad
Dinner: Stuffed salmon, couscous, and crock pot carrots (baby carrots, agave, cinnamon, butter, and orange juice...cook on high for 5 hours)
Water: not sure...not a lot
Exercise: 30 minute walk with Jasper...note to self: sunny does not equal warm...damn you wind!

2/26

Breakfast: Mango smoothie and banana
Snack: 2 hard boiled eggs
Lunch: Salad with Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette, 3 deviled egg halves
Dinner: Chicken taco salad: brown rice, shredded chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, reduced fat cheese, and fat free sour cream
Water: not sure..didn't have my water bottle :(
Exercise: rest

Day 40 - Cauliflower Power

In case you missed it, I posted a recipe for a cauliflower mash that Seth and I enjoyed on Valentine's Day.

Well last night we got a little adventurous and made PIZZA with a CAULIFLOWER crust and HOMEMADE marinara sauce! Before you immediately close your browser, keep reading because it was SO GOOD!!! We probably used too much cheese but it was worth it! (will post pics ASAP...forgot the cord for my camera to upload to my computer)

Cauliflower Pizza
Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked cauliflower (just cut up a bowl full of cauliflower, microwave by itself for like 4 minutes, and pulse in a food processor until the size of rice)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (we used Sargento's reduced fat Italian blend)
• Dried Parsley and Oregano (no idea how much we used I just sprinkled it into the bowl)

Directions:
Spread above mixture thinly onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add marinara sauce (see below for homemade recipe) and toppings. We used cooked grilled chicken, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms (only on Seth's side...bleh!). Bake for a couple more minutes to soften the veggies. Remove from oven and top with cheese (we used the same Italian blend as used in crust). Switch oven to broil and bake until cheese is browned. Enjoy!

Homemade Healthy Marinara Sauce
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium broth (I used chicken broth because that's what we had...vegetable works too)
• 1 cup finely chopped white onion (Seth pureed the onion in the food processor which made the onion a nice consistency for the sauce but made our eyes burn for a good 10 minutes...beware.)
• garlic powder (a few sprinkles...you can use fresh garlic as well)
• crushed red pepper flakes (a couple sprinkles)
• 2 tbsp no-salt-added tomato paste
• 2 cans no-salt-added tomatoes (we used sliced stewed tomatoes and gave them a quick chop in the food processor)
• Dried Basil and Oregano (a couple sprinkles)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring broth to a simmer. Add onion, garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium, stir in tomatoes and herbs and cook about 15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally to make sure mixture doesn’t stick to the pan. Add to pizza above! Enjoy!

Yesterday's Recap:
2/23

Breakfast: Banana
Snack: Unsweetened apple sauce with cinnamon
Lunch: Salad with tuna and Ken's Lite Sun dried Tomato dressing
Snack: Grapefruit and some nuts
Dinner: Cauliflower pizza (see above!)
Water: five 24 oz. bottles

Exercise: 45 minutes on the treadmill - ran 3.39 miles!!!!

Day 39 - Time to Spice it Up!

I was reading this interesting article by a nutrition expert on 11 Ways to Rev your Weight-Loss Engine and number 4 caught my eye: Shock your tongue.

According to the article:

"Be liberal with spicy ingredients like cayenne pepper, hot sauce, jalapeños, chipotle, and hot salsa, and incorporate them into more meals: Consider adding chopped hot peppers to scrambled eggs, chicken or tuna salad, and tossed salads, or make a spicy sandwich spread by mixing a generous shot of hot sauce into hummus or low-fat mayo. Why? New research has found that adding spicy ingredients to your food can help suppress your appetite and even stoke your metabolic fire a bit. In one study, dieters who didn't normally eat spicy foods ate a soup seasoned with cayenne pepper for lunch, resulting in them consuming 60 fewer calories at their next meal and burning an extra ten calories. Sure, it's a small amount, but over time it adds up!"

I've never been a fan of spicy food in general, but since my awesome fiance Seth has become my personal chef, my palette has changed a bit. I'm starting to enjoy food that give a little kick at the end or leave a hot after taste. Don't get me wrong, I am NOWHERE near the level of those crazy guys on that show Heat Seekers. I mean who enjoys sweating and tearing up while eating??? Not this gal.

But after reading this article, maybe I'll allow Seth to sprinkle a couple more drops of hot sauce into his awesome dinners. Maybe.

And remember:

Yesterday's Recap:
2/22

Breakfast: Banana
Snack: Clementine
Lunch: Campbell's Select Light Soup: Maryland crab! SO GOOD! with some leftover couscous.
Snack: Grapes
Dinner: Sweet and spicy chicken with pineapple, broccoli, and brown rice (check out my Day 22 blog post for the recipe)
Water: five 24 oz. bottles

Exercise: a little over an hour in the gym - 40 minutes on the treadmill (ran 2 miles without stopping!) and 25 minutes core and upper body strength

Day 38 - Half Way There...WoooAH!

...LIVING ON A PRAYER!

Okay now that the Journey reference is out of the way...we're a little over half way to the end of the Biggest Loser competition at work and I am pleased to announce that after Monday's weigh in I am still in first place!! I hope at least....not everyone weighed in but I've got almost a 4% lead in front of the second place contestant.

But now is no time to rest on my laurels (what does that mean anyway??) Although I am proud of my progress, I am no where near where I want to be. I fear that I have been slacking a little bit on my running so I really need to kick into high gear because there is only 38 days until the Monument Ave 10K. And I'd REALLY like to surprise myself by running more than walking in the race. Here's hoping :)

Got some words of encouraging from one of my mom's college friends (hi La!) today with this cute picture:

This is pretty much how I feel every day when I eat my veggies. Yes the disheveled hair and all.

 A quick follow-up to yesterday's post: I met with the lady who is going to alter my mom's wedding dress for my wedding and the meeting went GREAT! She was a very nice lady and definitely seemed like she knows what she's doing! Can't wait to meet again with her in March to see how the dress looks without the long sleeves (haha sorry mom!)

Yesterday's Recap:
2/21

Breakfast: Unsweetened apple sauce with cinnamon
Snack: Nuts
Lunch: Salad with Ken's Lite Sundried Tomato dressing...YUM!
Snack: Grapes
Dinner: (thanks boo boo) BBQ chicken breast, couscous, and broccoli
Water: five 24 oz. bottles

Exercise: about 40 minute run/walk with Jasper...would have been longer but my ears started to ache really bad because of the wind. Wah Wah I know....looking forward to warm weather this week :)

Day 37 - 19 Pounds and Counting!

Today marked the second official weigh in and I'm down 19 pounds! That's 10.27% woohoo! I'm so incredibly proud of myself considering that in 5 weeks I've lost more pounds than the entire 8 week competition last year! I'm starting to see results and it feels great! I actually enjoyed doing some wedding dress shopping this weekend because I actually fit in the dresses!!

Saturday I went to Richmond to spend the day with my two favorite Gaberdiels girls - my mom and sister-in-law! I fell in love with two dresses at two different stores. Which makes me even more excited about my appointment this evening with a lady to discuss altering my mom's wedding dress. I feel like tonight will be the determining factor on what dress I wear. If she has some great ideas and can alter the dress within my budget then I will wear my mom's dress. If not, I'm going back to Alfred Angelo and buying the beauty I found!

This weekend's temptations were tough (as usual) but I've got an awesome support system in my family so I was able to stay strong! But the BEST part of the weekend was seeing this guy:

This is my soon to be 92 year old Grampa! In early December he fell and broke his hip. After a partial hip replacement and weeks in rehab, he's back home! I'm proud to report that I got to witness his first meal of solid food! He ate that beef stew, sweet potato, green beans, and blackberry pie like a champ! But it gets better...I also got to see him walk around a bit, which is a nice change from his wheelchair. So happy for all the progress he has made...he's a true inspiration!

LONG Weekend Recap:
2/17

Breakfast: 2 Clementines
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: Salad with tuna
Snack: Nuts, veggies, and fruit at our company bowling party!
Dinner: (thanks hubby to be) Chicken stir fry and brown rice
Water: five 24 oz. bottles

Exercise: 1 hour in the gym - about 40 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes leg and core workout

2/18

Breakfast: Banana, scrambled eggs, and 2 slices turkey bacon (thanks big brother!)
Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken
Snack: Clementine
Dinner: Banana and fruit cup
Water: four 24 oz. bottles

Exercise: 45 minutes of ZUMBA

2/19

Breakfast: Banana and kiwi strawberry smoothie from Tropical Smoothie
Lunch: Small salad
Snack: Grapes
Dinner: (thanks lovey) Taco salad - shredded chicken, brown rice, lettuce, tomato, onion, and fat free sour cream
Water: four 24 oz. bottles

Exercise: rest

2/17

Breakfast: Banana Smoothie
Lunch: 2 scrambled eggs and 2 slices turkey bacon
Snack: Grapefruit
Dinner: (thanks hubs) Tilapia and zucchini
Water: three 24 oz. bottles

Exercise: 1 hour of ZUMBA!