so here is this past week's menu:
- friday: skinny BBQ chicken BLT
- saturday: tilapia tacos
- sunday: grilled sausage and spinach salad
- monday: chinese chicken salad burger with quinoa
- tuesday: kale and potato soup
- wednesday: black bean burgers with roasted peas and corn
- thursday: spinach meatballs with roasted spaghetti squash
- tonight: leftovers!
last friday's skinny BBQ chicken BLT surprised me. i expected a "so-so" version of my favorite late summer sandwich, but the flavors came together beautifully! i did change up the recipe a little bit, however. instead of the avocado (which i'm still not ready to commit to...), i used reduced fat mayo. i also included a slice of cheese, which added some calories, but whatevs. it was friday -- call it a weekend splurge. :-) a change that i will make next time (and there will definitely be a next time!) is that i will grill the chicken instead of cooking it on the stovetop. (that BBQ sauce will make a mess of your frying pan!) the 100-calorie sandwich thins were perfect for this dish, and i loved the use of spinach instead of the typical lettuce. so wait, does that technically make this a BST sandwich??
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| that's my daughter's hand... she was fascinated by that "red thing" in my sandwich. |
saturday was tilapia taco night. i was skeptical about this meal. just wasn't sure how all of those toppings would come together -- mango, avocado, cabbage, and tomatoes? i dunno... that's a bit of a stretch for our family. but wow. this dish was a winner! amazing flavor! and so much fun to prepare and eat! isla was not at all interested in this meal (sad), but steve was a huge fan. so we'll call this meal a success. :-)
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| pretty colors! so much fun! |
hello gorgeous. get in my tummy!
on monday, we ate chinese chicken salad burgers. when my co-worker deanna asked, "so what's for dinner?" (one of our favorite daily conversations), and i told her about these chinese chicken salad burgers, she skeptically responded with, "beth. that can't be a real thing. you're just saying a bunch of words." :-) ok, admittedly, they sound weird. and yes, it's a mouthful of words that don't seem to go together. but these were awesome! i'd actually rate them higher than the buffalo turkey burgers i tried a few weeks ago. the chinese salad that gets piled on top of these burgers could be a meal in itself -- so good! we ate some leftover quinoa on the side, and it was a perfect match!
tuesday's kale and potato soup with turkey sausage was perfect and seasonally appropriate. it's been cool in central pennsylvania this week; fall is so close i can practically taste it! and i guess i kind of did by way of this cozy soup. i was initially a little worried that this recipe would be a let-down. i've made similar soups in the past, so i figured a lower fat version would certainly be disappointing and weak. BUT i am happy to report that skinnytaste has exceeded my expectations yet again! it was awesome! steve raved about it. isla ate it without gagging (first time ever that she willingly consumed a potato!). and the leftovers were even better!
on wednesday, i made a familiar favorite: black bean burgers. i tried this recipe on a whim last year when steve was deployed to iraq. it's not something i imagined i could ever talk my carnivorous husband into eating. but he actually really likes them! top them with reduced fat sour cream and fresh salsa, and this meal is super filling and sooooo good!
thursday was "pasta" night: spinach meatballs with roasted spaghetti squash. isla has been requesting spaghetti and meatballs for some time now, but i didn't want to tempt myself with a plateful of carbs. so, after much hesitation and deliberation, i decided to try spaghetti squash. i've put this off for a long time, but since it seems to be all the rage these days, i figured i had to try it sooner or later. i had extremely low expectations. there's just no way you can convince an italian girl that squash is a suitable substitute for pasta. just.not.happening. but, i'll be honest, this stuff actually wasn't too bad! it is NOT pasta. does NOT taste like pasta. will NEVER replace pasta. BUT it is tasty in its own right. i paired it with italian spinach meatballs from skinnytaste, which i've enjoyed many times in the past (although, i bake them instead of frying them, as the recipe suggests), and topped the dish with my favorite vodka sauce. and folks, it was shockingly good and satisfying. steve and isla wouldn't touch it, though, so i made some whole wheat pasta for them. baby steps... at least they got some spinach in the meatballs.
so, it's time for my WEEKLY WEIGH-IN. before we get to that, i should mention that i weighed myself on monday and was horrified to see that i had gained back 2 pounds over the weekend. i had splurged a little, but really nothing outrageous (i had a small Arby's roast beef sandwich and curly fries for lunch on sunday on our way to the zoo). i was so disappointed in myself and a fairly annoyed that a little splurge could affect me in such a big way. is my metabolism REALLY that defunct? so anyway, i worked my butt off this week. i was super careful with my snacking (probably my biggest weakness) and was below my calorie intake goals every day. i am happy to report that i lost those 2 pounds, but still, my overall weight loss total hasn't changed for this week.
i'm a little discouraged that i'm losing weight so slowly. mentally/emotionally, i feel completely bummed out. but, physically, i'm feeling pretty good! sleeping well, increased energy, and a few people have commented that i look slimmer. so, i suppose that counts for something.
i feel like this blog is a little pointless if i'm not actually losing weight. BUT it's my journey and maybe it'll still be helpful to a few people out there. so i'll press on! if nothing else, at least i'm eating my vegetables. :-)
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| lovely AND tasty AND filling AND healthy! |
tuesday's kale and potato soup with turkey sausage was perfect and seasonally appropriate. it's been cool in central pennsylvania this week; fall is so close i can practically taste it! and i guess i kind of did by way of this cozy soup. i was initially a little worried that this recipe would be a let-down. i've made similar soups in the past, so i figured a lower fat version would certainly be disappointing and weak. BUT i am happy to report that skinnytaste has exceeded my expectations yet again! it was awesome! steve raved about it. isla ate it without gagging (first time ever that she willingly consumed a potato!). and the leftovers were even better!
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| i did sprinkle a little shredded parmesan on the soup after i took this picture. mmm, mmm, good, indeed! |
on wednesday, i made a familiar favorite: black bean burgers. i tried this recipe on a whim last year when steve was deployed to iraq. it's not something i imagined i could ever talk my carnivorous husband into eating. but he actually really likes them! top them with reduced fat sour cream and fresh salsa, and this meal is super filling and sooooo good!
 |
| black bean i should probably call these things patties so as to not upset the carnivores. :-) but really. they are so good! |
thursday was "pasta" night: spinach meatballs with roasted spaghetti squash. isla has been requesting spaghetti and meatballs for some time now, but i didn't want to tempt myself with a plateful of carbs. so, after much hesitation and deliberation, i decided to try spaghetti squash. i've put this off for a long time, but since it seems to be all the rage these days, i figured i had to try it sooner or later. i had extremely low expectations. there's just no way you can convince an italian girl that squash is a suitable substitute for pasta. just.not.happening. but, i'll be honest, this stuff actually wasn't too bad! it is NOT pasta. does NOT taste like pasta. will NEVER replace pasta. BUT it is tasty in its own right. i paired it with italian spinach meatballs from skinnytaste, which i've enjoyed many times in the past (although, i bake them instead of frying them, as the recipe suggests), and topped the dish with my favorite vodka sauce. and folks, it was shockingly good and satisfying. steve and isla wouldn't touch it, though, so i made some whole wheat pasta for them. baby steps... at least they got some spinach in the meatballs.
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| this is not a lovely picture. sorry. i kept the meatballs and sauce separate from the squash at first... you know, just in case it was gross. but eventually i mixed them together, and it was great! |
so, it's time for my WEEKLY WEIGH-IN. before we get to that, i should mention that i weighed myself on monday and was horrified to see that i had gained back 2 pounds over the weekend. i had splurged a little, but really nothing outrageous (i had a small Arby's roast beef sandwich and curly fries for lunch on sunday on our way to the zoo). i was so disappointed in myself and a fairly annoyed that a little splurge could affect me in such a big way. is my metabolism REALLY that defunct? so anyway, i worked my butt off this week. i was super careful with my snacking (probably my biggest weakness) and was below my calorie intake goals every day. i am happy to report that i lost those 2 pounds, but still, my overall weight loss total hasn't changed for this week.
i'm a little discouraged that i'm losing weight so slowly. mentally/emotionally, i feel completely bummed out. but, physically, i'm feeling pretty good! sleeping well, increased energy, and a few people have commented that i look slimmer. so, i suppose that counts for something.
i feel like this blog is a little pointless if i'm not actually losing weight. BUT it's my journey and maybe it'll still be helpful to a few people out there. so i'll press on! if nothing else, at least i'm eating my vegetables. :-)
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