meh....

well, i wasn't going to write today. it feels like a failed week. :-( most of my meals flopped, and i haven't lost any weight for the second week in a row -- despite stepping up my workout routine. i'm baffled and frustrated. there was a splurge day on saturday, but otherwise i was pretty on track with my calorie intake. how discouraging.

on the positive side, i feel pretty good about my workout sessions this week! i pushed myself to revisit Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. my days start at 5am with the 30 Day Shred workout, followed by 25 minutes of speed walking on the treadmill. i pretty much thought i was going to die on day 1. everything hurt. but now, 5 days in, i feel pretty great! definitely stronger and i've even noticed a bit of muscle tone. woohoo! but as good as this feels, i'm still wondering if i should somehow be doing more...

this week's menu:

• saturday: breakfast dinner splurge night, including some delicious (but definitely not healthy) baked pumpkin oatmeal
• sunday: my very own turkey chili
• monday: an it's-monday-and-i-don't-feel-like-cooking-meal of frozen fish, broccoli, and jasmine rice
• tuesday: chipotle chicken tortilla soup
• wednesday: skinny sloppy joes with roasted cauliflower
• thursday: sweet potato quinoa patties with spinach and kale salad

tuesday's chipotle chicken tortilla soup from Eat Yourself Skinny was very tasty. a bit on the spicy side, so if you're afraid of too much pow, this one is not for you. while it was delicious, it seemed to lack something. i have a super favorite slow cooker chicken tortilla soup recipe that has set the bar pretty high as far as tortilla soup is concerned. the slow cooker version is very hearty -- packed with corn, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and chicken. then you pile it high with fried tortilla strips and shredded cheese. oh man, it's so good. the lighter chipotle version i made last night was very flavorful, but not as hearty. i think in the future i will combine the best of both these recipes. one thing i really loved from the chipotle version was the idea to bake the tortilla strips with some cooking spray and a touch of chipotle chili powder. they turned out great!  added some fantastic crunch to this soup. also of note: chipotle chili powder is probably my new favorite spice.

wednesday's skinny sloppy joe from skinnytaste was good... but not great. likely won't rush to make it again. i loved that it was packed full of veggies -- carrots, mushrooms, onion, and i added a zucchini for good measure. they were fine, but, in our home, we are like sweet sloppy joes. and these just weren't. so my husband had a hard time really digging in. there might be a way of sweetening them up without adding too much bad stuff, but i'm just not sure how to accomplish it. so, i dunno. maybe if i called them something else besides a "sloppy joe" we would all be more open to them. or maybe some foods just shouldn't be "healified." :-)

wednesay's sweet potato quinoa patties were another just ok meal. i loved the idea of them, and i think they have potential, but my first attempt was just meh. they didn't crisp up as nicely as i'd hoped. the flavor was decent, but they could have used some type of sauce or dip. maybe greek yogurt? hmmm, i've got some experimenting to do. they are cute, though. :-)

i think i'm finished with new recipes for a little while. perhaps i have exhausted pinterest. :-) i think i'll revisit some of my favorites from the past few weeks. looking forward to it!

a few steps forward, a few steps back

i'll just come right out and say it: i didn't lose any weight this week. i'm a little bewildered by that, as i felt pretty good about my food choices. (all that kale.... and for what? sigh.) something seems amiss, and i'm beginning to suspect that it's time to amp up my workouts. but here's my problem. as a wife, mother, and full time employee, my window of opportunity for working out is limited to 5:00-6:00am. and i'm cool with that. i'm extremely faithful in dragging my butt out of bed at such an ungodly hour and hopping on the treadmill. BUT there's only so much gumption i can muster up at that time of day. so my workouts tend to be a little lackluster. maybe my body is in a rut? i've considered trying a jillian michael's dvd, but eesh... that early in the morning, her style of motivation just makes me want to punch her in the face.  so i dunno.  something's gotta give, but i'm not sure what.

aside from the scale disappointment, i've got some goooood recipes to share. at least it was a happy belly week! :-)

• friday: toasted quinoa and pear salad
• saturday: we were at a wedding for dinner, but i created an awesome kale, egg, and ricotta sandwich for lunch
• sunday: oktoberfest lager stew
• monday: sausage, kale, and spaghetti squash boats
• tuesday: kale and quinoa salad with lemon vinaigrette
• wednesday: buffalo chicken quesadillas with roasted peas and corn
• thursday: jessica alba's turkey meatballs with kale and quinoa salad

last friday's much anticipated toasted quinoa and pear salad was great. toasting the quinoa before boiling it definitely added a noticeable, nutty depth of flavor. the citrus dressing was fresh and pleasant. the addition of pear was perfect. the only thing i didn't like about this recipe was the arugula. in the interest of trying new things, i included it, despite the bitterly offensive smell. i tried to keep an open mind, but ew -- gross. had to pick it all out. otherwise, the salad was amazing. will definitely make it again, although i'll substitute kale or spinach for the arugula. :-)

i made a kale, egg, and ricotta sandwich for lunch on saturday. it was pretty great. definitely kept me full through the wedding ceremony we attended later that day. i sauteed a finely sliced onion and garlic in a little olive oil, then added the kale until it just wilted. toast some hearty multigrain bread, smear on a bit of ricotta, and then add a fried egg with the kale mix. so good!

sunday's oktoberfest lager stew was out of this world. i'm not even exaggerating when i say that i could eat this every.single.day. it's not super low calorie, but it's not outrageous either. oh, i did use turkey sausage in place of regular sausage to try to "healthify" it. saved me a few calories and was still full of flavor. please, just do yourself a favor and make it. 

monday's sausage, kale, and spaghetti squash was my second attempt at spaghetti squash. annnnnnd, it was wildly successful! it's a MUCH better idea to treat the squash as squash instead of trying to think of it as spaghetti. this meal was so flavorful. the roasted pine nuts were a nice touch too. steve was SO into this meal. couldn't stop talking about how amazing it was. isla was less enthusiastic, but she did eventually taste the squash and (though she wouldn't admit it) i think she enjoyed it. or at least tolerated it. :-) if you are on the fence about spaghetti squash, give this recipe a try!

tuesday's kale and quinoa salad with lemon vinaigrette was something i quickly whipped up as a result of steve going out to dinner with some of his guy friends. the salad (and ciabatta roll) were plenty to fill me up as a complete meal, but if steve had been joining us, i likely would have make something else to go along with it. i thought this salad was truly remarkable. this could possibly turn a non-kale lover into a fan. (i'm talking to you, KERI ALTLAND!) ;-) i didn't have an avocado on hand, so i used a yellow pepper instead. i'm sure this created a whole different flavor than was intended, but i loved it! dried cranberries or cherries would also be a nice touch. and that lemon vinaigrette?  it's perfect. literally perfect. i cannot wait to make this again!

wednesday's buffalo chicken quesadillas have quickly become a favorite in our home. with all the cheese, it's not something i will make all the time, but it's a tasty treat for sure. you can read my review of this recipe here.


on thursday, we tried jessica alba's turkey meatballs with kale and quinoa salad. (see, i told you i was excited to make that kale salad again!) :-) this recipe was a major win for ground turkey! these meatballs were super tasty and packed full of carrots and zucchini (which i pulverized in the food processor to try to hide from isla... but that eagle-eyed child still spotted the flecks of green and orange...) it was a nice touch to simmer the meatballs in chicken stock. this kept them from drying out and added some great flavor. added bonus: you'll feel like a movie star when you eat these. :-)

have a great weekend, folks! happy cooking. :-)