I'm back. And I have a plan!

The madness is finally over and I survived relatively unscathed.  We traveled to Mexico, Florida and to visit the in-laws (4+hr drive) all in a little over a month.  The weight gain was kept to a minimum in part by exercise and applying South Beach principles whenever possible and in part due to a truly horrific stomach flu contracted from little niece on our final excursion.  Bless the husband's dear heart for driving us home on that fateful night...

I spent the weekend cleaning, doing laundry and stocking up on healthy food, so there is no excuse to not get back in the groove this week.

Sunday:  Venison stir-fry
Monday: Pulled pork salad
Tuesday:  Chicken cordon bleu and roasted broccoli
Wednesday:  Taco salad
Thursday:  Tortellini and shrimp in a red sauce (small portion for me!) and caesar salad
Friday:  Stuffed haddock and veggies

Ok ok, one more Mexico photo...

I hope to start posting more actively about food when we get back from Florida after Easter.

It is a rare occasion for the husband and I to get a decent photo together.  Usually he is the one behind the camera!  I couldn't resist sharing just one more from the Mexico wedding.

Mexico!

As you know, I had a goal of losing 15lbs by Mexico.  Well, I MADE IT!  And, I am only back up about 2lbs after our trip, which is pretty awesome considering I ate out for 8 days, most of which was all-you-can-eat and drink style.

We went on an awesome excursion in Tulum, to see the ruins and then to a ranch for zip lining, repelling and snorkeling and swimming in the cenotes.  It was an amazing day!

In other exciting news, we booked a last-minute trip to see my parents in Florida over Easter, so I am right back at it to get back down a few pounds before we head to bikini land again.

What's the plan? (January 27-February 1)

Today is day 26 of the South Beach Diet and I am down a little over 10lbs!  My Mexico goal of -15 seems possible!

I am really loving the way I feel and my sugar cravings have almost entirely disappeared.  I have added my english muffin back into breakfast, but am still staying away from starchy carbs at lunch and supper.

My parents left for Florida this week, so we inherited a bunch of miscellaneous perishable food items that I am trying to use up.  Fresh cranberries and three bricks of cream cheese needed eaten the most urgently.  I made a delicious low-sugar spicy cranberry chutney last night and the husband is already making some serious headway on the cream cheese.

The plan for this week...

Sunday:  Cheeseburger wrapped in romaine lettuce (no bun), cauliflower buffalo "wings"
Monday:  Pork tenderloin stuffed with cream cheese and chives, topped with homemade spicy cranberry chutney side and a side of roasted broccoli
Tuesday:  Chicken breasts stuffed with brie and cranberry chutney, green beans
Wednesday:  Sole fillets stuffed with crab, green beans
Thursday:  Venison steaks, mashed cauliflower and green beans

Mexican Breakfast Skillet

For almost 10 years, I have eaten an english muffin, cheese and a fried egg for breakfast.  Shaking up my breakfast routine has probably been the hardest part of the South Beach Diet for me.  I have a feeling that adding this "carb" back into my menu a lot of days will likely be one of my first moves in Phase 2.

In the meantime, I have been making omelette's and breakfast skillet's the night before that I can heat up when I get to work.  The Mexican Breakfast Skillet is extremely filling and from running it through MyFitnessPal, I can see that it is quite low-calorie as well!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 green pepper, diced
• 1/4 red pepper, diced
• Red onion to taste, diced
• 1 large mushroom, diced
• 1/4 c. black beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 large raw shrimp, tail off and cut into 3
• Mexican seasoning (I used Kirkland Sweet Mesquite)
• 1 egg, 2 egg whites and a dash of milk, beaten
• 2 tbsp shredded cheddar (1/2 oz.)
• Salsa
• Green onion

Directions:

1. Sautée veggies, black beans and shrimp in the mexican seasoning until the veggies are softened and the shrimp is cooked and most of the liquid released is cooked off.
2. Add the eggs and scramble.
3. Top with shredded cheddar, salsa and green onions.

South Beach Diet Chili

This chili recipe is pretty close to my standard chili, I just nixed the corn and carrots.  We always have a lot of deer meat on hand, so I used ground venison, but extra-lean ground beef or turkey would do the trick too. 

I usually make it the day before we plan to eat it, because it's even more flavourful if it sits for a day.  It comes together very quickly though, so it would make a great weeknight meal as well.

The recipe is full of veggies and protein, it doesn't get much healthier!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 5 stalks of celery, diced
• 6 large mushrooms, diced
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 packet of sweetener (or 1 tbsp of sugar or honey)
• 1lb of ground venison (or extra-lean ground beef or turkey), cooked and fat drained
• 1 can of beans (I used six-bean blend, but kidney or black would be fine too!), drained and rinsed
• Seasoning to taste:  chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne, salt & pepper
• Hot sauce to taste

Directions:

1. Pour olive oil into a large dutch oven and heat to medium.  Sautée the veggies until softened.
2. Add the remainder of the ingredients and simmer for up to an hour.
3. Serve and enjoy!  Shredded cheddar, low-fat sour cream and scallions make great toppings. 

The Plan (January 6-10)

The first week back to healthy eating was most definitely a success.  The Christmas weight is gone and I am on track to keep losing.  Now that I have the eating part down, I need to add exercise into the mix.

I am not sure that I mentioned this in my last post, but I am following the South Beach Diet right now and making my way through phase 1.  At first, I was scared it was a bit of a "fad diet" and the restrictiveness would make it impossible to follow.  I was wrong!  After a week, I have never felt better.  DH has noticed a big difference too.  My tummy troubles are gone and even my mood is better. 

Phase 1 has been somewhat difficult, but I was eating so much sugar and junk over the holidays, it was no surprise I had a few days of headaches coming off the carbs.  I really do not miss the starchy carbs, but I am looking forward to adding some fruit and yogurt back into my diet next week, when I start Phase 2.

For breakfast, I have been eating different omelette's and egg scrambles.  Snacks are veggies and hummus, celery and natural peanut putter and deli meat, laughing cow and lettuce roll-ups.  For lunch, I usually have leftovers or a big salad with protein.

Dinner plans:

Sunday: Chili with shredded chedder, green onion and low-fat sour cream
Monday: Meatloaf muffins, cauliflower "rice" and green beans
Tuesday: Italian stuffed portobello muchrooms and cesar salad
Wednesday: Sundried tomato sole in a bag and roasted asparagus
Thursday:  Mediterranean chicken thighs and roasted asparagus