The Results Blog and Other Ramblings

Thursday marked the official Weight Watchers weigh in day.  I gained 0.2 this week.  So this means the two week total, I have lost 0.4.  This is where I get so frustrated.  The weight doesn't come off as fast as I would like and I feel sorry for myself and I give up and eat bad things and make bad decisions.  Obviously this time around I cannot play the games like I did in the past.  This time, I cannot allow for liberal points allowances.  One little thing does count if it is in my mouth and portion sizes are going to play a huge part in my losses this time.

I am setting a short term goal for myself this week.  I'm always too busy trying to see the big picture.  Today I am setting a very short term goal for myself.  Next week, I want to see a loss of 1.5 or more.  Stay tuned to see if I can keep the promise to myself.

This week I haven't had much time to myself.  I've been busy doing the "Mommy thing".  James started pre-school and Piper has had three teeth break through virtually all on the same day, so needless to say she hasn't exactly been a happy camper.  Brad will have worked 7 days straight as of Sunday.  Five of those days will have been the day shift, so I haven't seen too much of him this week nor has he been around to help me out with preparing dinners and getting kids ready for their bedtimes.  It isn't like I can't do it myself, but after a straight week of it, I'm ready to pull my hair out!  Thank god for my parents being around to help.  I know I've said this before but I really am grateful for all they do for us.  They watched James and Piper on Wednesday for me so I could have an hour to go to my boot camp and again they watched Piper for me on Thursday so I could go to my Weight Watchers meeting.  Stupid leader changing the meeting day on me, screwing everything up!!!

James has also been quite the handful as of late.  Seems like every time I turn my back he's into something new.  One day he had three time outs in the time span of an hour and a half.  I think he's just testing me.  I know I have to start laying down the law, I just don't know how.  Is that odd?  I'm horrible at discipline.  It isn't that I don't want him to whine and cry, I just don't know where the lines are drawn as far as acceptable behaviour.  I know really bad behaviour when I see it...James just really isn't that bad...in my eyes.  So what do I let him get away with vs. what I shouldn't?  Hmmmmmm....

Piper also has been...a handful this week.  She's decided she's mobile!  Piper can now get around pretty much on her own.  Still not quite crawling yet, but she can move around like a ninja.  She'll be in one place one minute, you take your eyes off her for a second and she's in a different place entirely.  Last Tuesday I put her down in the middle of her bedroom floor and went into the next room to brush me teeth.  She started fussing and crying rather angrily.  I went to see what the problem was.  She had gotten herself stuck. wedged actually, under her crib.  It was a hard decision.  Do I help her right away, or, run for the camera?  Sadly, my better half got the best of me and I do not have a picture of that to show you.

Today was the first day in a week I was able to make it out for a run.  It felt wonderful!  I am now up to 18 minutes of running.  Today I started with 8 minutes of running, 2 minutes of walking and finishing with 10 minutes of running.  Close to the end of the 10 minutes I wanted to stop.  I didn't.  Apparently Trina joins me on my runs and yells motivation in my ears.  I managed it and was so proud of myself!  I'm getting there!  Never thought I could make it this far.  Still sceptical that I will actually be able to run a full 5k at one time.  I think I'll throw an accomplishment party for myself when I do.

I've got two new recipes for you today too.  Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup and a Taco Casserole.  DELICIOUSNESS!  James loved it until he discovered it had green peppers in it.  Whoops.

Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
 It is to die for!  Only 7 ingredients and 5  easy steps to make!
 From The Best of Clean Eating

1 medium butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 c water
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Line baking sheet with foil

Cut squash in half lengthwise.  Scrape seeds and strings out from the centre.  Place squash, cut side down on baking sheet.  Roast for 35-45 minutes or until the squash is softened.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

When squash can be handled, scrape flesh into a bowl and discard the peel.

In a stockpot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in curry powder and cinnamon; cook until fragrant.  Add water, squash and apple; cook for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes.

Using a blender, puree soup until it's smooth.

2c serving

Calories 116
Total Fat 4g
Sat. Fat 0.3g
Carbs 22g
Fiber 4g
Protein 2g
Sugar 7g
Sodium 6mg
Cholesterol 0 mg

(*in typing out this recipe, I've discovered a serving is 2 cups NOT the one I've been eating...so YAY!  The points are even lower than I thought!)


Taco Casserole

1 lb ground skinless chicken breast (I used extra lean ground beef, ground turkey would work too)
1/2 c onions, chopped
1/2 c bell peppers, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
8 ozs taco sauce (I didn't know what this was, so it didn't go into the casserole I made)
1 c fat-free sour cream
1 c fat-free cottage cheese
1 c low-fat tortilla chips, whole or broken up (I used Multigrain Tostidos)
1 c low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 c salsa

Directions:

Heat oven to 400. Spray cooking spray on bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish; set aside. In a skillet,
cook chicken, onion, peppers, and garlic clove until tender. Add seasoning mix and taco sauce;
set aside. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese; set aside. Place half the
broken chips in the bottom of casserole dish. Add meat mixture to cover the chips, then cover the
meat with sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining crushed chips. Bake,
uncovered, for 30 minutes or until cheese has melted. Top with 3/4 cup salsa if desired.

Makes 8 (1 Cup Servings)

Nutritional Info Per Serving:
287 Calories; 4g Fat; 25g Protein; 34g Carbs; 43mg Cholesterol; 2g Fiber; Points Plus+ 7