Some food that's been working

First off, I have to say when I weighed in on Thursday I was happy to see I'd lost three pounds. This is a big deal given the monster plateau I'd been on. This morning, I got on the scale again, just for kicks, though I usually try to only weigh in once a week. Still, I was down another pound which means I have busted through the plateau and am currently at my lowest weight so far since having Sam.

Total pounds lost: 27 and counting.

I have no plans of slowing down.

So, now that I've knocked junky food out of my diet, even food that I'd budgeted for points-wise, I am turning to lots of fresh foods and finding--who knew?--they taste better! I will still do treats every now and then (I'm not so unrealistic to think I'll never want a piece of birthday cake)... but for the most part, I have been content eating this way and hope that continues.

The trick, I think, is keeping the fridge stocked with healthy options. If there's nothing in there, it's easier to slip back to what I had been eating before.

Things I'm cutting out that used to be staples?

• Diet soda.
• 100 Calorie packs
• Spray Butter
• Fat Free anything
• Most pre-packed quick foods
• Coffee creamer (replaced by organic half and half)
• Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine Meals
• Smart Ones desserts
• My WW chocolate muffins that I seriously used to eat every morning
• for the kids, cereals like Apple Jacks, etc.

Some of these things I've found acceptable replacements for. Others, they're just out the window. Some good things I've discovered so far:

• Amy's meals in the health food section of our grocery store
• Wolfgang Puck Organic Soups (Amy's organic soups are good too... I love soup)
• Wal-mart carries Hormone/Antibiotic/cage free chicken
• Trader Joe's everything (Especially loving the Sea Salt pita chips, but be careful, these will rack up major points!)
• Organic half and half! Delicious!!
• FRESH organic fruit. YUM
• Cooking. Eating together. Can't beat it.

I have to say for me anyway, those prepackaged meals and snacks were keeping me from losing weight. They are not good for you. Trying to eat fresh, clean and raw is a much better option and doesn't have to be horribly expensive.

So. I am no cook, as anyone who knows me knows. I am the farthest thing from it, but I have discovered if I want my food healthy... I'm going to have to do it myself. (Isn't that just like so many things in life?... you want it done right...well, guess who's gonna have to do it?)

And I should add that I do still count my points. This helps me with portion control. Just because food is healthy doesn't mean you can't overdo it. I could've easily gone to town with my pita chips, but instead, I would only have like 3-4 at a time.

 Ok. Above you have my replacement for the WW muffins. That's a Trader Joe's cranberry orange muffin. I eat mine with some raw honey (YUM--if you can find this, get it. So much better than what's in the store) and on that day, an orange. Best. Orange. I. Ever. Ate. Those muffins are chock full of fiber. I think that whole thing is like, 4 points. Next time, though, I'm getting blueberry. I only sometimes like cranberry. With this it was just okay.

 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins. These are a Weight Watchers muffin I made with organic blueberries. I also substituted whole wheat flour for half of the flour it calls for. Didn't miss the white stuff. I should've had more blueberries in it, but they were what I had on hand. These were great and my entire family loved them!

Here's the recipe: (From the Weight Watchers Website.)

POINTS® Value: 4 Servings:  12 Preparation Time:  14 min Cooking Time:  35 min Level of Difficulty:  Moderate

These muffins were a hit at our last recipe tasting. We couldn't decide which was better: the moist, blueberry-bursting cake or delicious crumb topping.

Ingredients

	2 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour, divided
	1/2 tsp baking soda
	1 tsp baking powder
	1/2 tsp table salt
	1 large egg(s)
	1 cup(s) sugar, divided
	3/4 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
	1 tsp vanilla extract
	1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk, divided
	2 cup(s) blueberries, washed and picked over
	2 tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place muffin liners in a 12-hole muffin tin.
  
  
• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
  
  
• Using an electric mixer, beat egg with 3/4 cup of sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and beat until thoroughly combined; blend in vanilla extract.
  
  
• Add half of flour mixture and half of milk to sugar mixture; beat until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and milk; beat until smooth.
  
  
• Fold in blueberries and fill each muffin liner about 3/4 full; set aside.
  
  
• To make streusel topping, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup each of sugar and flour. Pour in melted butter and combine with fingertips. Divide crumb mixture over muffins; gently press into top of muffin batter with fingertips.
  
  
• Bake until slightly golden and a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pans for about 10 to 15 minutes and then transfer muffins onto racks to cool completely. Yields 1 muffin per serving.

Notes

• You can use any combination of fresh berries in this recipe. Frozen berries are fine to use as long as you make sure they’re completely thawed first.

 

There's another picture just because I like it. Makes my mouth water. :)

Ok, one thing I stole from my mom's kitchen is something she makes like, all the time in the summer. At least a lot of the time and I love it. Naturally I don't have a photo of it completely done and by this point my kids are asking me why I keep taking pictures of food... but I do have some along the way...

Start with red potatoes - mine were part of my organic delivery.

 

Wash 'em and all that jazz. I love that you don't have to peel them.

 

Ethan likes them too.

Then you take some fresh (organic) green beans...

 

Ok, once these are all cut up, you can boil them, but I'm told that takes a lot of the nutrients out of the veggies, so I'll tell you what I did. I did this completely because I am a total amateur and couldn't get a hold of my mom who never turns her cell phone on.

I cooked some turkey bacon, like five or six slices. Then, took it out of the pan but didn't wash the pan out. Then I threw all my potatoes in the same pan.

 

While they were cooking I got a hold of my mom who told me that I should've boiled the potatoes (whoops) so I should add some water to my pan and cover so the potatoes could soften. I did that and steamed the beans then threw it all together (bacon included) for a delicious (filling) side dish. Adam made hamburger medallions to go along with it in our grill pan. It was a really good, healthy, filling meal! Should've taken a photo, but alas, I did not.

Lunches are really hard for me. This is where I came to rely on Smart Ones.

Don't. They aren't healthy and really, they don't taste good. (Think about it, do they really taste good?) I have to also tell you that my grandma's husband once found a chicken BEAK in his Lean Cuisine so hopefully that will make it impossible for you to eat the dang things EVER AGAIN.

So this is my new favorite lunch:

 

Basically, I took a whole wheat tortilla and filled it with amazing deliciousness. Organic cheese (just a little bit for taste), a slice of Trader Joe's turkey, two slices of turkey bacon, my organic veggies--lettuce, tomatoes, red pepper... seriously didn't realize how much I liked veggies! Then, I roller 'er up and...

 

Oh, and I put a tiny little bit of mayo on mine too. This was so amazingly yummy I cannot begin to tell you. I can't remember how many points it was... but it wasn't high. And it was GOOOOOD. And healthy!

Ok, last thing I am gonna post right now... and these are super easy to make... quesadillas. Oh, no, wait, I lied. Two other things before the quesadillas... One old standard I have always made that I now make with my organics is:

 

Not good light for that photo, but you get the point. That's a good Monday or Wednesday night meal for me because those are busy nights.

Then, I stole this recipe from my friend Christy's blog. I'll have to find out if I can link you to her because she's amazing and healthy and wonderful... a huge help to me already so far in this journey. Anyway, I made this little guy for breakfast one day:

 

You just scramble some eggs, throw in whatever vegetables you want and then bake it at 400 for like, 25 minutes. I think I baked this for more like 30, but I wasn't hungry then till about 2 p.m. it was so filling and I ate it around 8 in the morning. Very good. Like a quiche without the fattening crust. (I know, the crust is ridiculously good, but we're talking healthy here, remember?)

Ok. Now, the quesadillas. Remember please I am not a good cook. I have no clue what I'm doing, but this was a wonderful hit in our family last Sunday afternoon. Easy easy!

 

The first thing I did was pound the chicken breasts with a big fat chicken-breast pounder. LIke a mallet only for food. I forget what they're called. Then I grilled them on the grill pan (seasoned them first with salt and pepper and I think garlic salt.) They were SO good. I could've eaten them just like that. YUMMERS.

Next, I sauteed my veggies--onions, red & yellow peppers, tomatoes (I didn't sautee these, I don't think, I think I just threw them in there...) Then I lightly buttered one side of a whole wheat tortilla, stuck it in my pan, topped with veggies and a very light amount of organic cheese and the cooked chicken like so:

 

Good grief, that is pretty. It was SO yummy. I have to add that the butter thing... butter is not bad. At least in my world it's not. Massive amounts are bad, but health-wise, I'd rather spend some extra points on butter than put spray butter (read: CHEMICALS) in my body. It used to only be about LOW-POINTS. Now it's about HEALTHY and low in points.

 

Anyway. Top with another buttered tortilla and let it cook over medium until the cheese melts and you can flip it.

These are so yummy and you can personalize them for whoever. My kids just wanted chicken and cheese. They did take awhile... and made me want a quesadilla maker, but still. The end result was a winner!

 

That's one of the kids' slices. Yum.

So. that's what I've been eating. :) Good stuff.

How about you? What's working for you?

Comments

[My Wings Are Made Of Faith]

all that stuff looks fabulous ... and the photography is beautiful ;)

[Holly]

Great info. Courtney. I have heard all of this stuff before, but have gotten sucked back in by the sugar and white stuff. That darn stuff. You are right though, it's so much more filling and it's so much more better for you. Thanks so much for sharing, you are doing great!

[Ashley]

Your pictures are beautiful and the muffins looked delicious! I agree, organic just tastes *better*.

And I said it in my email, but congrats on the 3 lbs down. That is fantastic!

[Shari D.]

Glad you found something that is working for you. My SIL is a big Trader Joe fan. I'm going to get some recommendations of great food items from her. I need one of those grill pans. Is that like the George Forman ones? Also, I have a quesadilla maker and am not impressed. You really have to be careful not to overfill them. Stick with your pan! Best of luck to you.