Ground Chicken and others

I had my week two weigh in and I'm down another 1.8 lbs. Isn't that weird, the same loss two weeks in a row. Thats a total of 3.6 for me so far. Mr. Josh was down 3.6 lbs! Go him!

I thought I lost more and was shocked it was only 1.8, but I'll take it because honestly if I wasn't doing this I could very much be up 1.8lbs.

I've been using my points more wisely this week, which is a hard lesson to learn. I tend to eat a meal of point dense foods and it leaves me with less points in the evening making it hard not to dip into the 35 extra points I get a week. This week, I'm saving my flex points for my moms visit and our work dinner.

My mom is visiting! I'm so excited to take her around the city and make breakfast for her. My mom has a way of making things feel warm and cozy. The summer before I moved to NYC she spent the night with me every weekend for about four weeks helping me pack and just hanging out. I really loved that time we spent together.

I'm also looking forward to Thanksgiving next week. One because of the three days off of work, and two because I'm going to tackle making a traditional spread. I've never made a turkey before or sweet potatoes, but it should be interesting. I'm getting all Martha and planning the menu and place cards. It will be too much food for three people, anyone in the area want a thanksgiving meal?

And finally ( I think), I made a great dish last night that some of you might enjoy. It was similar to baked steak, but I used ground chicken. Sometimes I find ground chicken to be tough and bland, but this was tender and very wonderful served with mashed potatoes. Plus, it was only 9 points for one serving of chicken and mashed potatoes.

I don't know what to call it...Baked Chicken "Steak"
Who knows!
Okay...
1 lb. ground chicken breast
2 egg whites
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
add your preference of other spices, I used garlic, salt and pepper

Mix ingredients with your hands and form into 4-5 4oz. patties
Heat a large pan with 1tablespoon of olive oil
Begin to cook patties on both sides, squashing a little with a spatula to thin out
Then add one can of cream of mushroom soup, one can of cream of chicken soup (you can use reduced fat for fewer calories and points!), and a 1/2 can of water (you may want more as the water evaporates)
Cover with a lid and let simmer for about 20 minutes
5 points per serving

Off to work! Have a lovely and healthy Tuesday!

In need of protein

I cooked up a lovely salmon for dinner this evening. Very simple and very good!

Cinnamon Buns

Inspired by Nigella Lawson, Martha Stewart and fall. I am on a cooking/baking kick lately. More like wanting to cook and bake than actually doing. I'm really into homemade food, and using older techniques for cooking and preparing food. There is something greatly relaxing about kneading dough.

This morning I decided to prepare cinnamon buns from scratch a couple for me and the rest for my co-workers. There is something about baking that makes me not want to eat all of it, I want to savor the flavors and stop when I'm full. Food that I bake doesn't seem to call to me in the same urgency that store bought baked goods do. I think the main reason for this is the fact that store bought treats and junk food have only one purpose to me and that is to eat as much as possible as quickly as possible. When I make things at home, its more out of the pleasure of baking than the thoughtlessness of mindless eating fueled by emotions.

Sometimes I wonder if its possible to beat my food demons with food. Where as I cook and enjoy textures and flavors of various foods that I take the time to prepare. I see people like Martha Stewart and Nigella Lawson stress things like "moderation and variety are key". Of course, a diet of cinnamon buns isn't ideal nor is it healthy, but can these occasional treats be apart of a healthy lifestyle? I'm starting to make small rules with myself such as, if I want to eat a certain treat I have to make it myself from scratch. Which makes it a more thoughtful and enjoyable process that involves steps and completion rather than consumption.

Can I lose weight, while cooking and enjoying the foods that I love? Can I control my appetite with a kitchen full of cinnamon buns? I just wonder how I can change my thought processes with cooking.

I once bought a can of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and pretty much ate the entire can in one sitting. And now here I am a year later making my own with yeast and flour and I'm satisfied after eating one or two rather than 8 or 10. I look forward to sharing them with my co-workers.

This sort of mindful eating gives me hope that I can begin to trust myself around food. That no, it isn't going to go away and yes on occasion I can have something sweet and then move on. I agree with my boyfriend who says that food shouldn't be the main thought of the day. When hungry we should eat and then move on. I'm challenging myself to try this, to try new ways of losing weight. Maybe in a week or a month I will decide that this is a bad idea, but who knows really.

How will I ever lose weight if I continue viewing food as something I am either avoiding or gorging?

So, here it is October 1st 2007. I've lived in NYC for one year and one month. When I first got here I weighed 315lbs and now I weigh 275. I do feel better and I know that getting here wasn't that hard. I know that I could have lost more, but I also know that I could have gained or lost nothing at all.

I'm going to stop beating myself up about my weight and punishing myself with too much food. I like to record my food, which I still do in my food journal, but I'd like to make notations about why I ate what I ate, if I was full or hungry, if I stopped when I was full and why I made the food choices I did. The focus will be less on calories and more on choices.

My goal is to work out at least 5 hours this week. I made a little homemade chart to keep track of this, which I will share.

I've been here before, haven't I? I may be here again. I'm still trying, moving forward and each day I figure something new out that I didn't know the day before.

This is apart of my 12 week challenge. I have started reading the Artist Way which is a 12 week course in a book I bought a couple of months ago. The course includes a lot of writing, and soul searching which I think will help me with my weight loss as well. I want to lose 1.6 lbs a week for the next 12 weeks. That's 30 lbs. I hate making these goals public, as sometimes I feel like when they don't happen I disappoint other people as well as myself.

That's the goal and it can defiantly happen.

Oh, and here are the rolls...

Unformed Egg

Breakfast! My version of an egg McMuffin. I couldn't get my egg to stay in the uniform O shape. This has 2 slices of turkey bacon, 1/8 cup of cheddar, and one egg. 7 points

Tonights Dinner

Turkey Meatloaf and Cheesy Potatoes

Turkey Meatloaf:
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1/2 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
3 garlic cloves -chopped
1 medium/large onion-chopped
1/2 green pepper-chopped
One egg
1 cup tomato sauce
Worcestershire sauce
basil (1 tsp.)
salt (1/2-1/4 tsp.)
pepper (1/2-1/4 tsp.)
2 tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup ketchup (save for the top)

Preheat oven to 350(f) degrees
Heat olive oil over medium heat with onions, green peppers and garlic. Cook until tender. Place onions, garlic and green peppers in a large bowl after they are cooked and let sit until they are cool enough to handle. Put the remaining ingredients in the bowl and mix well, careful not to over work the meat. Spray a loaf or pie pan with non-stick spray. Place mixture in the pan and cook for 45-55 minutes. Spread ketchup on top of your meatloaf when done and place in the oven for 5 more minutes.
The whole loaf has 18 points. I divided mine into 5 servings at 4 points each.


Quick Cheesy Potatoes:
4 medium russet potatoes-cubed
2 shallots (or medium onion)-chopped
4oz. can of chopped green chile's
1/4 cup green peppers- diced
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 tbs. Olivio (or your choice of butter)
for taste: garlic powder, salt, pepper, and hot sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook your potatoes in the microwave for about 8 minutes or until tender (you can boil them as well). While your potatoes are cooking, cook your onions, and green peppers over medium heat until tender. When the potatoes are done place them in a spray pan (about 8x8) and top with melted butter, chile's, green pepper and onion mixture, and a dash or two of hot sauce. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper and then with your cheese. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are slightly brown.
14 points for the whole dish. I split this into 4 servings at 3.5 points per serving.
This could be even lower in points with some sort of butter spray instead of butter, and reduced fat cheddar.

Total points for dinner: 8.5