Food, delicious food.

It's been so fantastic using the Bodybugg, and really getting a grasp on calories in, calories out.  Knowing my budget of calories, and realizing I can have certain kinds of foods I wasn't eating before.

Here's some of what I noshed on today!

I have found I much prefer spinach to any kind of greens (though if I do greens, it's the baby / spring greens mix you find in a similar box at the grocery store.)  I grab and pile on as much as I can on a huge dinner plate. Then, I cut it all up so it's in bite size pieces and it lays down much flatter on the plate. 

I love and live for red bell pepper.  I chopped 1/2 up and used 1/2 of that on my salad, saved the other 1/2 for another salad tomorrow, or maybe some eggs.  The other half of the pepper I sliced up later in the day.

I got some avocado (healthy fats = good!) - I really like to eat 1/2 a day or every other day if I can.  I just slice it up in my hand like you see, then squeeze the avocado half down over the salad.  All the pieces come out, and only a knife was dirtied (which I'm already using to chop other veggies.)  No need for a spoon!

I finished the salad off with some part-skim mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes and blueberries.  I used a creamy balsamic vinaigrette.  Delish!

Later in the day I really was feeling "munchie," so I measured out 2oz of tortilla chips and about 70 cal worth of salsa.  I would never have been able to eat this on a low carb diet, and it is one of my very favorite snacks!  Super high in sodium, but YUM.

I wanted a lighter alternative to bread, so I picked up some healthy whole wheat tortillas.  I cracked up when I saw the label.  On the top right, it says, "Perfect for the serious dieter."  Ha!

Oh, here are the veggies I sliced up that night.  Red pepper, cucumber and celery.  I was so full after I ate my wrap though, I couldn't get through more than 1/3 of this.

Here's the wrap.  Hummus spread on the tortilla with spinach leaves, a few slices of turkey breast, two slices of the cucumber and a red pepper slice.  Yum!

So here was my dinner.  I ate the whole wrap and some veggies with under 1/2 of the hummus in the tub.  (It's a small tub, that plate is a side plate.  The calorie count on the hummus I consumed was around 150 cal.

These pictures only cover lunch, snack and dinner.  I also had a small amount of leftovers from dinner a few nights ago (about 1oz salmon, 1/3 cup mashed potatoes and 1 asparagus spear,) as well as coffee in the morning with 2% milk (I was out of soy) and a Nature's Valley granola bar.  That's my typical breakfast any given day, unless I switch to cereal (usually a raisin bran or something similar) with soy milk.  

Overall, here's my take for the day:

Well, just wanted to give you guys a peek inside my chow for the day.  I'll be back soon with weigh in and other updates. :)~

~J

A recipe? Yup!

How's it going, y'all?

Well, just thought I'd pop in - realized it's been a little while since I came by and updated you guys.

Weight loss is totally at a stand-still, and I'm not exactly sure why.  I have a feeling my body is trudging through the extra pounds / calories from the Thanksgiving holiday when I totally overdid it.  I'll see how things feel in another few weeks.

Hmm, so what else is new?  I made a really yummy dinner the other night.  Now that wedding busy season is done, I can actually cook again.

Cod with Sauteed Garlic Spinach and Asparagus!

First I put a pad of butter in the pan, melted it and added 1/2 tbsp of chopped garlic.  Then, two giant handfuls of spinach, and put a lid on it.  This wilts the spinach quickly. :)

 

After the spinach wilts I like to sautee it for about 2-3 minutes in the garlic and butter.  A little salt and pepper, and then it's on the plate.

Then in the mean time, I'll have my cod (defrosted / fresh) in a pan over medium heat with some butter.  I like to season mine with salt, pepper, and herbs de provence.  You can use whatever tickles your fancy.

I'll also put a lid on this just to steam the fish a little more effectively.  I find this cooks the fish through so it's nice and flaky, and doesn't produce a browned or crispy exterior on the fish.  I like my fish soft and delicious.

Cod and asparagus both cook VERY quickly.  You seriously only need about 6-8 minutes for the fish and about 5-7 for the asparagus.  Same old story here... just cut off the ends, boil some water and drop 'em in.  When you can easily pierce them with a fork, they're done.

So, put the fish on the sauteed spinach, and serve up your asparagus.  I like butter and salt on mine.  Oh, and I like to put a bit of extra ground black pepper on the cod, and top it off with some paprika for a bit of color. :~)

So, there ya have it!  Two healthy and super delicious dinners.  Overall this probably cost me 8 bucks to make.  (The cod was on sale for a little under $4, and the asparagus was probably $3.50 or so.)  :)~

~Jenn

Back to Reality.

I'm here on my last day of this Denver trip, and I'm heading back to reality tonight.  (aka: Milwaukee.)  It's been a really great, relaxing trip.  I'm gearing up for an engagement shoot tomorrow, a boudoir shoot Wednesday, and THREE weddings this weekend!  It's my first ever triple header for a weekend.  Sometimes I end up with two weddings in one weekend, but this time I've got one Friday, one Saturday and one on Sunday. 

I thought I'd update you guys with some of my stats and some pictures! 

Yesterday I weighed in at 157.6!

Now this was a weigh-in the day after a night of moderate... okay... heavy drinking.  I'm pretty sure this is a false low because of how much alcohol dehydrates you.  We'll find out next week.  Along with that, I didn't have a tape measure, so I'll be updating my measurements next week. :)

Here are some fun pics of me with some friends over the week!

Laura and I:

Me with my friend Olson, who we've determined is my oldest friend in the world.  I've known him for about 13 years!

A few more shots from the DMB concert... me with my brother:

And me with Dan:

Also, I did some Goodwill shopping yesterday with Beth!  Since we've both lost around 65-68 pounds over roughly the same period of time, we decided it'd be fun to go bargain shopping together!  :)

I'm wearing a jean skirt there that I did NOT buy... (I still really hate my legs, I have serious issues with them.) -- And Beth is wearing some fabulous jeans that highlight the hot in her hot butt hot pants style.

So, I bought this really fabulous skirt even though it's pretty tight on me.  Goal clothes! :) 

So this skirt and this other black one are the same brand, and both "M." 

I bought the black one without trying it on, assuming it'd fit the same.  WRONG!  The black skirt doesn't zip up over my bubble butt.  I'd probably have to lose a good 4-5 inches in my ass before being able to wear it.  Moral of the story?  Try everything on!!

Some new skinny jeans:

A cute halter top, new with tags!

Some size 8 jeans from New York and Company.  Basically they fit me like a glove, except that even these will sag down because the waist gets too big for me.  Why is that?  It's so frustrating to pull my jeans up all the time.  Anyone ever get jeans custom made for them?  I'm considering it.  Jeans that fit my booty rarely fit my waist properly.

A few new shirts (please forgive my hair/face, just woke up but wanted to share!):

New perfume!

And the mac daddy of all purchases this week (or ever...) - the coveted, awesome, amazeballs D3s!  This thing is incredible and I've been lusting after it, so I'm super stoked to finally have it:

You can see how huge it is - these are Dan's big man hands.

Also I wanted to tell you guys about the Potluck my Parents had on Sunday.  They hosted this party for some people at their church and everyone brought something.  This was the dessert table:

Cake, three pies, cheesecake (my favorite!), cookies, peanut butter bars and peanut butter oatmeal drop things... and this weird concoction that apparently is butter cheetos coated in caramel!  So, I took some pictures of the table to share with you guys.  Then I went out where the meat was and got a bunless cheeseburger, some broccoli salad and some bbq pork.  The food I ate was savory and delicious.  I must say that at this point, what I feel when I look at sweets is more of a "lust," and in reality I don't "miss" it.  I want it because I can't have it.  But when it comes down to it... I don't REALLY want it.

So!  That's enough for today.  I'll be back later with some changes to the blog and some other topics for discussion. :)

~Jenn

Cauliflower: Revolutionizing PIZZA!

Okay peeps, listen up.  I must share this with you all.

Anyone low carbing miss breadsticks and pizza?  Anyone who's DIETING miss breadsticks and pizza?  Anyone who is opposed to the term "dieting" because they're living a healthy lifestyle, but dammit, because of that they don't eat pizza... miss pizza?

Well, I found a super low carb, low calorie, amazing recipe to share with you.  Truly, it's gonna change my whole world.

 

Okay so I forgot to take a picture of the pizza before I put it on my plate and scarfed it so the photo on the bottom looks like a hot mess of veggies, so here's a shot done by someone who thought about it before diving face first into their food.

...But trust me.  Let me break this down for you.  These are not made with bread.  They are made with CAULIFLOWER.

I'll say that again.  This is VEGGIE, y'all.  VEGGIE.  (Oh, and Crysi pointed out that it's also Gluten Free!)

Some of you savvy folk may have already heard of this, but for anyone else... I'm going to share this amazing discovery.

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2tsp fennel
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley

pizza or alfredo sauce (I choose low carb, 4g carbs per serving.)
toppings (for Dan I used mushrooms and pepperoni - for me I used mushrooms, red onion, chopped artichoke hearts and sliced red bell pepper.)
mozzarella cheese


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Press evenly on the pan. Sprinkle evenly with spices. 

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe). 

Remove the pan from the oven. To the crust, add sauce, then toppings and cheese.

 
Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted. 


The ENTIRE crust is only:

434 calories
25g fat
8 net carbs (13 total)
5g fiber
41g protein (Check out that protein count!)

Per serving, that's only 109 calories and 2 net carbs!  (This doesn't count your toppings/sauce/cheese on top, so make sure you count that!)

Here's the recipe for the breadsticks:


A batch of cauliflower pizza "dough" (mixed but not baked)
mozzarella cheese
garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a greased 9X3 loaf pan, press about 1-1/2" deep cauliflower pizza dough. If any is left, use for pizza.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until set. With a spatula loosen the dough around the edges and remove the square of dough to a greased cookie sheet.

With a pizza cutter, slice strips through the set dough. Separate slightly. Sprinkle with garlic salt and/or extra mozzarella cheese. Bake at 450 degrees until the top browns.

Once the oven is preheated to 450 degrees, it is easy to pop in a couple of pizza crusts as well.

Serve with marinara sauce (optional).

Okay.  Had to share.  This shit is amazing.  The pizza is supposed to be pretty rigid and hold up the toppings.  Mine was a little softer and we ate them with a fork (I think I made it too thick.)  The breadsticks, however, were AMAZING!  

Dan loved this and is now saying "Cauli-sticks" and "That cauli-dinner was awesome."  The genius thing?  It does NOT taste like cauliflower.    :)


~J

Farmer's Market and Consignment Shops!

Hey guys!

Well holy comments, Batman!  Thank you for all your input on my birthday outfit. :)  It looks like the top winners are dress #3 and #4.  And for me, that works.  I think it might depend on where we go, so my plan is to wear dress #3 if we go bar hopping or to the clubs.  If we do something like jazz or a wine bar, dress #4 it is!  Thanks again for your help, all. :)

So!  Today I wanted to show you my take from the Farmer's Market today!

Potatoes, jalapenos,eggplant, bell pepper, two cucumbers, a vidalia onion, dill and three types of tomato: yellow, red and pink.  

Here are the salads I made Dan and I for lunch:

His is just lettuce, chicken, tomato, cucumber and feta.  Mine I added avocado (he doesn't like it.)  :)

So, I know some of you are overwhelmed by farmer's markets, so I thought I'd give you a little rundown on how I approach it.  There is inevitably a lot of stuff that you might not know how to use, or that you might not even know what it is.  For me, I mainly buy what I would normally buy at a grocery store:

-Cucumber

-Lettuce

-Tomato

-Bell Peppers

-Zucchini

-Yellow Squash

-Onion

-Broccoli and Cauliflower

-Jalapeños

-Potatoes (for Dan)

I will occasionally buy other things, and do so with last-minute intention to make something special.  For this trip, that includes:

- Dill

-Eggplant

I saw they had these two things, and immediately thought, "What kind of recipes do I usually hear of with these ingredients?"  The ones that came to mind were:  Eggplant Parmesan and Grilled Eggplant.  I also figured I could use fresh dill for the recipe Wes posted over at Gay Weigh.  And of course I got the jalapeños because I tried the jalapeño popper recipe Beth posted over at the B.E.T.H. approach and HAD to make it again.  /bliss.

So, Dan is going to be grilling steak tonight and I'll be grilling the Eggplant for myself!  I'll post a recipe later for you guys to follow if you want to.

Really, the trick is to not overthink it too much. There's no need to buy beets or endive if you don't usually buy or eat it.  Don't sweat the stuff you don't recognize... just buy the stuff you recognize and enjoy eating.  Just remember you can use fresh veggies in your salads and omelets! :)

On another note, I went to a few Consignment shops in the Third Ward yesterday and tried on a few pieces.  I love that they pretty much have Thrift Store prices but it's way more boutique-ish than a Thrift store.  Here are a few items I got:

A pair of size 6 Banana Republic slacks.  Holy crap, they fit.  Stoked!  

Oh, and they were $7.

I saw this cute blue dress and thought it looked kind of vintage.  It fits me like a glove.  Sort of tight around the bust/ribcage area (usual for me,) but I love it!  Size 10, $9.

This cute blue shirt was only $4.99.  I saw the detail on the sleeves and had to have it!

Last but not least, if you guys would like to take a look at what's been keeping me so busy...

Click here to see the recent shots of the studio.

Click here for Colleen or Megan or Haley's boudoir shoots.

You can check out these gorgeous weddings here... 

Milwaukee Art Museum

Lake Park Bistro

Osthoff Resort

At Home and Fabulous

Oh, and this engagement session at the Lakefront Brewery.

:)

~Jenn