Happy Monday and Low Carb Fare

I hope you are all having a wonderful Monday!  I may be a little weird, but I really love Mondays!  I think Sunday nights are depressing, but Mondays are motivating!  I really welcome the structure and productivity!  Woo hoo.

Well, I’m still goin’ strong with my little low carb diet.  It really hasn’t been too hard.  I’m glad because I was expecting the first few days to be tourture!  I’ve definitely had my moments of weakness, but they don’t seem to last too long.   I just keep telling myself I’m only going to be super duper strict for 2-3 weeks….so just stick it out!

Sooooo, here’s some of the things I ate yesterday…..

• Breakfast was my favorite omelet (which was actually more like a scramble!)….4 egg whites, peppers, onions, spinach, olives, turkey and feta topped with salsa!  Yum!  I also had a slice of low-carb toast topped with peanut butter on the side.

• Before we left for church at 11:00, I snacked on a few almonds and string cheese.

• For lunch I pulled out some grilled chicken from the freezer and made a quick side salad (Romaine, peppers, olives, turkey, celery and feta).  I topped everything with my favorite Tzatziki!  I love it!  Oh, I only ended up eating one piece of chicken.  I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach!

• I had a yummy Chocolate Peanut Butter protein shake in the early evening.  1 C. Almond Milk, 1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder, 1 T. Cocoa, 1 T. Ground Flax Seed, 1 T. Natural Peanut Butter, a couple drops of almond extract, a couple handfuls of baby spinach and ice!

• Around 8:00ish, I had a couple of these bad boys!  They are Paula Deen’s Magical Peanut Butter cookies.  Click here for the recipe.  I love these things!!!  I just have to be careful not to eat too many.  They do have Splenda in them and I’m not a huge fan of artificial sweeteners.  However, when I’m trying not to eat sugar, I am VERY grateful for options!

• Before I went to bed I had another slice of low-carb toast topped with peanut butter and a couple slices of deli turkey.  Yum!

I think that’s it!
I’ll just keep on pluggin’ away……

Gettin’ Creative…

Well, I’m still going strong with the whole low-carb thing and I LOVE IT!

I’ve been doing it for long enough now (almost 3 1/2 weeks) that it is becoming second nature.  It’s still not easy, but I love how I feel.

I feel strong, disciplined, healthy, and just….good.

I miss my carbs, but I know this is exactly what my body needs right now.

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I’ve lost about 6-7 pounds total so far.

I wish all the pounds would just melt off my body, but I know I need to be patient…sigh.

I’m hoping to lose 8-10 more in the next 4 1/2 weeks.

I’ll have to post some pics.

I have some pretty scary “before” pics….just waiting for the “after” ones.

We’ll see….

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I thought I would mention I’m taking a little hiatus from running for a bit.

My IT Band (knee) got all jacked and I couldn’t run more than 2 1/2 miles without it hurting.

Lame.

I was also getting just a wee bit sick of running and it made me sad.

I’ve also been living a crazy crazy life and desperately need to catch up on all my “to-dos”.

I love running and I want to KEEP ON loving it….

So, I made the executive decision to take some time off!

Yay!

Sadly, I was supposed to run an awesome 1/2 marathon this weekend.

That’s not happening….

So, I’ve just been going to the gym 4 times a week and I’m calling it good for now.

I love all the classes I go to at the gym though.  They are all so so so awesome.

I actually look forward to each one of them!

Here’s my schedule…

Monday:  Bootcamp

Wednesday:  Muscle Works

Thursday:  Powerflex

Saturday:  Powerflex

They are all basically different variations of weights and HIIP (High Intensity Interval Training) classes.

They kick my bum big-time every time!

Love it.

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I’ve been eating a lot of the same things I’ve already shared on the last few posts.

But, here are some new things I’ve had…

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Soup with Greek Salad...YUM!

 Here’s the recipe for the Soup (I got it from LowCarbFriends.com)

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Soup
(I doubled this recipe)

1/4 Cup Minced Onion
3 Cups of frozen Broccoli
3 Cups of chicken broth
1/2 Cup of lite sour cream
1/4 Cup of cream
12oz (1 1/2 cups) of Shredded Cheddar
1-2 cooked chicken breasts-cut up (I added more)
2 oz lite Cream Cheese
2 T. butter
sprinkle of thickener or carbquick
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, throw all ingredients in except the chicken and thickener. Heat on medium.
While pot is simmering, dice and cook chicken in frying pan.
Add chicken to pot and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle thickener if necessary.

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I like to go to the gym on Monday at 5:30, so this was the perfect dinner for us.  I threw it all together before I left and then put it in the Crock Pot to “simmer” until I got back.

It was a very yummy and flavorful soup!  I made a ton because I like to freeze leftovers so I’ll have “low-carb” options to eat!  Most of my kids enjoyed the soup as well.

I made a yummy salad to go with…

Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, egg, provolone cheese, olives, and the kitchen sink!

I also added some sunflower seed nuts and then topped it off with some yummy homemade Greek dressing…

In case you want the recipe…

Homemade Greek Dressing
(from AllRecipes.com)

1/2 cup olive oil
1-1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1-1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
1-1/4 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
2/3 cup red wine vinegar

Mix together the olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, onion powder, and Dijon-style mustard. Pour in the vinegar, and mix vigorously until well blended. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

YUM!  I store this in an old Vinegar Container in my cupboard and then I always have it available!

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K, I must mention one thing that has made this whole low-carb adventure so much easier is………..LEGAL treats!  I have discovered so many fun recipes!  Yay!

I’ll share my fav with you!!!

Magical Peanut Butter Cookies
(from Pauladeen.com)

1 egg
1 cup sugar or sugar replacement (I used Walmart Brand “Splenda”)
1 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a large baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, Splenda, the egg, and vanilla, and stir well with a spoon.

Roll the dough into balls the size of walnuts.  Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet.

With a fork, press a crisscross design on each cookie (it helps to dip the fork in water first.)

Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven.  Cool slightly before removing from pan.

Yuuu….ummmm!  These have been my life saver!  If I’m ever craving a treat, I just grab one of these out of my freezer!  Completely legal and a cinch to make!  Love them!

Well, gotta go to bed!  I really will try to post more frequently!!