I’m ALIVE!

Yes, I’m alive!!!

…And still goin’ strong!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT????

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I have been on this Low-Carb thingy for 6 ½ weeks!

Only a week and ½ to go!  Wahoo!

When I first started this diet, 8….weeks….seemed….like….forever!

But, it really has gone fast.

I’m ready for it to be over though.

I’ve been pretty diligent, but I have “cheated” just a little here and there.

…but I don’t feel guilty!

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For the first 5 ½ weeks of this diet, I officially give myself an A-.

Yay.

But, for the past week, I give myself a B-.

Lame.

For the first 5 ½ weeks, I only had a “little” cheat once a week.

Like, when I made dinner for a friend who just had a baby.
I made her brownies for dessert….well….I had to try a little crumb….and then a bigger crumb….it probably ended up being the equivalent of a small brownie.
But, it tasted so freakin’ good.
It was worth every bite!

The next weekend, I was at my mom’s house and my sister came over with chocolate chip cookies and brownies (holy COW!)
I tasted just a little bit of both.
And, I didn’t feel guilty.

So, I kind of went like that for the first 5 ½ weeks.
I ate pretty much “to the letter” and then had a small indulgence on the weekend.

But, this past weekend was terrible!
I didn’t fall completely off the wagon, but I just kind of chugged along.

Kev and I went to Sizzler for dinner on Friday.  I got the 6 oz. sirloin steak with broccoli on the side.  It also came with their yummy salad bar.
I did great and just got a small salad with all “legal” toppings.  But, after my meal was done, I indulged on a small portion of their Oreo pudding.
It was yummmmy, but probably not worth it!

Well, the NEXT night, we took the kids to Chuck-a-Rama for dinner.  I ate all legal things, but then ended with a sugar-free cookie, some sugar-free pudding and a piece of cinnamon pull-apart!
What the???

Then…(yes, more!)….we took a quick trip down to Cedar City on Sunday to visit Kev’s brother’s family.  They served marshmallow brownies and cake and ice cream at their house.
Freak!
It looked so good….but I didn’t have ANY!  Yay! 

However, when we left to go home, they sent us with all these YUMMY treats that were leftover from a bake sale they had….sugar cookies, chocolate cookies, caramel apples, caramel corn mix, etc.
I was dying!
All my FAVORITE THINGS!

I had one tiny bite of a chocolate cookie and then a little bit of the caramel corn mix.  I also had a few Skittles that I had in the car to keep the kiddos good for the drive!
Crazy!
I didn’t eat a TON of anything, but I just kept tasting things all weekend long! 

So, there are my confessions.

The one thing I WAS happy about though was that I didn’t give up.

I didn’t feel defeated.

I jumped right back on the wagon and went on eating all my yummy low-carb fare.

I think that is the kind of lifestyle I want to live forever.
Eat healthy most of the time, but have a few indulgences here and there.

Oh, FYI, I’ve lost about 8 pounds on this little endeavor.  Not as much as I hoped, but progress nonetheless.  I’m gonna keep pluggin’ along until I reach my ideal weight (whatever it may be!).

I’ll let you know when I get there.

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So, a few weeks ago, I was feeling bugged that I hadn’t lost more weight.  I analyzed my diet and tried to see what I could improve on.  I realized I was having too many of these….

Yes, these Peanut Butter Cookies are the bomb.
Yes, they are low-carb and “legal’, but no, they are not LOW-CALORIE!

I think I was enjoying these a little too much.
So, I decided to replace my “legal” sweet indulgences with this…

Sugar-free jello.
Yum!
0 carbs and 10 calories per serving.  You can’t beat that!
I topped it off with my some fresh whipped cream.
Yummo.

Another diet tweak I adopted was this…

Yes, “mystery meat” Turkey hotdogs.
I know they are not the epitome of health, but they fit the bill.

Sometimes for lunch, I like to slice hotdogs up, fry them in a frying pan and enjoy them with mustard.

Looks gross, I know.  But they are yummy, low calorie and very filling.

They are rather good.
I’m sure there are higher quality “turkey dogs” out there, but these are only 70 calories and 5 grams of fat.
Not bad.
Not exactly “healthy”, I know.
But, when you’re eating low-carb you have to be creative.

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Well, because I haven’t posted for a while, I have SO MUCH to put on here!  I don’t want this to be a novel, so I will just post a yummy recipe we had for dinner the other night….

K???

K…

We had Chicken Cordon Bleu.

One of my favs!

Here’s my recipe…

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts; trimmed, cut thin, and tenderized

Ham; cut in thin slices

Swiss Cheese; cut in thin slices

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Parsley

Canola or Olive Oil

Breadcrumbs or crushed almonds

I set up a little assembly line…

Chicken, Ham, cheese, spices, oil, and "breading"

Here's a closeup of the chicken, ham, and cheese...

Take a piece of chicken, top it with ham, cheese and then all the spices.

Take a piece of chicken, top it with ham, cheese and then all the spices

Roll it up and secure it with a toothpick…

Brush it with a little oil…

Then roll it in breadcrumbs or crushed almonds…

Place in a greased (with Pam) baking dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or so.
I always check the biggest one to make sure it’s cooked completely through.

Way yummy.
We served it with Cauliflower Potatoes and fresh veggies with guacamole.

Well, ’till next time!  Hang in there!

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!!