New recipes to try

I'm a recipe collector and always looking out for fun new things to try. My collection is huge and sometimes I find myself just browsing recipe books for fun. (It's weird I know, but you wouldn't believe how many benefit from this hobby of mine). Well, you can imagine now that my new collection is focused on good taste, but good nutrition too.

This recipe is from Oprah's personal chef and we're having it tomorrow. It just sounds yummy to me and there's nothing here to have any guilt over!

Spaghetti al Forno

Sauce:

1 1/2 T olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes

salt & pepper to taste

Casserole:

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti or linguine

2 T chopped parsley

1 large pinch red pepper flakes

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 T whole wheat breadcrumbs

To make sauce: in large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until vegetables carmelize (about 12 min). Turn heat to low and cook 10-15 more minutes. Raise heat to medium, add tomatoes. Simmer and cover. Cook 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt & pepper.

To prepare casserole: Preheat oven to 450. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook spaghetti but subtract several minutes from cook time so noodles are very al dente. Drain well and add to sauce. Add parlsey, red pepper flakes and toss to combine.

Transfer mixture to a 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake until top is browning and sauce is bubbling (about 15 min). Serve immediately.

My summer salad collection is growing too. I love salads -- much more than almost any main dish so here's what I'm serving this holiday weekend:

Cowboy Caviar

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 can corn kernels (drained)

2 medium tomatoes (diced)

3 green onions (minced)

1 large avocado (diced)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup prepared salsa

salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill 30 minutes before serving. Can serve over greens as a salad or with chips for dipping.

Nutritional Info: 66 Cal, 3 g fat, 9 g carbs, 3 g fiber

Light Yogurt-Poppy Slaw

3 cups finely shredded green cabbage

1/2 cup shredded red cabbage

1 medium Granny Smith apple (peeled, cored & shredded)

1/4 cup shredded carrots

3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/3 cup crushed pineapple (including juice)

1 T honey

3/4 tsp curry powder

1 T poppy seeds

salt & pepper

1. Mix cabbages, apple, and carrots in large bowl.

2. In separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, pineapple, honey, curry powder and poppy seeds. Season with salt & pepper.

3. Pour dressing over slaw and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 2-6 hours before serving.

Nutritional Info: 83 Cal, 2 g fat, 16 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein

BUNCO & The Challenge

This Wednesday was BUNCO where 12 ladies get together for good food, snacks, and a fun game of Bunco. I was worried about the many temptations I would face, but went with a goal in mind to enjoy the company more than the food. It went pretty well overall. I did enjoy a smaller portion of the meal, felt satisfied and kept sipping water instead of soda. Of course every table has at least 2 dishes of snacks and candy but I only ate about 20 skittles over the evening and 5 peanut M&M's. I then passed on dessert -- key lime pie. That was a tough decision, but I left with NO guilt!

I appreciate the many tips we've received from Jessica and Peggy because I occasionally thought of what we've learned from them as I was tempted to enjoy many other goodies that night. Not to spoil the fun but to keep perspective, I frequently say what Peggy told us two weeks ago...

"The only way to lose weight is to consume less calories than you burn." This was powerful for me and helps me keep a proper perspective about food.

With two upcoming holidays in July and other planned family events, there will always be an abundance of food choices. My plan to get through BUNCO worked so I'll use the same strategy throughout July. I hope these thought may help others in the challenge as well because it takes a mindshift before you're in an environment of temptation. Any other tips? I'd love to hear what others do as they participate in social events where food is ALWAYS a main focus.

Fabulous web-site...you'll keep going back!

Oh I just couldn't resist sharing one of the email tips I received from Prevention. It's the 100 Smartest Diet Tips Ever...How to Renew your commitment to weight loss with help from top nutrition pros.

http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/100-smartest-diet-tips-ever/36469c777f803110VgnVCM20000012281eac____/weight.loss/strategies.for.success/staying.motivated/0/0/1

Not only did I want to share it with you...I knew I'd be sorry if I didn't review it from time-to-time. Its full of answers.

Week 4 begins today

It's been 21 great days focusing on good nutrition, strenuous exercise, and portion control. I must say I pushed it hard last week with good exercise to try to meet a few goals I've been striving for. Today, I am definitely sore but overall, I feel great. It would be easy to become discouraged because the results don't happen quickly. But to keep me encouraged, this is what I've accomplished over the past 21 days.

1. Lost 10.5 pounds
2. Lost 1 1/2 inches around my waist
3. I can see definition in my legs...not a lot but since I'm looking for it, I can see the tone
4. My clothes fit so much better. Rather than skirts and pants sitting right on my waist, they're now resting on my hips.
5. I'm adding at least 1, sometimes 2 extra strengthening routines to each program. This is definitely helping with the back fat, arm jiggle and overall arm strength.
6. I'm strength training 3 days/week, cardio training 3 days/week and enjoying several walks in the evening after work. This equals at least 45-75 minutes of exercise daily.

I'm so pleased to have this opportunity and look forward to the next 79 days. I plan to stay strong and appreciate the support of my trainer, Heidi, our dieticians, Peggy & Jessica, other participants and good family and friends. Thanks a bunch everyone!

I also want to share a fun episode I had with my son, Spencer (10) on Saturday. I was doing a PowerWalking video and he was content just watching me. He's 10 and after about 3 minutes in to the work-out he says, "Wow Mom, it's working already...I can already tell you're getting skinnier." Oh how I love the boy! He's been a fun supporter and oftentimes joins in with me. If he doesn't, Swensen, my 4-year old gets on his bike every night when we get home ready to guide my walking course. Thank goodness for great kids!

Whole Wheat Flax'N Apple Muffins

I made these last week and they were very good. I don't have an exact nutritional overview, but calorie and fat content is lower than other muffins because of the Splenda and applesauce substitutes. Besides, they taste so good, you wouldn't know they're healthy for you.

1/4 c milled flax seed
3/4 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c white flour
1/2 c sugar -- can use Splenda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cup finely chopped or shredded apples -- I prefer shredded
3 T applesauce -- substituted for equal amounts of oil
1/2 c milk
1/2 c chopped nuts

Blend dry ingredients in bowl. In separate bowl, mix egg, applesauce & milk. Add to dry ingredients and mix. Batter will be thick. Fold in apples and nuts. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes. Recipe makes 12 muffins. I doubled it and my family gobbled them up within 2 days!

A new view to eating PASTA! I do love pasta dishes and have been looking for recipes that don't compromise taste but offer a healthier option. I haven't tried this one yet, but bought the ingredients this weekend. It sounds good so I'm sharing before trying:

Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli
Prep time: 25 min.
Serves 4

1 T flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 c 1% milk
Whisk dry ingredients with 1/2 cup milk in medium sauce pan. Then whisk in remaining 1 cup milk. Bring to slow simmer, stirring over medium heat.

Stir in 3/4 c grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (about 3 oz) and 1 tsp. trans-free vegetable oil spread. Sauce will thicken in about 3-4 minutes. Then remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Prepare 6 oz. whole wheat fettuccine according to package directions. Add 4 cups bite-size broccoli florets and 1/3 cup peas (thawed) during last 5-7 minutes of pasta cook time. Drain.

Transfer pasta and vegetables to large service bowl and toss with cheese sauce. Garnish with 12 grape tomatoes (halved) and fresh chopped parsley if desired.

Nutritional Info per Serving: 304 cal, 19 g pro, 41 g carb, 8 g fiber, 7 g fat 3.5 g sat fat 18 mg chol, 449 mg sodium. This recipe offers 61% less calories, 167% more fiber, 88% less fat than the traditional recipe. I hope it's yummy!

Just for fun, this is my body at goal weight. Try it...I thought it was fun.

Visual Simulator

The start of week 2 has been a little slow for me because I'm only 1/2 pound less than what I was on Monday. But I'm going to push strong. I feel good about my diet and know that I need to add more exercise to get the results I want. Peggy says we need 90-120 minutes a day to lose weight and that was discouraging but I know it's true. I saw Heidi at the Wellness Center yesterday and we talked about ways to increase active movement -- which is what Peggy was actually referring too. So I'm taking 2 small breaks to just climb stairs. It's a quick work-out and rejuvenating too.

I found something that might be fun for you to try. Prevention's web-site, www. prevention.com/mvm has a visual simulator. You design your body as it is now and the body you want at the end of this challenge. It gives you a picture of now and then. Kindof fun!

I know most of us take a visual outlook towards things so for me, it's encouraging to take a glance at a picture of what I use to look like. I hope this helps any of you with your goals too. If not, just have fun creating your simulation. You get to pick the hair, swimming suit, etc. It was fun.

Recap from week 1

I was so focused on good nutrition and exercise last week that I totally forgot about blogging until Janet's friendly reminder Friday. I'll get better at this and had fun viewing other blogs this a.m.

After receiving my baseling results, I was shocked! I have much higher levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and body fat content than ever. This is a great time to focus on better health and I'm committed to some real life changes because I want a long healthy life and haven't been on that path for at least 3-4 years now.

I was pleased with everything last week. It was great to meet others in the challenge and I became quickly energeized to be successful with my goals. Overall, I lost 7 pounds and met my goal to exercise 6 days. I really feel great and can tell I'm getting stronger and can endure longer, more strenuous excercising. I'm very encouraged to continue forward!

Feeling I did a few things right...I thought I'd share a few things that worked for me.
1. Logging everything I ate. Not only did this help me calculate calories, carbs, etc. it was a very good visual to keep me in line with Jessica's nutrition recommendations.
2. Prevention.com has a lot of helpful weight-loss tips, exercise plans, menu's, shopping tips, etc. I've taken Prevention Magazine for at least a year now, but their web-site was a favorite for me last week. It's now part of my "favorites" and I receive their daily emails of the topics that mean most to me. I found their information very helpful and easy to follow.
3. Exercise felt so good. I worked out 6 days last week -- some more vigorous and longer than others, but I felt the combination worked for me. A couple of my children joined in with me and we had a good time together.
4. I ate very simple meals last week and had them planned day-after-day. I also increased my water intake significantly and it really did help fill some of the "empty" moments I had.

Feeling positive about last week, I'm going to do much the same for week 2. My shopping is done and I have new recipes to try. As I make a few new things this week, I'll share my new favorites. My first attempt is using flax seed in place of the oil/fat that a recipe calls for. I understand it's a great substitute so I'll make cinnamon apple muffins tonight to try it out.

I'm a recipe collector, so I'll be watching the other blogs for your creative menu ideas too!