Weight Loss Resolutions

Ahhh yes the time of year when everyone puts down the cookies and grabs the carrots.
Of course I had all intentions of trying to be as good as possible during the holidays but that sugary food is addictive.  The more I ate the more I craved.  And now I feel bloated and gross.
Operation UF is in full force again.  Prior to the holidays I was down 17.5lbs total from July.  I haven't stepped on the scale yet but I'm sure I'm up quite a few.   So lets get back on track together, what do you say?
First step, removing all the leftovers and candy...and that doesn't mean by eating it!  While I hate throwing food out, those leftovers won't be doing anyone a favor by sticking around.  The candy?  I'll bring that into work.  Cookies, I have in the freezer so I can pull those out in emergancy situations.  Don't laugh!  Cookie emergancies are serious.  Think about it...you need something sweet but you got rid of everything so instead of eating one cookie you eat everything in sight to make up for that one cookie.  It is nothing to laugh at.  Okay maybe it does sound silly, but the sheer joy when you realize you have a cookie in the freezer when you thought you were stuck with veggies is pure bliss. 
So it's back on the bandwagon we go to skinnytown.

Pumpkin Apple Muffins- UF style

I love to read recipe books, well mostly I like looking at the pictures.  If a recipe book doesn't have pictures, forget it.  The seasons are changing here in eastern PA and the comfort food is calling.   As I'm trying my hardest to continue my UF challenge, it has been just that...a challenge.  I love fall food, it's just so warm and tasty and cinnamony. yum.
While looking through my weight watchers recipe book I came across pumpkin apple bread.  Since there are only two of us in the house, a loaf of pumpkin apple bread could be deadly or go to waste, so I opted to make these into muffins.  And instead of using grated apple as the recipe ordered, I used some diced dehydrated apple bits that I got from the local dry goods Amish store.
Unfortunately I don't have pictures, but you can imagine and fluffy pumpkin apple muffin.  These muffins come in at around 80 calories a peice.
Pumpkin Apple Muffins
Adapted from WW
2 cups AP Flour
1/4 cup sugar
1t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1 large egg
1 cup low-fat buttermilk skim milk
1 apple, peeled, cored, grated 1 cup dehydrated diced apples
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 t confectioner's sugar

1.Preheat oven to 350; line muffin pan.
2. In large bowl, compine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  In a small bowl, beat the egg; add milk, apple, and pumpkin.  Pour over the flour mixture; stir until just blended.
3. Fill muffin tins approx. 3/4 full, bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Dust with confectioners sugar.
I made a double batch and had about 36 muffins to munch on and share.  Enjoy!

U to the F

Greetings from the Ark! Here in good ole' PA we are getting some crazy rain.  What is it about rain that makes us want to hibernate and be unproductive.  Well I have been trying to ignore the fact that it is rainy and windy and just plain miserable outside so I can get some much needed cleaning done.  Apparently my washer is taking note to the weather as it keeps stopping and needs me to coax it through it's cycle. oy vey.
I have good news though!  I'm still UFing...today I hit a milestone! 10lbs down! Woo hoo!  I'm pretty darn proud.

Last night for dinner I made this yummy dish, some eggplant parm, give it a whirl you won't be disappointed! Even the mister couldn't get enough.
Happy almost Friday!

UF Update

While I've been busy documenting and sharing my wedding, I haven't kept you updated with the UF update, and after reading my friend's post, it has given me some needed inspiration.

Since my last post I have lost 7lbs! Woo hoo!  While it's a big accomplishment, I do have a decent way to go, and I haven't really noticed the loss.  What have changes have I made?  Well staying true to that post I am eating lots and lots of whole foods, fruits and veggies are my friends.  It amazes me how much I was eating, eventhough I didn't think I was eating much.  I really have not been keeping track of calories, but more so making better decisions both with food and excersise.  When I know I can't trust my self on making those decisions I use the Lose It! app on my Ipod to track calories and my excersises.

UF

Well...I finally cut my hair, nothing crazy, just to my shoulders.  And for some reason I thought that was where I gained all that weight from.  I was hoping to hop on that scale and to drop a good 20lbs. Darn it.   I mean my hair is thick...it had to atleast weighed like 5lbs. 
Why is it so easy to pack it on and it takes fooooorrrr eva to make it go away?  Well I'm on a mission, Operation Surprise Getting Married Makes You Fat Now Get Unfat.  Or UF for short (unfat) or atleast UF un poco (unfat a little).
It's crazy when it just hits ya, like dang what did you do? yikes!  Well it's been a constant battle no doubt.  And if you are blessed with the ability to not eat your entire plate of food or are naturally skinny well just please be thankful and await a post on my thriftiness as this does not concern you.
What's my game plan?  Well, consuming as many whole foods as possible, as the processed kind are not exactly anyones friends (although very tasty at times), and increasing my exercise.  With the weather getting nicer it should be a little more enticing to get some walking and running in.  Wish me luck!
Have any good recipes or tips? Share SHARE!

Hooray for Pizza Day!

I made an awesome pizza the other day and just have to share with you.  The crust is Weight Watchers and super simple.  Am I the only one who didn't know you could freeze pizza dough?!?!  I was going to halve this recipe so if would make just one pie.  But there is a note in my recipe book that says you can freeze it! Just put it in a floured freezer bag and you are good to go.  To thaw just stick in the fridge overnight, or on the counter for and hour 1/2.
Basic Pizza Dough
(Makes 2 12-inch pizza crusts)
1 1/2 cups warm water
1t sugar
1package active dry yeast
1 T olive oil
4 1/4 cups AP flour
1 1/2 t salt
1. Combine water and sugar.  Sprinkle in yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 min.
2. In food processor, combine flour and salt.  While machine running, scrape yeast mixture through the feed tube; pulse until dough forms a ball.  If necessary, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth and elastic.
3. Spray large bowl with nonstick spray; put dough in bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size.  About 1 hour.
4. Punch down the dough, then cut in half.

This was my first time making the dough in a food processor.  Genius!  It was super easy!
So obviously after punching the dough...which has always been my favorite part of pizza dough...roll out, or if you are a pro hand toss.

For my pizza I drizzled the dough with olive oil, then sprinkled with Garlic Garlic and Seasoned Salt.  Then topped with our garden tomatos and the left over mozzarella from our tomato mozz salad the other night.  Then drizzled more oil on top, salt and pepper and shredded parm and into the oven it went at 500 F for about 12 minutes.

This was the bomb diggity no doubt.  I love how something so simple can be so Delicious!




Calorie count for dough...
Per serving; 1/12th of the dough
Cal-174
Fat-2g
No Sat or Trans Fat
Sodium-292g
Carb-34g
Fib-1g
Prot-5g

Put the lime in the coconut and shake it up!

I'm beginning to think this is a drinking blog...really people I don't drink that often, just trying out some new recipes I've stumbled upon.

Mojito!

YUM Found this on Skinnytaste.com super delish and calorie friendly.  Really the only calories come from the rum!  I used coconut rum instead of regular...and may have added just a tiny bit more *wink wink*  Just goes to show you don't need to skip out on flavor when you skip on calories.  Cheers!

Cilantro smells like stink bugs

I love to recipe hunt and I love pictures of food...and if a recipe doesn't have a picture with it I will most-def pass it up.  That's why I love food blogs.  I LOVE this blog...SkinnyTaste.  The Mr. grilled up some yummy chicken legs before  he went to work, so I made some Cilantro Lime Rice to accompany it.  Is it me or does cilantro kinda smell like stink bugs?  I never realized it till today.  I hate stink bugs, gross.  That may have set to mood for the dish.  Not a huge fan, but not bad either. And to go with that I thought a margarita was necessary.  I chose this one since it was a whopping 100 calories. Skinnygirl margarita

Skinnygirl

2 oz of Tequila
tiny splash of orange liqueur
juice of 4 fresh lime wedges
Pour that on top of ice and voila viva Mexico!  With my addiction to the Housewives of New York, I've been dying to try Bethanny's Margarita. Yum! I'll be having another one of those soon!

Spinning off of Mrs. Chicken Leg's blog entry about friends, which she so nicely illustrated,I would like to introduce you to my new 'friend'. Her name is also Jenny, she's pretty famous, and she makes my muscles ache.

Photo from GameStop

After getting married in October, we went on our honeymoon to Cancun. As we got a recommendation from a trusty friend

photo by PaPartyPix

we booked the Sun Palace all inclusive resort. Lovely resort and would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat.

my photo -view from our balcony at Sun

Josh and I looooove food. Josh went to school for culinary arts and hotel and restaurant management, and while he doesn't have a job in that field, he makes up for it when he cooks. At the Sun you could eat/drink anytime and as much as you want. And so I gained 10lbs, ugh. And then Thanksgiving came and Christmas and it has just all been down hill from there.

my photo- our daily breakfast at Sun

I am reminded time and time again that my first word was ‘fries’ . To this day I LOVE fries, the super crispy kind. Mmmm fries…..

photo found on this site

So Jenny was sitting under our Christmas tree Christmas morning, for me. So the deal is, she’s my trainer, she tells me what to do and I do it to the best of my ability. A web cam comes with it so you hook it up to the wii and boom you are famous and on TV. So you have yourself on the right of the TV screen and Jenny on your left.

Photo found at GameStop

I think Jenny tried to kill me the other night…she kept doing leg lifts for 4 counts. So laying on your back, feet in the air slowly lowering your legs to the floor as you count to 4 and then back up for 4. I swear she had me do it like 50 times. So I think there might be a flaw in the program.
Last night she only made me do it once, I’m okay with that. I like it because you can choose to do a 15 min. work out and that’s easy to squeeze in to my busy nights.What is your secret fitness tool?