60 Day Challenge Update #1

So... Today was the first day of my 60 day challenge and it started off kind of rough. Of course my husband wanted to go out to eat for breakfast on the first day and the first meal of my challenge. We went to a small diner in town. Since I don't eat most meats, I had a choice between pancakes and French toast, so I chose the French toast. I was served 4 pieces but only ate two. I only used 1 butter packet and one syrup for both pieces (not something I normally would have done since I looooooove butter and syrup). I was very disappointed that I was starving directly afterwards, but I was soon relieved as about an hour later I became full! :)

Later that day the in-laws came out to the cottage and I made guacamole for lunch/snack. I ate less than a full serving of that and I also had a nectarine (a new found fruit that I love). For dinner I made BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and potato salad and I also had a pickle. I ate one sandwich, one pickle, and a cup of potato salad. I was, once again, still hungry after eating but soon became full in the next half hour.
Later on in the day I ate a mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich for dessert. I also recently ate a banana since the hubby is snacking and it makes me want to eat! I feel very full now at the end of the day and feel content and confident in the fact that I did not over-eat.
I was hoping to be able to provide pictures of everything, but unfortunately I cannot figure out how to upload pictures on Dan's phone. Some more bad news is that I cannot keep you posted on my progress for the next few days because dan will be leaving and taking his phone which is my only Internet source :(. So for the next few days wish me luck since it will be very hard to keep to my challenge with no one to report to!

A Healthy Lifestyle - 60 Day Challenge

Dieting isn't just about eating healthy. It's also about having a healthy lifestyle. While I'm getting the healthy eating part down pretty good, I'm struggling with the healthy lifestyle part. Along with my recipes, I will be posting my journey on 60 day challenges.
My first 60 day challenge is, along with my weight watchers diet, I will only be eating one serving of food each time I eat (excluding fruits and veggies). Some examples would be if I had pizza for dinner, I would only be allowed one slice. If I had a salad I could have as much lettuce as I want but only one serving of cheese/dressing/crutons (the serving size written on the package). I will do my best to post daily everything I have eaten to ensure that I do not cheat, however it may be difficult right now because I have to use Dan's phone to post since we're on vacation. The posts may be pretty short.
The reason I am choosing to do this challenge is because, while I have been eating healthy, I haven't been eating healthy amounts of the right foods. Instead of eating 1 icecream sandwich for dessert, I eat two or three. This challenge will keep me from eating 3 ice cream sanwiches and cause me to eat some strawberries or bananas instead of the two extra servings of dessert. In this challenge I will also only be allowed to eat dessert foods for dessert. This 60 day challenge will hopefully carry over after the 2 months is up. I chose 60 days in the hopes that by the time this is over with, it will become a habit. The challenge starts tomorrow when I wake up and I will do my best to post at the end of each day. Wish me luck!

Whole Wheat Buttons

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I probably won't have another post for quite a while after this, either.  The hubby and I are in the process of moving and everything's all hectic.  We're also going back to Michigan for a week and a half next week.  So, it might be a little bit before you hear from me again.  Sorry :(



I found this recipe on a blog.  I have, however, changed it quite a bit to make it "healthier".  I replaced all purpose flour with less whole wheat flour, I cut the sugar in half, and reduced the butter.  They are a nice sweet snack and only come in at 1 ww points plus per button.  They can either be topped with a teaspoon of Nutella or coated in cinnamon sugar.  If you coat them in cinnamon sugar, you will want to serve them upside down since the cinnamon sugar doesn't seem to stick to the tops (maybe patting them with a damp paper towel would do the trick?).  I think next time I make them, I will experiment with applesauce or canned pumpkin in the batter.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light butter, melted
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teeny tiny pinch nutmeg

Preheat oven at 375 degrees.  Combine sugar, butter, and spices and mix well.  Next, add in milk and mix some more.  Slowly add the dry ingredients; mix until smooth.

Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray, and fill each hole until about half full.  Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Roll in cinnamon sugar or top with a teaspoon of Nutella.  Enjoy!!!

Fajita... in a Bowl!!!

It looked much better before we ate it all :(

The other day for dinner I was planning on making pizza.  I got my husband all worked up about it while he was at work and I told him it would be ready when he got home, but then, I had to text him with some bad news.  “We have no dough.”  He was very disappointed and I had to think of a dish that could make it up to him.  So I tried a new recipe: Chicken Fajita Bowls!!! (minus the chicken of course)  They were delicious.  I was a little worried at first because it smelled more like a chili than a Mexican dish, but it definitely tasted perfect.  I was on the phone with my mom so the only photo I was able to get was of Dan’s 2 bites away from being finished (sorry).  The recipe is kind of… not well put together.  I’m not sure about the exact amounts I used, but really just do everything to your taste.  I also added my left over fajita vegetables from when we went out to eat the other night.

Ingredients:

• 1 large can crushed tomatoes (the large cans should equal about 2 cups)
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn (I didn’t use this in mine but I really think it would be good)
• 2 bell peppers diced or cut into strips
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• garlic powder (to taste)
• 1 tsp cumin

• 2 cups white rice, cooked

• ¼-1/2 cup chopped cilantro

• Tortilla chips (baked for me and regular for the hubby)

Toppings (your choice):

• Fat free Cheddar cheese

• Fat free Mozzarella cheese

• Fat free sour cream

• Salsa

• 1 avocado (cut into 1 inch cubes)

• Lettuce

Combine tomatoes, beans, corn, peppers, onions, garlic powder, and cumin in large skillet and cook on medium heat until veggies are cooked to your liking.  Stir cilantro into rice.  I served it as a layer of rice topped with some tortilla chips, next fajita mix and then some cheese and then a little more fajita mix (to help melt the cheese).   Now top with the toppings and ENJOY!!!

Roasted Broccoli Pasta

Sorry the pics are bad.  I had to take them with Dan's iphone again.

I found this recipe for roasted broccoli a while ago.  While I love veggies and I could just eat veggies for any meal, hubby likes to have a little more sustenance.  So I decided to make it into roasted broccoli pasta!  However, if you just want this as a side dish with meat, then forget the pasta and just have some roasted broccoli.  You could also make the pasta and slice up a chicken breast to put on top.

What I love about this recipe is that it’s simple, easy, and hardly uses any ingredients.  Oh yeah, and it’s healthy!  Now, the first time I made this I used whole wheat spaghetti, which was really good.  The second time I made it I didn’t have spaghetti on hand so I used orecciette which is a cup or bowl shaped pasta.   Both ways were good, I’m not sure which I liked better.  You can use any pasta, although I do not recommend any tube shaped pastas.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds broccoli (four heads)
• 1 package pasta
• 2 head of garlic (or 3 if you love garlic like me)
• red pepper flakes (0ptional)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• olive oil cooking spray
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (not the stuff in the green container)

Pre-heat your oven to 450.  Cut you broccoli as you normally would, but leave the stems about a half inch longer than you usually would.  Now, cut each piece of broccoli length wise (about 3 times on larger piece and 1-2 times on smaller pieces).  Lay your broccoli as evenly as possible on a baking dish sprayed with olive oil spray.  I prefer to use two dishes because it helps all the pieces roast evenly.  When it comes to the garlic, I like to crush about ¾ of it and slice the rest into almond-looking pieces.  Sprinkle it evenly over the broccoli.  Sprinkle with red pepper flakes according to you taste and finally spray with olive oil spray.  Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes.  In the meantime, you can cook your choice of pasta.  The broccoli will begin to brown and crisp up a little and the stalks should be tender.

Once both the pasta and the broccoli are done, combine them together.  Make sure you get all the pieces of garlic out of the baking dish.  Add your 2 teaspoons of olive oil and ½ cup of parmesan cheese and toss to evenly coat.  I also like to add even MORE parmesan cheese on top of my serving :)

Enjoy!!!

REAL Cottage Living: Chocolate Peanut Butter S'mores and Tin Foil DInners

Rogue LOVES Peanut butter S’mores!!!

Now that I have my egg rolls out of the way, I can blog about why I haven’t posted in a while.  Dan and I went back to Michigan on a vacation for two weeks.  We stayed at my mom’s lakefront cottage (thanks mom!).  I know, it sounds glamorous and romantic and wonderful, but trust me… it’s not.  It’s about 700-800 square feet, was built in the 60’s, and has never been redecorated.  There are bugs and mice and kinds of creepy crawly gross stuff.  But we like it :)

It can be hard to figure out what to cook in an environment like my mom’s cottage.  There are limited ingredients and cooking supplies.  I’ll share with you a couple of meals I made while I was there.  Some I have pictures of and some I don’t (the pictures I do have were taken with my husbands iphone)

One of my favorite new-found foods is veggie burgers, but not just any veggie burgers, homemade veggie burgers.  They’re quick and easy.  I cook them in a pan (they cook through better that way) and then I throw them on the grill for a couple of minutes to get some nice grill marks.  I will supply the recipe for these in a post once I get a larger food processor!

Another one of my absolute favorites to cook at the cottage is tin foil dinners.  These are easy, delicious, and healthy.  Here’s what I put in mine: 1 medium potato, lots and lots of cabbage, green peppers, jalapenos, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, onion, about a head of garlic (I love garlic) I smash half of the cloves and I mince the rest, garlic powder (I really love garlic), dried parsley flakes, and about an eighth cup of salsa (I use this instead of olive oil to help steam my vegetables).  Spray your tinfoil with nonstick spray and dump your vegetables in.  Tightly seal the tinfoil to ensure that no moisture can get out.  I cook in on the grill over medium heat for about 40 minutes to an hour and turn it halfway through.  I then top mine with LOTS of Parmesan cheese.

My husband like two potatoes in his dinner.  He likes more potatoes and I like more veggies.  He also uses olive oil (just a drizzle) instead of salsa and a vegetarian tomato basil sausage cut up.  You can add in ground beef, turkey, or chicken for you meat lovers out there.

The great thing about tin foil dinners is if you’re feeding a family or entertaining a group of people, you can rest assured that everyone can make their dinner just the way they like it!

You can’t stay at a cottage on a lake without having s’mores.  Dan and I try and spend as many nights around the campfire as we can, depending on how bad the mosquitoes are.  Since I’m not really a big chocolate person (I know, it’s crazy, a girl who doesn’t like chocolate), I usually just roast marshmallows and eat them plain.  I like chocolate mixed with certain flavors, but not in s’mores.  But this  year I had an epiphany!   Chocolate peanut butter s’mores!!!  I’m sure many of you have heard of this before, so please excuse my excitement since I have just discovered it.   They are the best and I love them!  So does Dan… and Rogue.

Moose just likes the peanut butter.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while - The BESTEST Vegetarian HEALTHY Baked EGG ROLLS

So, I was going to post a blog about why I haven't posted in a while, but I just made these egg rolls and they were soooo amazing that I decided I had to post these first!

I made these egg rolls yesterday too, but I feel that my recipe is better perfected today.  They also looked better today, but since my camera was dead and I couldn't wait to charge it before eating them.... well... I'll just use the pictures from yesterday!

Ingredients:

•  1 16 oz bag of coleslaw mix
• 1 package egg roll wrappers (should contain about 21 wrappers)
• 1/8 cup shredded carrots (optional, I just like a little extra)
• 4 tbsp chopped green onions
• 1tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 3 tsp rice vinegar
• garlic powder to taste
• pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes to taste
• olive oil spray

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  In a large skillet, over medium heat, saute all ingredients except egg roll wrappers and olive oil spray.  Cook until cabbage begins to get translucent (about 5-8 minutes).

Place about 2-3 tbsp of veggies in the center of the egg roll wrapper and roll up (there should be instructions on the egg roll package).  Don't get frustrated if they look a little goofy.  Trust me, it takes time to master wrapping egg rolls.  Before rolling up the final little tail, using your fingertip, wet the final tip of the wrapper with water and then finish rolling it to seal (I hope that makes sense... I think the instructions will tell you to do that anyways).

Place a cookie cooling rack over a baking sheet.  I use the cooling rack because I think it gives the egg rolls more of a crispiness and prevents them from getting soggy.  Spray the cooling rack w/ olive oil spray.  Place the egg rolls on the cooling rack (be careful not to crowd) and then lightly spray with olive oil spray.  Bake for 20 minutes on each side.

When you flip them the first time, make sure to spray that side with olive oil as well.  After both sides have baked for 20 minutes each, flip the egg rolls one more time and crank that oven up to 450 degrees!!!  Bake 10 more minutes.  AND THEY'RE DONE!!!

I eat them with a sweet chili sauce (it's like a sweet and sour sauce with a kick).  You can find bottled sweet chili sauces in the Asian section of your grocer.

Enjoy your egg rolls!!!

*This recipe can easily integrate meat and different veggies if you feel like experimenting.

Breakfast or Dessert Parfait

I have never been much of a breakfast eater or a fruit eater, so , for me to like this parfait really says something.  About a month ago my mom came to Ohio to visit me.  One morning she made herself a parfait and offered to make me one, but not being a parfait lover, I said no.  She then forced me to try hers (as moms do), and 2 minutes after trying hers,  I was eating my own.  Later that day, I had one for dessert after dinner!

The secret to this delicious parfait is the topping.  Many dieters have trouble eating parfaits because the granola topping is usually high in fat, and a parfait with out the topping just isn't a parfait.  Special K with Strawberries makes the perfect crunchy topping for a parfait; it is low fat, healthy, and delicious.  Another great thing about parfaits is that it's nearly impossible to get tired of them, since you can change them up so much.  Usually, I use blueberries and strawberries, but you can use any combination of fruit you feel like.  Not only can you change up the fruit, but you can change up the yogurt flavor as well.  I use vanilla most of the time.  Another great combo would be blueberry yogurt with strawberries and bananas.  The combinations can go on and on.  I've never tried it, but you could also switch up the Special K cereal.  I believe they make not only a yogurt and berries flavored cereal, but also a chocolate flavored one (which would be good with vanilla yogurt and strawberries).  Another little special touch I like to add to my parfaits is some chopped nuts.  I usually use almonds, but walnuts would be delicious as well.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. yogurt
• 1/4 c. chopped fruit
• 10 nuts coarsely chopped
• 1 handful Special K cereal

Start with a small dollop of yogurt in the bottom of the bowl / cup.  Next, add half of your chopped fruit.  Layer that with a small amount Special K and half of your nuts.  Repeat steps again.  Serve immediately (so the cereal doesn't get soggy).  Enjoy!!!

Meet the Fam :)

Okay, so here's my first blog post.  I would like you to meet my family!  While it doesn't have anything to do with dieting, it's still important because they will, at times, be a part of this blog.

The only humans in this family are me and my hubby Dan.   We're on the front porch of our rental home taking pictures with his new iPhone! How exciting!

Dan and I recently had to move from our beautiful home in Michigan down to Ohio due to a job transfer.  We are squeezed into a rental house much smaller than our Michigan one, but we are making due.  Dan works 40+ hours a week and I stay home and cook for him (and sometimes clean).  I usually cook meals large enough for a family of five because Dan is 6'8" and eats enough food for 2 people.  So, I get a serving, Dan gets 2, and he has 2 left for work the next day.  We are going on our third year of marriage and loving every minute of it.  We enjoy spending time outdoors and taking our dogs on daily walks (weather permitting).  We also love going to our church every Sunday!  No plans to have children for this couple, but if it happens... it happens! :)

Now for the more exciting members of the family...

Our eldest child is Smokey the Bear.  He is a grouchy old bear and the only person in the world that he likes is my husband.  Don't get me wrong, he's not a mean cat, but he won't come up and sit on any one's lap but Dan's.  We found him while driving through my mom's neighborhood.  He was a stray and Dan almost ran him over, but luckily I screamed just in time.  As soon as he was in Dan's arms he started purring as loud as a motorboat.  It was love at first sight.

Next came Moose.  Moose is a little over 2 years old but still acts just like a puppy.  He is a small German Shepherd.   We originally got him for protection when we first bought our house... haha.  Look up an antonym for protection and it will say "Moose".  He is, however, so uncontrollably hyper that he may jump on someone to give them kisses, scare them and then chase them a few miles down the road.  He's obnoxious, but we love him.

I'm a cat lover.  One cat just will not do.  Especially when Smokey is such a daddy's boy.  So, of course, I had to get another cat.  We adopted Meemons from The Humane Society.  He was an adorable little kitten.  The first night we had him I discovered his love for licking faces and cuddling.  He loves to lick chins and up noses and he always curls up right on your shoulder and lays his head on your chest.  Soon after the first night we had him, Dan and I discovered that he is definitely possessed.  One of his favorite things to do when he's not running around like a madman is climb up walls.  Yes.  He climbs walls.

You know the saying "which came first: the chicken or the egg"?  Well I'm not really sure which came first: Rogue or Nubbins.  So, in order to save the best for last, we'll start with Rogue.  Rogue is a purebred Sable coat German Shepherd.  Many people mistakenly think that she is a mixed shepherd, when in fact she is more German Shepherd than Moose.  She has very good bloodlines and is of Czech and German descent (Moose is American).  We got Rogue in another attempt to have a protective dog, as well as to have a playmate for Moose.  Unlike Moose, she pretty much fulfills the protective part of her job.  She loves to bark at people and stalk people (it looks scarier than it sounds).

Okay, and now for the love of my life.  NUBBINS!!!  Back when we lived in Michigan, Dan and I would go to the humane society at least once a week.  We love animals and I guess we loved our heart breaking for all of them every time we went...?  Anyway, on one of our usual weekly visits, we fell in love.  Not that we didn't fall in love hundreds of times before on our visits, but something about this one was different.  Nubbins was the cutest little kitten we had ever seen.  She is a Manx and has no tail.  I don't even know where to start with Nub.  She is cute and cuddly, but she can have her Diva moments.  She is beyond obsessed with food and eats twice as much as the other cats and yet, even being full grown, she's only half their size.  Yes, I do have a miniature tailless cat :)  It just doesn't get any better than that.

And now for some fun family photos!

Here is a picture of Dan, Smokey, and Nub.

Here... let me zoom in...

Best buds

The couch is Smokey's domain.  You can find him there 95% of the day.  Literally.



This was nub on the first day that we got here.   It's the cutest picture ever.  Meemons is peeking at her in the background.

Soon afterwards they became best buds...

Dumb and Dumber

I told you Nubbins is obsessed with food.

This is her usual post.