Happy New Year

Hi Everyone and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, we sure did.  It was a wonderful holiday and I look forward to getting back on schedule witheverything starting the new year off right.  I indulged a bit this holiday season, and its not even over yet!  But I admit it, I gained 6 pounds during the holidays and I started back yesterday (the 26th) with trying to get back on track and staying away from the carbs and sugars.  It is hard!  Its funny, I think my body processed the bad things better but it sure is craving it again since I have let my diet take a backseat to my hunger and getting the cravings kicked is going to be a struggle again.  But I am committed to doing it!  We have plans to go to Naperville for New Years Eve.  We go every year and spend it in a hotel there and they have a fabulous dinner and a few different rooms for dancing and listening to different bands.  Im not going to go crazy on my eating on that night.  I really want to lose these 6 pounds I gained in about 10 days I hope.  In the past I know once I get back on the water and start the higher protein and cut out the carbs I can lose pretty fast and get back down to where I was and beyond.  I am not beating myself up though.  I believe in enjoying the holidays, and I did. I know it cannot be a lifestyle though because I will climb aback up to where I was ...and beyond!  So I let myself enjoy it, ate pretty much whatever I wanted and now, I know its time to get back on track.  But I am happy to get on track again, because while I enjoyed eating the cookies and drinking the kaluha, I have not felt as good as I did when the carbs where less.  Im tired, my energy level has dropped and I just don't feel 100 percent.  But I can tell a huge difference in just these past 2 days of getting back on track and I seriously am feeling better!  Its amazing how what we pt into our body affects us in every aspect!  I do have a great recipe to share, We made this great Chicken salad using the Walden Farms Mayo and it was DELISH!!!  I hope you enjoy it and I promise, as soon as the New Year hits, regular emails and recipes will be coming your way again!  Hang in there and get back on track as soon as you can, and forgive yourself for everything you ate and feel good about it.

Happy New Year!!!  Heres to a great 2014!!!!

Chicken Salad

2-3 Chicken Breasts Cooked and Cubed

2-3 Dill or Garlic Pickles Chopped

1 onion (small) Chopped

1 Teaspoon Deli Mustard

1 Teaspoon Worcheshire Sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Tablespoon chopped Pecans (optional)

2-3 Tablespoons Walden Farms Mayonaise

Mix all ingredients together and serve on Lettuce leaves or wrap in Lettuce leaves for a lettuce wrap.  

Yum-O

Banana Milkshake

I have to admit the one thing one this diet that i really miss is my fruit!  Especially bananas.  Well last night I was craving bad so I came up with a great substitute!  Banana Protein Milk shake!!  It curbed my fruit taste craving and really felt like I was indulging in something decadent!

Banana Milkshake

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (optional.  You dont have to put this in if you don't have it, but the vanilla flavor is Honestly just as good as the chocolate!)

1/2 Packet of Sugar Free Banana Pudding Mix 

1/2 Small container of Plain Greek Yogurt (you can use the whole container especially if your NOT using the protein powder(

1 Packet Stevia

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Ice

Put all ingredients into blender and add Ice last.  Add just a little at a time until you get the consistency you are looking for.  Top with JUST A TEASPOON of Sugar Free Cool Whip or Fat Free whipped Topping(zero Carbs and Sugar) and it is soooo good!!  You could also use this as a breakfast or lunch meal replacement.  The protein part of the meal anyway.  Breakfast, its good the way it is, if you substitute for Lunch you need to add  a side of veggies and your salad.

Enjoy!!!

Protein Pumpkin cheesecake

This weekend was great for us.  I am back down to where I was before I left for Australia.  How was everyones weekend?  I hope all is going well.  We had a good old fashioned family Pot roast dinner last night.  that is the great thing about this diet, you can still have those comfort foods for your family but just "Tweek" it a bit so that you can enjoy them also.  We had a beef roast, and Green Beans (they are legal and I have a great recipe I will share tomorrow) and then a nice big salad.  I threw a few potatoes in for Kendall and then used the juice from the meat as the "gravy" for it.  It was delish!

  I do like having a dessert sometimes with these kinds of meals and yesterday was one of those days.  So I tired a new concoction and it turned out pretty good.  Harry loved it!  It is a pumpkin dessert.  Very Fallish and it resembled pumpkin cheesecake.  Now this recipe does call for a small amount of cream cheese and on occasion this is ok.  Not in the first 2 weeks of the diet, because the first two weeks your trying to get your body off of the carbs and fats and sugars.  After the initial 2 weeks though to have cream cheese once a week is ok.  So I came up with this and I topped it with a teaspoon of Fat Free Whipped Cream.  One thing about this dessert though, bake it right before you serve it.  I baked it early in the afternoon and it tasted good right out of the oven, REALLY GOOD.  Then when I served it after dinner it was not as good.  I even tried heating it up in the microwave but it just didn't have the same flavor as when it was fresh out of the oven.  I also love how my house smells when I bake so this provided that also!  

Protein Pumpkin Cheesecake

1/2 can pumpkin

2 oz cream cheese

1 cup splenda

2 containers greek yogurt

1 tcinnamon

1 t pumpkin pie spice

Mix all ingredients together and put in a greased (with Pam) pie plate.  I added a little bit of Quick Oats mixed with water to the top, but you do not need to. 

Bake 375 for an hour or until center cut with clean knife  Served immediately and top with a dollop of Fat Free Whip Cream or Cool Whip.

Healthy Cauliflower Spaghetti

I think I am finally getting back on track with sleep and everything after being jet lagged for a few days.  

I am on a Cauliflower kick lately, if you hadn't noticed...LOL.  but there are so many things you can do with it and it is totally legal.  I have found that it is a great substitute for spaghetti!  Whenever we have sauce I don't make the noodles anymore, even for Kendall because we all really like having it over the cooked cauliflower.  It gets your veggies in and if you have meat with your sauce then you get your protein that way and you have a complete meal.

Healthy Cauliflower Spaghetti

Your favorite sauce.  

Either homemade or in the jar.  Just be sure to check the carb content and that you count this as one of your times you have one of the restricted foods for the week (i.e. brussels sprouts, or tomatoes)

1 Head of Cauliflower

Cook you sauce and let it simmer.  Clean and cut the cauliflower in chunks and boil in water to steam cook it.  Drain.  Put cauliflower in bowl and using a fork, break it up and "dice" it into little bite size pieces.  place on plate and pour sauce over top of it.  Serve.  One head serves 3-4 people.

This is super good and super good for you.  You don't have the carb content of noodles and you still have the satisfaction of eating "spaghetti".  Try it, Im sure you will love it as much as we do!

Australia

I made it!  I am back from my international travels to Australia and I had a FANTASTIC time!!  I never thought I would like traveling as much as I did.  I was so apprehensive about the plane ride...It was a bit nerve-racking but all in all it really was not that bad.  Our flight was smooth and we were able to sleep for some of the long 14 hour trip.  The whole experience was very positive!  WE started out flying into Sydney and then hopped on a plane to Brisbane.  We had a race there we were going to work.  the first day we got in rather early so we had the whole day to walk around, do a little shopping and just take in the city.

Brisbane from the plane...the beaches look amazing.

The Treasury Hotel and Casino.  Where we stayed in Brisbane.  Very cool place

This is the Treasury Hotel.  The hotel is actually across the street from the Casino.  The weather was fantastic.  It is spring there now.

Our booth for the Brisbane Jamboree Race.

While we were in Brisbane we found this very cute, very good food cafe.  It served my new favorite coffee, Flat White.  It is a Aussie drink I'm told.  

After the race we flew back to Sydney and were on our VERY short vacation part of the trip.  36 hours to take in the city.  We stayed at the casino in downtown sydney which was FANTASTIC.  Beautiful rooms, Beautiful views and great food!

Beautiful Rooms

A tub big enough for 2 in our room!  :)

Dinner our first night in Sydney at Black

Downtown Sydney.  We really could not have asked for weather wether for our trip.  It was sunny and 75 each day!

Walking the Pedestrian bridge

 Harry on the bridge

On our way to Starbucks in Sydney.  Yes, they had my Starbucks, and yes, it was way different than here in the states!  But it was still good!

After a day of shopping!  Sydney has TONs and tons of great shopping.  Including UGG Boots and gorgeous opal jewelry !

The view from our table at Peter Doyle's Restaurant.

A tasty version of my Raspberry lemon drop martini.  They didn't get it quite right, but what they did still tasted great!

Another amazing restaurant with the love of my life!

Dinner at an amazing restraint with a gorgeous view of the opera house.

Our last day in Sydney.  We leave tonight for our 14 hour plane ride home.

One last picture of the Sydney Opera House.  I can't get enough of that pace and can't wait to go there on our next trip!

Hello San Francisco USA!!  I loved our trip but its always nice to be home!

One of the best things about this trip??  I finally got a stamp in my passport!  This is huge!  Now if you had asked me 10 years ago if I ever thought I would travel out of the country, let alone travel 14 hours on a plane to Sydney Australia, I would have said "No Way!"  but here I am with my first international trip behind me, now only memories that live in my mind of a trip of a lifetime.  I wouldn't trade it for the world!  

I loved every minute of it.  And Yes!  I would do it again!

Pumpkin custard

I love fall!!  I love the smells, the leaves changing colors and espcially the cooler days and evenings.  Plus getting towards fall means that Christmas is just around the oconrer!  Well this year since I have been on my diet I have not been able to induldge myself in the traditional pumpkin recipes that I usually make.  But I have come up with a great recipe that is VERY low carb and healthy for you AND still has the taste and smell of a tratitional fall recipe.  This is creamy like pumpkin and smells like pumpkin pie, but is not overwhelming. It is packed with protein and very low in carbs and sugar so you can eat it guilt free.

Pumpkin Custard (Pudding)

1 Small container Greek yogurt

1 packet Stevia

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Tablespoon canned pumpkin (not pie filling- too many sugars)

1/2 Teaspoon Pumpkin pie Spice

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding Powder ( I just get a big box and use it as needed for added flavor.  it doesn't add much carbs or calories when used a teaspoon at a time)

Mix all ingredients together and serve...It is so good.  Like Fall in a cup!  LOL

Stuffed Peppers

I love trying new recipes.  I will say this diet has made it quite challenging to crete new recipes that taste good but yet are high in protein and low in carbs.  But I have come up with a stuffed pepper recipe that is great!  and its literally zero carb.  And tons of protein!

Ready to go in the oven

The finished product

Stuffed Peppers

6 Peppers Cleaned and ready to be filled

2 lbs of Ground Turkey

1 Red Pepper Diced

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

3-4 Tablespoons Worcheshire Sauce

1 whole Egg + 1 Egg White

2 Cloves of Minced Garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

Clean Peppers and place in 9x13 baking dish. Mix by hand all ingredients except tomatoes.  "Stuff" peppers with turkey mixture and top with the top of peppers.  Pour can of tomatoes over top of peppers and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half.  Serve with salad.  Yum-O

Birthday Bash

Saturday was my birthday.  Another year has come and gone.  But, it was a fantastic year, and an even more fantastic birthday!  I had an awesome day.  It all started at 6:30 in the morning with Starbucks and ended with cake late that night.  I do have to take a moment and boast about my amazing daughter Kendall.  She totally surprised me by her responsibility and kindness about my birthday.  She set her alarm, with out me knowing, for 6 am on a SATURDAY and came downstairs to decorate the kitchen for me, as I usually have done for everyones birthday when they get up.  She had been in her room the night before working on a sign for my birthday to put up and a home made card for me.  She brought my presents down, arranged them on the table, put up my signs and then heard me up so she came busting into the room saying Happy Birthday.  I was shocked she was up so early.  I came out and saw what she did and that was by far one of the BESt birthday presents she could have given me.  I love the fact that  I have instilled those acts of kindness in her and that she wanted to make my day as special as I try to make hers.  What a great kid she is!!  Then I got double surprised when Hillary met us for breakfast and had gotten there before us and had balloons and flowers waiting for me at the table!  I asked Harry if he told her to do that and he said nope they both did these things on their own.  I was one proud momma!

Well I feel like I say it every year, but honestly THIS year I am in better shape and feel better than I ever have.  I feel healthy, happy and fulfilled.  It just kees getting better and better.

My beautiful decorations

My good Morning Salted Carmel Mocha

us in the Limo ride to dinner

me and my sister

Me, Kendall, Hillary and my sister Debbie before dinner

My dad and step mom

me and Hillary

me and my girls

All 10 of us at dinner

Me and the love of my life!

<3  Love

Cake number 2 at the restaurant 

me outside our ride

Cake number 4....yes 4!!

It was an incredible night and birthday!

Iced coffee

I have been trying to perfect my Coffee making skills.  I have been tweeking them while on this diet.  I so look forward to morning and afternoon when I can treat myself to my cup-o-joe.  I have come up with a pretty good iced Coffee recipe that I have been having every afternoon.  It is high in protein, low in carb and calories (virtually none) and the best part is, its on the diet plan and Im still losing weight while drinking it.  I miss my Starbucks, although I do still go for their regular coffee.  Going there is more than the coffee for me.  It's the smell when you walk in the door, the cozy feeling you get from most Starbucks, and just the idea of getting a cup of something, sitting down and watching the world move at its own speed.  I love everything about it.  Its one of my favorite things to do.  On those days when I don't get to have my Salted Carmel Mocha (which is pretty much every day except for my birthday or special occasion) I have my iced coffee.  I hope you like it as much as I do!

My Afternoon Treat.  yes I have a Ghost Straw.  It's September after all...close enough to halloween.

I add just a Tablespoon of whipped Cream.  It doesn't add many calories and it adds zero carbs.

Iced Coffee

1 coffee cup of brewed coffee

(I use my Verissimo and brew a cup and then add about a half of a mug filled with water.  I also do this part in the morning and put it in the fridge so it's nice and cold when Im ready for it in the afternoon.)

1 teaspoon of Chocolate protein Powder Mix ( I use Arrbonne)

1 Packet of Stevia

Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup (add this to taste.  I use 1-2 Tablespoons)

Put all ingredients in a shaker and shake it up.  Pour over ice and add just a tiny bit of Whipped Cream.  Viola!  You have a yummy Iced Coffee.

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

I am addicted to chicken fajitas lately.  I get them every chance I can and I think I could eat them daily.  With that being said I was so excited to try a new crock pot recipe for them that I found.  The were super good.  No crunchy like traditional fajitas, but I did like how it was so easy and the flavor was spicy and good.  The chicken shredded nicely and I served it over a bed of lettuce for a super healthy, super high in protein, low in calorie dinner.  Try these, you won't be disappointed!

Layer everything in a crock pot.

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

4 Boneless skinless chcken breasts

1 Each Green, Red, Yellow, Orange Bell Peppers (or any combo you like)

1 Jalapeño Pepper

1 Packet Fajita Seasoning Mix

2 Tomatoes cut in fourths

Put Peppers and tomatoes in crock pot, add chicken breast on top and sprinkle with seasoning packet.  let cook on High for about 6-8 hours.  Stir to shred chicken.  It makes its own juice and will cook up nicely.  Serve over a bed of lettuce and top with 1 teaspoon of Greek yogurt (as sour cream).   You have your protein, veggies, and lettuce all in one dish for dinner.   Delish!!

Turkey Meatloaf

This is a recipe for turkey Meatloaf.  Super high in protein and super healthy!!

Turkey Meatloaf  

2lbs Ground turkey

1 whole egg + 1 egg white

Dash Worcheshire Sauce

1 T Hot Mustard

2 Sugar Free Bread and Butter Pickles w/ 1/4 Cup Juice from the pickles

(Let me know if you need a pic of these, I can send one.  these are free on the diet.  Good snack too)

1/2 Red Pepper Chopped

salt and Pepper

Italian seasoning to taste. (I use about a Tablespoon)

1 t Basil

Mix all ingredients up together, I use my hands.  Place in loaf pan sprayed with Pam and cook at 350 degrees for about an hour.

This is great!  Makes for good leftovers for lunch next day too!

Cut in Half

I did it!!  I am half the person I once was!!  I went to the Dr on thursday and I had finally lost as much weight as I weighed.  What an emotional day!  I mean seriously, can you believe it?  I have lost as much weight AS I NOW WEIGH?!?!?!?  Wow.  It didn't really hit me till I was in the car and we were driving home.  Now on this last part of the journey I have lost only 56 pounds, since February 3 I might add, but still it is huge.  Since February I have gone from a 14/16 down to a size 6/8.  I never thought I would ever be in single digit numbers for clothes. heck I wasn't even in them in High school.  I was always a size 11 or 12.  Not only has my confidence grown since losing the weight, I feel great!  I was always retty healthy.  Even at my heaviest (289 pounds) I still had no health issues because of weight.  No high blood pressure, no diabetes, nothing.  but now I have lots of energy, I wake up feeling refreshed and not dragging.  I know its because of the food choices I make and the way I am choosing to live my life.  

Kendall doesn't even remember the very large me, she remembers me back in February of course, but she talks about how Im so skinny and look so young.  She tells me she's proud of me, and I know I don't embarrass her with my weight, not that she ever said I did, but I know sometimes it was embarrassing, just like Im sure it was embarrassing for Hillary at times when I was at my heaviest.  but now, Im ready to go play volleyball with Kendall, or try something new like rock climbing ( I actually can't wait to try that!) and I feel great about it.

Harry has been my biggest supporter.  encouraging me all the way, loving me no matter what.  I have struggled with weight my entire life and this is the first time I can honestly say I am not struggling.  My dad even got a little emotional when I told him about it on thursday.  He has seen my struggle since I was little, and knows how hard it is.  I just wish my mom was here to see it and share with me.  I know she's looking down and smiling though.  I have had so many friends ask what Im doing to lose the wight...I have adapted the Ideal Protein diet into a manageable and affordable plan that doesn't require buying the food but something that you can still lose weight on and Im excited to be helping them start this and see amazing results as I have.  

This is the very beginning of my journey....about 7 years ago  at 289 pounds.

This is me just last August.

This is Harry and I last year in Vegas.  he's lost alot too!  and the best part....He loved me at this weight and he loves me now.  He loves me no matter what!  

Last year at this time.

This summer.  On our vacation.  Amazing the different.

Me in my size 26 shorts!  Im so HAPPY!!

Me and Hillary and Kendalls birthday.  Its amazing to look at these pictures and see the transformation take place.