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Friday, December 11, 2015

Breakfast Roundup...

image courtesy of gregnockles.com
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And certainly, there is a lot out there to choose from when it comes to this meal. Do you want sweet? Do you prefer a savory meal? Heavy, light, or in between?

Here are a few of my favorite breakfast choices at the moment. I tend to lean more toward the savory side of things, but there are a few sweeter treats in here! {Note: Yes, I drink coffee daily, with milk or half and half.} And these have all been taste-tested, successfully, by my kids too!

Baked Oatmeal Cups, served with Greek yogurt and fruit
[note: I use a whole egg, and only 2 Tbsp. of honey, and I consider two of them a serving]

Whole wheat toast, or a whole grain English muffin, with almond or peanut butter, and sliced banana

"Country style" sweet potato (cook sweet potato most of the way, peel, cut into cubes, and saute until brown and crispy, using olive oil spray), with sauteed greens (kale or spinach), and a poached egg or two. Good with salsa as well!

Overnight, No-Cook Refrigerator Oatmeal
[I especially love fresh strawberries... this is more of a summertime treat]

5-Minute Oatmeal Power Bowl
[I make mine with soy milk, fwiw]

A whole grain [low-carb] tortilla, toasted lightly and filled with 1-2 scrambled eggs, a big handful of sauteed spinach, and salsa. Or, I use one egg plus an egg white, add a sprinkling of grated cheese, and make a quesadilla instead.

Whole grain sourdough toast, or a whole grain English muffin, topped with mashed avocado and a fried egg; fruit on the side

Once in a while, I love pancakes or waffles. I like this recipe, though I sub in whole wheat flour. I top pancakes/waffles with apple butter, or a homemade hot fruit sauce (just cook together some blueberries, tiny apple chunks, cinnamon, and a dash of vanilla. Add a spoonful of honey to taste.)

And sometimes, I just have Greek yogurt with raspberries or strawberries, and some chopped walnuts.

I also make baked oatmeal, an occasional fritatta, and I've found grits are really good when mixed with salt, pepper,and  a little cheese, and then topped with a soft cooked egg!

I'm always on the lookout for new breakfast ideas!

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

MILESTONE!

I finally reached the first ten pound mark!!! It was truly awesome, seeing the number on the scale this morning.

Yes, I am truly moving slower than a snail at this point, but...
  • I reached a milestone
  • I am feeling good about food these days. Intuitive eating, baby! I've actually found I need less food than I presumed, and that if I actually wait 20 minutes after eating, before cramming more food down my throat, I am often satisfied with the smaller amount I started with. Often, but not always. And I'm eating foods I enjoy.
  • I'm not tracking calories, or nutrients at the moment. But I feel good, and the scale is shifting in the right direction!
I've come to the realization, with the smaller plates/amounts of food, that I can always eat more if I am still hungry, but I can never eat less when I am already overfull.

How's that for a brilliant insight?

I do want to up my exercise, and get The Girl moving more. The rain, while great for the drought here, is not as helpful for exercise, but I think today I'll make us both toughen up and get out there for our two mile walk. And push-ups and squats always make me feel good too. The problem with using the treadmill is that it disrupts the internet or something, and no one can watch TV (streaming because we don't have cable or a satellite dish) while I'm walking/jogging on the darn thing!

And yes, I still focus on eating healthy foods... real ones. Lots of veggies, both because I love them, and because they are filling. Whole grain products, not bleached white stuff, partly because I really don't care for the white stuff...I prefer my breads and grains on the chewy side. Some fruit, because it's yummy. Good proteins, like eggs, beans, Greek yogurt, and some meat. I drink a lot of water currently, especially since I changed my "rules", and I don't get that second cup of coffee until I've downed my first water bottle (18 oz) of the day. And a little chocolate, but it has to be the good, dark stuff!

Sort of a My Plate approach, but more the Harvard version than the government's version, since the Harvard one has water more than dairy and mentions healthy fats. However, I don't do veggie oils much (which is what they mention), instead focusing on olive oil, avocados, nuts, and coconut oil. And I do love butter (which is not bad for you, by the way!)

This week, I used the kids, and myself, as guinea pigs, for a new breakfast recipe: Baked Oatmeal Cups. They were a big hit! The kids had theirs with honey (whole fat) Greek yogurt, and [defrosted] blueberries, and I had mine with plain (whole fat) Greek yogurt, and [defrosted] raspberries, and blueberries. Definitely going on the regular breakfast rotation, since they are filling, delicious, and easy. [Note: I used a whole egg, and reduced the honey to two tablespoons]

Have a good rest of your week! As always, here's some inspiration....


Thursday, December 3, 2015

Almost to the 10 pound mark....

Or I should say, almost to the FIRST ten pound mark! I'm currently down a total of 9.2 pounds. I like to approach my ultimate goal in 2 ways... by 10 pound increments from the original weight, and in getting below 5 pound markers... under 205, under 200, under 195 (my current goal beyond the first 10 pounds), and so forth.

The past several days were immensely stressful, and I haven't really gotten any good exercise in. I am hoping to hit the treadmill tonight, aiming for 3 miles in 45 minutes. And I want to do 15 minutes of arm/upper body strength training. Tomorrow, I'm aiming for the treadmill time plus 15 minutes leg work.

We did go on an amazing hike the day after Thanksgiving, reaching the top of Bald Mountain. We could see for miles (about 130 of them)! We could see the ocean, San Francisco, Lake Berryessa, the Sierra Nevada mountains, and more.




It was a very chilly hike, about 45-48 degrees (Fahrenheit), 6 miles round trip, about 4 hours total. And we climbed over 1000 feet. The picnic at the top tasted fabulous!