No..I didn't stop eating healthy foods and gorge myself on ICK for days on end...no, I made a goof while cooking and the result was an unexpected, rather tasty, surprise.....
Last week I was cooking baby carrots in a SMALL amount of water (too small actually) and I went back to my office...I got distracted and FORGOT I left the carrots cooking on the stove....I smelled them 'cooking', but totally forgot about them.. (Old age does that!)
When I finally remembered I was cooking carrots...I ran to the kitchen to find them fully cooked dry and the bottom ones were burnt where they were touching the pot! I pulled one off the top to see how 'smoky' they tasted...not too bad (I eat most of my mistakes..don't like to waste food) I dumped the non-burnt ones in a dish and surveyed the rest...about 1/3 of the pot had a burn strip on them..so I pulled one out to see how bad they tasted...
I was totally SHOCKED when the burnt baby carrot tasted like a hot dog I used to 'fry' in a pan on the stove..except for being orange..the carrots even LOOKED like hot dogs! I ate another one to see if I was crazy....NOPE..same taste...and actually pretty good!! LOL So I dumped the 'hot dog carrots' in a different container...they were edible!! My best friend told me to just dip them in some ketchup!! LOL I almost did!!!
The pot was a mess, but I left it soak for a while and it cleaned up rather easily...
I ate all the smoky carrots and the hot dog carrots!! A nice change, but probably a one time deal..
But..I might try 'frying' some in a non-stick pan and see if they taste the same!!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Meal Planning for Fat Loss and Health
Meal Planning for Fat Loss and Health
One of the hardest parts of changing to a healthier lifestyle and/or starting a weight/fat loss program is making the commitment to do it. Once you make this decision, the next step is to map out your plan and then put it in motion (i.e. JUST DO IT!)
Meal planning is a critical aspect of any successful fat loss strategy and it can be a daunting task if you try to do it ‘on the fly’. Most times, this ‘seat of the pants’ approach leads to failure to comply and reverting back to the way you ate before.
Here are the 5 steps I use in making my weekly menus:
[NOTE: This is a general approach I use to make out my weekly menus. You can use this plan along with more specific guidelines from The Six Week Body Makeover, The Body Fat Solution, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, or any other fat loss program to make menus customized just for you.]
Step #1 – Make a list of all the foods you already have on hand and/or what you need to make. Keep it simple when you are starting out (grilled chicken, baked potatoes and steamed veggies). Once you get comfortable with all the changes, then start adding in more complicated recipes. Learn the process, then advance! Separate your foods into these categories: Lean Proteins, Veggies, Starchy Carbs, Fruit, and Healthy Fats*. I also include Muffins as a separate category for my planning purposes. This category is optional for you. *I incorporate healthy fats in my recipes and in the form of supplements. I include it here just so I can keep track and don’t forget about it!
Step #2 – Make a weekly menu chart to show all 42 meals/snacks (yes, I eat 42 meals/snacks per week. 6 meals/day X 7 days/week = 42 meals/week) This may seem like a lot, but when you eat every 2-3 hours, the number of meals you need to plan add up fast! You can also include lines for water consumption, cardio, workouts and other noteworthy events that impact your life.
Step #3 – Determine the components for each meal (per your specific plan – P/V/C/Fr) and write that next to the meal name at the top of each column) The exact components you eat at each meal will depend on your specific body type or plan you are following. Just remember to include a protein source at each meal including snacks.
Step #4 – Fill in the chart using choices from your food list and following the components for each meal. Hopefully you have enough options on your food list that you don’t have to repeat every meal 2 days in a row. It is OK to repeat meals thru the week (I do this all the time), but some people want/need more variety in their daily meals. But planning 42 unique meals each week requires an enormous amount of cooking and that is not practical AT ALL! This is about saving time, not making things worse! The more food options you have, the less repeating you have to do. Just rotate meals to every other day or 2 and that should work fine. You can also include the actual quantities of each component for each meal too. Since every one is different, these numbers will vary. Your sex, body type, body composition and current goals (maintenance or fat loss) all help determine how much you need to eat.
Be creative when planning your meals. Breakfast doesn’t just have to be a muffin or omelet. Chicken Corn soup makes for a hearty breakfast too! And there is no law that says you can’t have so-called breakfast food for dinner either!
Once you have your meals planned and charted, write in your cardio and workout plans for the week also! Schedule it and you will be more inclined to actually do it! And also track your water intake if you find it hard to consume at least 100 oz. per day.
Step #5 – Post this chart on your refrigerator or another prominent place in your kitchen and FOLLOW IT - EVERY DAY – exactly as written! Try your best to not miss meals, but if you do, just continue on with the next meal on your list! And don’t forget your workouts! Just 30-45 minutes a day of exercise (cardio and weights) can make a big difference over time!
Do this menu planning every week. Update your available food lists every week as well.
My food list changes every week, mostly the veggie and fruit options. What I eat depends a lot on what is in season or what is on sale at the grocery store. Cooking in bulk and freezing pre-measured portions also save lots of time thru the week. I bulk cook, portion and freeze most of my proteins, muffins, soups and fruit. I cook enough veggies and carbs for 3-4 days at a time. Most of my meals are ready in 5-10 minutes!
Preparation and planning…building blocks of healthy eating!!
Here is my Menus for this week: (Click to enlarge)
** Eggs on the chart refers to the egg whites. I usually add about 1/2 of 1 yolk to my omelets, usually when I have eggs for snacks, they are hard boiled egg whites or Vanilla Puffs (egg whites only)
.jpg)
One of the hardest parts of changing to a healthier lifestyle and/or starting a weight/fat loss program is making the commitment to do it. Once you make this decision, the next step is to map out your plan and then put it in motion (i.e. JUST DO IT!)
Meal planning is a critical aspect of any successful fat loss strategy and it can be a daunting task if you try to do it ‘on the fly’. Most times, this ‘seat of the pants’ approach leads to failure to comply and reverting back to the way you ate before.
Here are the 5 steps I use in making my weekly menus:
[NOTE: This is a general approach I use to make out my weekly menus. You can use this plan along with more specific guidelines from The Six Week Body Makeover, The Body Fat Solution, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, or any other fat loss program to make menus customized just for you.]
Step #1 – Make a list of all the foods you already have on hand and/or what you need to make. Keep it simple when you are starting out (grilled chicken, baked potatoes and steamed veggies). Once you get comfortable with all the changes, then start adding in more complicated recipes. Learn the process, then advance! Separate your foods into these categories: Lean Proteins, Veggies, Starchy Carbs, Fruit, and Healthy Fats*. I also include Muffins as a separate category for my planning purposes. This category is optional for you. *I incorporate healthy fats in my recipes and in the form of supplements. I include it here just so I can keep track and don’t forget about it!
Step #2 – Make a weekly menu chart to show all 42 meals/snacks (yes, I eat 42 meals/snacks per week. 6 meals/day X 7 days/week = 42 meals/week) This may seem like a lot, but when you eat every 2-3 hours, the number of meals you need to plan add up fast! You can also include lines for water consumption, cardio, workouts and other noteworthy events that impact your life.
Step #3 – Determine the components for each meal (per your specific plan – P/V/C/Fr) and write that next to the meal name at the top of each column) The exact components you eat at each meal will depend on your specific body type or plan you are following. Just remember to include a protein source at each meal including snacks.
Step #4 – Fill in the chart using choices from your food list and following the components for each meal. Hopefully you have enough options on your food list that you don’t have to repeat every meal 2 days in a row. It is OK to repeat meals thru the week (I do this all the time), but some people want/need more variety in their daily meals. But planning 42 unique meals each week requires an enormous amount of cooking and that is not practical AT ALL! This is about saving time, not making things worse! The more food options you have, the less repeating you have to do. Just rotate meals to every other day or 2 and that should work fine. You can also include the actual quantities of each component for each meal too. Since every one is different, these numbers will vary. Your sex, body type, body composition and current goals (maintenance or fat loss) all help determine how much you need to eat.
Be creative when planning your meals. Breakfast doesn’t just have to be a muffin or omelet. Chicken Corn soup makes for a hearty breakfast too! And there is no law that says you can’t have so-called breakfast food for dinner either!
Once you have your meals planned and charted, write in your cardio and workout plans for the week also! Schedule it and you will be more inclined to actually do it! And also track your water intake if you find it hard to consume at least 100 oz. per day.
Step #5 – Post this chart on your refrigerator or another prominent place in your kitchen and FOLLOW IT - EVERY DAY – exactly as written! Try your best to not miss meals, but if you do, just continue on with the next meal on your list! And don’t forget your workouts! Just 30-45 minutes a day of exercise (cardio and weights) can make a big difference over time!
Do this menu planning every week. Update your available food lists every week as well.
My food list changes every week, mostly the veggie and fruit options. What I eat depends a lot on what is in season or what is on sale at the grocery store. Cooking in bulk and freezing pre-measured portions also save lots of time thru the week. I bulk cook, portion and freeze most of my proteins, muffins, soups and fruit. I cook enough veggies and carbs for 3-4 days at a time. Most of my meals are ready in 5-10 minutes!
Preparation and planning…building blocks of healthy eating!!
Here is my Menus for this week: (Click to enlarge)
** Eggs on the chart refers to the egg whites. I usually add about 1/2 of 1 yolk to my omelets, usually when I have eggs for snacks, they are hard boiled egg whites or Vanilla Puffs (egg whites only)
.jpg)
Friday, January 1, 2010
Cranberry Crumble
Here are some new recipes for you to try-
Enjoy!
Cranberry Crumble
Yummy holiday dessert!
Servings per recipe: 12
2 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups puffed brown rice cereal
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
2 Tbsp oat bran, raw
1/4 cup Sucanat
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp butter extract
1/2 cup water
1 batch of Cranberry Sauce (see recipe below)
Preheat oven to 350°F
Topping:
In medium mixing bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients except for cranberry sauce. Set aside.
Bottom layer:
Prepare Cranberry Sauce. Spread in bottom of 10 x 10 silicon baking dish.
Spread topping evenly over cranberry sauce.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly.
Allow to cool. Keep refrigerated.
Cranberry Sauce
(and this is good just on it's own!)
3 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed (I use one small bag)
½ - 1 cup water
1 cup NSA applesauce (homemade or Mott’s)
¼ cup honey (or 1/3 cup Splenda works too)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
Juice and zest from 1 small orange
In medium saucepan, combine water and cranberries. Bring to boil over medium heat. Cook until cranberries pop.
Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients, stirring well.
Allow to cool completely before refrigerating. Warm or cold sauce can be used for Cranberry Crumble recipe.
My Tips for Living Lean - Update for 2010!!
- Cardio in your THR (target heart rate) is important!! Monitor it closely. No slacking. And change it up once in a while!! I do biking and power walking. It is good to change up the routine - this takes to boredom factor away too...like what you are doing and you will continue to do it!]
- Strength training is important. No slacking here either!! Really..a little goes a long way..make your workouts fit your goals! Rest and recovery periods are necessary so don't overdo it. Start with bodyweight exercises like planks, mountain climbers, bird dogs, and pushups! No extra equipment required.
- SCALE WEIGHT IS JUST A TOOL. NOT THE BE ALL END ALL!!! I have decided that being fit and having a healthy body fat percentage is more important to me than a number on the scale. Hence, I only weigh occassionally and go more by my body fat calipers and how my clothes fit. Both are better indicators than the scale number!
- Limit off plan(aka nonclean) meals/foods as much as possible. I know I feel better when I eat clean. Too much, too soon can cause problems. Crazy days aren’t an option. Maybe a crazy meal, once a month – OR LESS! Once I fired up that old metabolism, I NEEDED TO EAT EVEN MORE!! Staying POP, I was not consuming enough calories and I got myself back into starvation mode!! And considering how much I ate already, this was a real shock!!! But, since adding the required calories (thru healthy nutrient dense foods - NOT ICK) and also some healthy fats and EFA supplements, I feel and look a LOT better. You really do need to eat to lose!]
- Once you are at goal size - you can add things you have refrained from eating while reducing back in SLOWLY. Again, too much, too soon causes problems. Monitor but be brave - More is better (see comment above), but too much healthy food can be bad for the body too!
- Try new healthy foods. Search out new flavors now that your taste buds are finely tuned!! You will be surprised at what appeals and doesn’t appeal to you anymore. This blog has LOTS of healthy recipes that I make and eat most of the time...good for reducers and those at goal...A lot of them are made with foods I never even thought of eating 5 years ago. Once you can taste the real flavors of real food (nonprocessed) it is amazing what you will like now!
- Drink plain water, 100+ ounces per day! Helps to flush out all the yucky stuff..Most people don't even come close to doing this on a daily basis...a simple fat loss tip that you can start doing NOW!!
- Always be prepared!! Keep plenty of healthy on plan (healthy) foods on hand and take your cooler and water jug with you everywhere!! No reason to stop now!! And purge all the ICK out of your house...if not readily available to eat, you probably won't eat it!!
- Eat 5-6 meals per day and journal your food and exercise. Helps you see trends and head off problems before they get out of hand. Also keep track of other things in your life. TOM, stress issues, physical ailments, lack of sleep, cardio, and weight training can all impact your weight almost overnight!
- Recheck your bodytype once in a while. If you start gaining while remaining POP (including cardio and toning), maybe you are not eating what your body needs [probably NOT ENOUGH!!!!!]. Snacks are the key. Too many starchy carbs, even healthy ones, can cause problems. They do for me...But the addition of some healthy fats and nutrient dense food is definitely a necessity in a healthier lifestyle!! Nuts and olive oil are not the enemy! Just don't go crazy....
All you learn while reducing should help you live lean for the rest of your life! Don’t let life get in the way. YOU are important FIRST – then everything else. Be selfish. Keep healthy food and exercise as priorities! Their importance has not changed just because you lost all the weight. Habits – both good and bad - can be hard to break and/or relearn. Why go back? Don’t let Easy Street tempt you!! The longer you stay in a healthy mindset, the easier it ALL gets. It does become your lifestyle – make it work for you!! Finding the balance is the key. And this doesn’t happen overnight. Just because you are Living Lean doesn’t mean you can eat/do anything you want. If you do, you will be right back where you started and that should NOT be an option. It’s NOT FOR ME!!
Also, rethink your goals once you have been Living Lean for a while...your body and you are worth it!
2 comments:
Monday, December 21, 2009
Four Years of Living Lean
Sorry this is late....
Here are some pictures (befores and afters)...Pictures...
I keep learning about what works for me and this past year has shown me that variety in exercise is definitely the way to go...Not only does it not get boring that way, but also my body likes and needs it!
Lots of biking (between the flat tires)..had a rash of them this year on my bike and my car...and also working on lifting heavier weights...I did discover I have NO STRENGTH...I can lift light/medium weights (like to 12 pounds per arm), but can't seem to break thru that weight...gives me something to work on this winter.
I also started doing more bodyweight exercises...and also have become the Plank master!! Planks are GREAT for your abs and upper body. Another interesting 'achievement', I have become more flexible...I can now touch my toes behind my head and hold them there when I roll back....couldn't do this 3 months ago!
I came up with a few new recipes and tweaked a few older ones - check the tags in the right hand column of this blog..Still have my cookbook project in the works...just need to finish it so I can get it published...won't be fancy, but it will be useful!
Can't imagine ever going back to my old lifestyle now...I like what I eat and I like my exercise routines I need to do to keep my new body...I do have occasional treat of 'non-plan' food (i.e. not really healthy), but that is rare...just don't like what some of that stuff does to my body and it is getting easier to say no to most of it...(My cookies I bake are the exception - thank goodness I can control the production of those! I can't eat them if they aren't in the house!)
And finally...in October...the Infomercial came out!! And I am in it (albeit briefly)...It is for the Six Week Body Makeover, the original plan I used to lose all the weight 5 years ago...Check your local listings for airings (listed as 6 week Body Makeover in my onscreen guide) or surf thru the Paid Programming in the wee hours of the morning! Also see this post for more details and links: Infomercial
If you need to clean up your act...NOW is the time to start...don't wait..the sooner you start, the sooner you will get healthy and lose the fat!! I am so glad I did!!!
Here are some pictures (befores and afters)...Pictures...
I keep learning about what works for me and this past year has shown me that variety in exercise is definitely the way to go...Not only does it not get boring that way, but also my body likes and needs it!
Lots of biking (between the flat tires)..had a rash of them this year on my bike and my car...and also working on lifting heavier weights...I did discover I have NO STRENGTH...I can lift light/medium weights (like to 12 pounds per arm), but can't seem to break thru that weight...gives me something to work on this winter.
I also started doing more bodyweight exercises...and also have become the Plank master!! Planks are GREAT for your abs and upper body. Another interesting 'achievement', I have become more flexible...I can now touch my toes behind my head and hold them there when I roll back....couldn't do this 3 months ago!
I came up with a few new recipes and tweaked a few older ones - check the tags in the right hand column of this blog..Still have my cookbook project in the works...just need to finish it so I can get it published...won't be fancy, but it will be useful!
Can't imagine ever going back to my old lifestyle now...I like what I eat and I like my exercise routines I need to do to keep my new body...I do have occasional treat of 'non-plan' food (i.e. not really healthy), but that is rare...just don't like what some of that stuff does to my body and it is getting easier to say no to most of it...(My cookies I bake are the exception - thank goodness I can control the production of those! I can't eat them if they aren't in the house!)
And finally...in October...the Infomercial came out!! And I am in it (albeit briefly)...It is for the Six Week Body Makeover, the original plan I used to lose all the weight 5 years ago...Check your local listings for airings (listed as 6 week Body Makeover in my onscreen guide) or surf thru the Paid Programming in the wee hours of the morning! Also see this post for more details and links: Infomercial
If you need to clean up your act...NOW is the time to start...don't wait..the sooner you start, the sooner you will get healthy and lose the fat!! I am so glad I did!!!
Infomercial Update - 12-21-09
Updated Known Infomercial Airings For Week of December 21 - December 26, 2009: (all times are Eastern Time)
December 21 - 6:30 am - Comedy Channel
December 23 - 7 am - Comedy Channel
December 24 - 7 am - TruTV
December 25 - 3:30 am - Fit TV
December 26 - 7 am - The Learning Channel
All of these links go to my other blog...
Here is the link to my pictures from LA: LA Story
And also my makeover pictures from there: Makeover
My Original Weight Loss Story
Friday, December 18, 2009
Coming tomorrow.....
Tomorrow is my 4th anniversary of Living Lean - aka the official day I reached my goal of becoming a size 10! (Down from a size 26/28 and 300+ pounds!)
I will try my best to get my year 4 story up on the blog tomorrow...and hopefully some pictures too...
And it still amazes me that I look better at 45 (soon to be 46) than I did when I was 24!!
I will try my best to get my year 4 story up on the blog tomorrow...and hopefully some pictures too...
And it still amazes me that I look better at 45 (soon to be 46) than I did when I was 24!!
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Jenny,
Thanks so much for your recipies. Thanks even more for your tips on Living Lean. I am going to print those out and remind myself by reading them from time to time. They make perfect sense and obviously have worked for you. You look FABULOUS.
Larry57
Hey Jenny,
I love your web site. I am pleased that you have started a living lean blog. I know I will be there soon enough and it comforts me to know that you are paving the way. Thank you and you do look totally fab!
MrsKaren