so here we are. August. Week 2.

mercurysfire

how did everyone do on the week 1 challenge?

i have finally started logging again. i hate logging, i really do. but i have to. it helps if i just log in the morning (while work is quiet) and then i know how many calories i have after work (or don't) and have a clear goal in mind for the gym. that's such a grey spot in my brain. i get to the gym and i have no idea what to do. that's my physical challenge for this week.

1. If you don't have one already- make an exercise plan. a workout plan of your very very own. it's ok to piece it together from other places. whether you're training for an event (and I know some of you are :bigsmile: ) or attacking trouble spots, it's important to have a plan. MFP is your Hannibal- the brains behind it all. Your Discipline is your BA Barakus- he pities the fool who doesn't do what they should. We all have that Howlin Mad Murdoch that tells us to eat the chocolate. And then go workout for an hour. The fitness plan is your Face Man. Make your plan come together.

That was sort of a 2-for-1. Mental and physical challenge. Make your workout doable, but challenging. You're stronger than you think you are.

2. Share a healthy staple recipe. One of your go-to meals that you love. Pick a recipe that someone else shares and try it out. Tell us what you changed and your thoughts on the recipe.

mistyboggs

The exercise challenge for week one. I literally landed on my face. I still hate push ups. I thought I had a realistic goal, but only worked on them the first 3 days and stopped doing them. I still will continue with them until I reach my goal or possibly lessen my goal.

This weeks challenge is something I have already been thinking about. For the last few weeks I have walked with my mother every morning, any where from 3 to 6 miles a day. In two days we will be moving. The place we are moving has a nature trail and a swimming pool. I plan to swim at least 45 minutes a day that is a full body work out. Think I will take up hiking and still will try to walk in the mornings as well. Still need to think about my upper body and ab workouts maybe alternate and do three days a week. I still want to squeeze in some yoga, zumba, and kayaking at least once a week.

Here is my recipe I like because I can not always say no to the chocolate and these are great! I got this recipe a couple of years ago on MFP. Hope you enjoy.

HUGE 40 Calorie Brownies

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup liquid egg whites
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sucralose** (for baking)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pan spray



Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray an 8x8 inch pan with pan spray, dust with flour and tap out extra.

In a medium mixing bowl, using a whisk or spatula, mix the applesauce, vanilla, and egg whites until combined.

Add the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, salt and sucralose to a small bowl and stir to mix. Pour dry mixture into bowl with liquid mixture. Stir until it is just combined and no lumps remain. Pour it into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.

Remove from oven and put on a cooling rack for 5 minutes (after the 5 minutes, I turn them out onto the rack for quick cooling). As soon as they are completely cool, cut tic-tac-toe style and store in sandwich bags or in an airtight container. Makes 9 brownies.

This is a work in progress. These brownies taste good and have a wonderful texture. I will be trying different variations like adding some nuts or some rolled oats in the future. Use your imagination to adapt them to your liking.

Nutritional Info Per Serving
Servings: 9

Calories: 40
Total Fat: < 1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 114 mg
Total Carbs: 13 g
Dietary Fiber: >1 g
Protein: 3 g

ArtemisRuns

:flowerforyou: Hi everyone!

Well, if you have read posts in other threads you know I am training to run a 5K in Richmond in September. I started running 6 weeks ago by basically shuffling along for a mile. I can jog 3 miles now, but it takes me an hour. At least I can keep going consecutive miles! So my challenge is, and will continue to be, to increase my mileage by 10% each week, and ultimately to finish the 5K (3.1 miles) in under 45 minutes.

I am also keeping within 1400 calories per day. When I run I usually burn over 400 calories (today over 600) and I try not to eat back too much of that. So, I turn up with a deficit of almost 1,000 K per day, given the exercise. Some people think that's not enough and I should eat back the calories. I don't know. I am going to see how things go for the next few weeks and see. I want the pounds to come off, and I know that will help me improve my time.

I love veggies. I have an easy way to use tons of summer veggies!

Ratatouille

1 orange or yellow pepper
1 onion
1 yellow squash, 1 zucchini
1 eggplant
several tomatoes

Using a little EVOO, chop everything up and sautee and allow to cook on medium low. (Peel the eggplant, but you don't have to peel the squash, zucchini or tomato). Use salt/pepper to taste and season as you like. I use a little Worcestershire and a dash of hot sauce.

Serve with brown rice. One cup of this is about 40 calories!! It is filling and delish!
That leaves some calories for a glass of red wine!

:drinker: Enjoy!!!

mercurysfire

both of those recipes sound really yummy. and eggplant is a sore spot with me. i love baba ganoush but i haven't ever been able to eat just eggplant. which is a shame because they are soooo pretty. i love their color. i must try this recipe....

the brownies are a must try as well. i love brownies but the regular ones have sooo much oil in them. this sounds like a great way to get the brownie goodness.

misty- i thought i read that you were moving to the victoria area? it's really very pretty down there. there's a flotilla (i think it's basically a kayak race) down the san antonio river every year that goes through Goliad state park. it sounds like a lot of fun but i haven't ever done it. the hiking trail sounds like a lot of fun. and you've still got a few months until it gets cold (maybe...if it gets cold this year...which it might not. texas weather....)

GabyBaby916

how did everyone do on the week 1 challenge?

i have finally started logging again. i hate logging, i really do. but i have to. it helps if i just log in the morning (while work is quiet) and then i know how many calories i have after work (or don't) and have a clear goal in mind for the gym. that's such a grey spot in my brain. i get to the gym and i have no idea what to do. that's my physical challenge for this week.

1. If you don't have one already- make an exercise plan. a workout plan of your very very own. it's ok to piece it together from other places. whether you're training for an event (and I know some of you are :bigsmile: ) or attacking trouble spots, it's important to have a plan. MFP is your Hannibal- the brains behind it all. Your Discipline is your BA Barakus- he pities the fool who doesn't do what they should. We all have that Howlin Mad Murdoch that tells us to eat the chocolate. And then go workout for an hour. The fitness plan is your Face Man. Make your plan come together.

That was sort of a 2-for-1. Mental and physical challenge. Make your workout doable, but challenging. You're stronger than you think you are.

2. Share a healthy staple recipe. One of your go-to meals that you love. Pick a recipe that someone else shares and try it out. Tell us what you changed and your thoughts on the recipe.

I did pretty well on Week 1.
I actually sat down over the weekend and did JUST what this week's challenge state. I made out a workout plan including which days/duration, etc. I did include strength training on that plan because that has been a weak area for me.
I have a log/chart that is hanging by my home gym and its a motivator to see the squares filled in litlte by little. By the end of the month, there shouldnt be any blank spaces. I worked out NEARLY daily (there were 2 days that I didnt get in a second workout due to work, but there was movement, so it wasnt a total loss).

I wiped out my food diary going back a few months and am starting fresh.
I set my calories at 1550 though I will try to stay within 1450.

My healthy recipe is Tangy Peanut Chicken over Zucchini Noodles.
By replacing regular pasta with zucchini julienned to "noodles", you save yourself 175 calories per serving (200 calories in pasta vs. 28 calories for zucchini) and 36 carbs per serving (39g in pasta vs. 3g in zucchini) .
The dish is YUM. My kids and hubby (who run at the barest hint of "diet" food) will eat this and ask for more!

Tangy Peanut Chicken over Zucchini Noodles (serves ONE, but you can double/quadruple the recipe as needed)

Ingredients:
6oz cooked chicken breasts, either boiled or pan-fried
1 medium-sized zucchini and summer squash
1 large carrot
About 1/8 cup chopped cilantro
About 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 clove minced garlic (1/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp granulated sugar or stevia equivalent (to taste)
At least 1/8 cup water, add 1-2 more tablespoons depending on texture

Directions:
1. First, prepare your chicken breasts by either shredding the chicken (if you prefer to boil it) or by dicing it (if you prefer to pan-
fry it). Set the chicken aside.

2. Next, make the peanut sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Start by adding 1/8 cup water as the recipe suggests, and if the sauce is too thick for your taste, add additional tablespoons water to reach desired consistency.

3. Lastly, prepare the zucchini, squash, and carrot ribbons by using a mandoline or by using a peeler designed to julienne vegetables. If using the peeler, hold the stem end of the squash in one hand and drag the peeler from the top to the bottom to create the ribbons. Julienne all the vegetables, keeping the carrots separate from the squash and zucchini. Briefly blanch the vegetables in a pot of boiling water by adding the carrots first for about 2-3 minutes, and then adding the zucchini and squash for another 1-2 minutes (it gets tender very quickly). Drain the hot water, immediately add cold water to stop the cooking, and once the vegetables have cooled, drain the water again.

4. Assemble the dish by putting some of the vegetable ribbons on a plate and topping them with diced or shredded chicken, then the peanut sauce, and chopped cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature, but can also be served cool (if you would like to refrigerate ingredients before serving).

GabyBaby916

For my recipe to TRY, I'm going with the HUGE 40 Calorie Brownies since I am a chocolate HOUND.
I am going to sub out the all-purpose flour for something lower in carbs (almond flour most likely).

I'll let you know how it goes! :happy:

mercurysfire

oh crud i forgot about the flour. hubs is gluten intolerant so flour is off limits. i'm still flailing around trying to figure out how to bake gluten free. the rest of it was no big deal- he's diabetic so carbs are pretty restricted anyway and gluten free really isn't that hard until you get into the processed foods, then it's in everything. but every once in a while i like to bake. and scones are a favorite of his. GF seems to rely a lot on butter and oil to keep it moist so i guess i have some experimenting to do.

Gaby- let me know how the almond flour turns out! your recipe sounds awesome too. i guess i'll be trying eggplant and zukes this weekend.

GabyBaby916

oh crud i forgot about the flour. hubs is gluten intolerant so flour is off limits. i'm still flailing around trying to figure out how to bake gluten free. the rest of it was no big deal- he's diabetic so carbs are pretty restricted anyway and gluten free really isn't that hard until you get into the processed foods, then it's in everything. but every once in a while i like to bake. and scones are a favorite of his. GF seems to rely a lot on butter and oil to keep it moist so i guess i have some experimenting to do.

Gaby- let me know how the almond flour turns out! your recipe sounds awesome too. i guess i'll be trying eggplant and zukes this weekend.

I've been staying away from white flour for the last 8-9 months or so in an effort to eat healthier (no gluten issues). Using a mix of almond and coconut flour usually gives a nice texture, depending on how much of which one you use.
Coconut flour is VERY thirsty though (as in a recipe for a cake can use 12+ eggs if you ONLY use coconut flour). I usually only use it mixed with other nut flours.

You could also try soy flour, but some people find that it has an odd flavor. I've had really good luck mixing a number of different nut flours, flax, and chia to get good results, but it takes a bit of experimenting, depending on what you bake and whether or not it needs to rise.

mercurysfire

i totally forgot to post a recipe. ;(
roasted chicken tostada
1 roasted chicken- meat only
(easy roasted chicken recipe- preheat oven to 375. rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry.sprinkle with salt and pepper or spices of your choice. you can try to sprinkle under the skin as well but leave the skin on for now. stuff cavity with celery, carrots, mushrooms, whatever watery veggies you have. roast for about an hour, or until internal temp reaches 160)

heat oven to 350
coat corn tortillas in oil (just a little bit- you can skip this step if you want. but it does make them a little crispier without frying.)
in a bowl mix
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can rotel or hatch tomatoes (drained)
1 chopped avocado
cumin, chipotle, coriander, and cilantro, a little lime juice and/or zest
you can just mix with a spoon or use a potato masher to get the consistency you want.
this usually makes about 6 servings, but i eyeball it so it's not exact by any means. i usually use a scant 1/4 cup per tostada.
add chicken. top with plain greek yogurt of sour cream if desired.

mercurysfire

im still working on the worlout plan. so far, nothing really consistent. 20-25 minutes of cardio (arc trainer or swimming) 15 minutes of core (abs/back) 15 minutes arms/back sometimes legs 15 minutes yoga. i'm finding i prefer the compound exercises more since they take less time and sort of integrate all of the muscles together instead of isolating them. but i really need to find some ab exercises that feel like they work....