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Arienna

Becca - Thanks so much for the encouraging words! It really does help to be able to vent to you guys, since here at home I may as well be talking to a brick wall. Actually I'd rather because it doesn't talk back and DIScourage me! lol. God, maybe I should be a lesbian, too! Women are soo much more understanding than men! :laugh:

Kim - thanks for the yummy recipes! They both sound delicious

Jessica - Usually with pork I would just do some brown rice (sometimes I flavor it with garlic, a little olive oil and some parmesan cheese) and steamed veggies. You could do some multi grain or whole grain rolls and a salad too.

For dinner tonight I'm making Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole. Got the recipe here:

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=139520

It sounds yummy to me!

I ended up editing this recipe because it looked really bland to me after I took a second look. I also didn't make individual enchiladas, just layered the tortillas and used 9 instead of 12, also used the yummy low carb, whole wheat buena vida ones..Here is the ingredients I used:

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cooked and shredded ( i just boiled it)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can green chiles
1 tbsp canola oil
8 oz low fat cream cheese
1 tbspCoriander Seed, Ground
1 tsp Cumin (ground)
2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 package Buena Vida Low Carb Whole Wheat Tortillas
1 can low fat/fat free Refried Beans
2 10 oz cans green enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded monteray jack cheese (couldn't find any reduced fat ...)

1) Preheat oven to 400
2) Boil chicken until done, then shred (roughly 20 min)
3) Preheat skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp oil, add onion; cook for 5 min or until tender, add garlic, cook for 2 more minutes then add chicken, green chiles, cream cheese, coriander seed, cumin and cayenne pepper; stir until cheese is all melted.
4) Whisk together refried beans and 1 can enchilada sauce
5) Layer 3 tortillas in bottom of prepared 13x9" pan, spread bean mixture on top. Add 1/2 c cheese on top.
6) Layer 3 tortilla on top of cheese, spread meat mixture over tortillas and top with 1/2 c cheese
7) Layer 3 tortilla on cheese and spread remaining can of enchilada sauce over top, top with remaining cheese
8) Bake for 15 min or until cheese is melted and bubbly

Makes 8 servings, here's nutrition info

Nutrition Facts
User Entered Recipe

8 Servings


Amount Per Serving

Calories 411.0

Total Fat 23.0 g

Saturated Fat 4.6 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g

Monounsaturated Fat 3.4 g

Cholesterol 54.1 mg

Sodium 1,322.0 mg

Potassium 249.0 mg

Total Carbohydrate 24.3 g

Dietary Fiber 7.8 g

Sugars 1.2 g

Protein 22.5 g

Arienna

Aw thanks guys. I am glad they were encouraging and not like some annoying ramble (as i often do). Just know that what you all are doing is AWESOME. Even if I don't get a response sometimes, its still soo good to know that I can come here and say, "OMG my workout kicked my *kitten* today" (like mine did). Or... "omg... I am starving its so hard not to eat the house." (which again its sooo hard not to).

But you guys are inspirations to me. Seriously. It's so good to know that I am not alone, and to hear your struggles even though I might not understand them.

Also--- if you guys are looking for some healthy mac and cheese--- Annies. Organic. SO good. One serving is only 260 cals and like 3 grams of fat. It's great. I just had it for dinner and yummmmmm. Especially after the gym and I am crrraving carbs and fruit. I put some fish in the oven too because I was like might as well get some protein in there. But really---- I don't know if I can finish it now... or even eat a bite. Ah well.. options for tomorrow night then huh?

Anyway--- thank you all for being so fantastic. I don't know what I would do without knowing that you guys can see what I am eating.... so it makes me go and eat better. Well that and I have never been so determined to do well. You know?

Oh and a "yay me" moment--- today I had about an hour between meetings and I was 45 or so mins from my office. Soooo I was trying to find a place (in the middle of noooowhere) to sit and just chill out for a while. The woman I was waiting for suggested dunkin donuts. I don't really eat their food and they are easy to say no to, but I passed this pizza restaurant and I have been CRAAAVVVVING pizza. So I go in.... and eventually I just walked out. I went to dunks, got a small coffee with skim milk and splenda (which is only 30 cals everyone ) and ate the lunch I made for today. I am so proud of myself. It was so hard not NOT get like a calzone or something yummy like that. .

I can't talk about it, it makes me want it more.

Anyway-- that was my hurdle for today. Phew.

Awesome job resisting cravings!! I, too have been craving pizza like crazy! I haven't caved, almost did earlier when I drove past this pizza place that I usually stop at for a slice..but said NO lol.

Thanks for the mac and cheese info, I love mac and cheese and finding some healthy isn't so easy.

Also, please don't think you're "annoying rambling" because it is sooo not! You're great and shouldn't ever think anything else! :flowerforyou:

mamaturner

MMMmmm we just had enchilada's Monday, course I cheated and used the mccormick mix lol. I think next time I'll use ground turkey tho. Tonight I made a Ground Turkey and Hominy dish, very yummy. I had actually never had ground turkey or hominy and LOVED it..

· 1-1/2 pounds ground turkey
· 1 large onion, chopped
· 1 teaspoon minced garlic
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
· 1 tablespoon chili powder
· 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
· 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
· 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
· 1/4 teaspoon pepper
· 2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) hominy, rinsed and drained
Directions
· In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes and seasonings; heat through. Add hominy and heat through. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: One 1-cup serving (prepared with lean ground turkey and without salt) equals 287 calories, 16 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 58 mg cholesterol, 989 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 16 g protein.


I don't know how correct all the facts are.. and I used no salt added canned diced tomatoes... so.. it is in the databse under Ground turkey with Hominy I beieve it was... I made some rice to go along with it, althoug hominy is technically a starch so it's not needed. I'm excited to see if my husband can tell that it's not beef or pork!

Arienna

That sounds good, I'll have to try it! My husband can never tell if it's turkey not beef, unless it's like meatloaf or something where he could really see the difference in color! Ground turkey is yummy!

bretharpe

Hey guys, Can anyone tell me how to join groups? I am new here to MFP. Thank youQ

Breanna

Arienna

Hey guys, Can anyone tell me how to join groups? I am new here to MFP. Thank youQ

Breanna

Just like that! lol If you want in, just say so :flowerforyou:

We are an awesome group, I love everyone here!! You'll find lots of support and great friends!

bretharpe

Aww Thanks! Nice to meet you all! Hope you all had a great day! Keep me posted on your success ..lol its a motivation for me to keep on!!

Mindful_Trent

I'm so excited - I just got my first real weight-related compliment... I went to my mom and stepdad's for dinner (a healthy dinner!) and my mom told me she can already tell my face looks slimmer. I don't really see it, but I'll take what I can get.

Anyways... it was kind of a rough day - I feel like i've been hungry all day and I got stuck on this horrible horrible monotonous project at work for the last half of the day. Boredom tends to make me want to eat. But I did okay and didn't give in. Yay!

I haven't added my dinner in yet, but I am expecting to have some calories left over - if that's the case I definitely need a snack because I'm stilllll hungry even though I just ate dinner an hour ago. I will probably have some no-sugar added applesauce with cinnamon, or maybe some Bob's Red Mill 5 grain hot cereal (soooo yummy and pretty darn good for you too!).

Hope everyone's had a good day. I'm signing off because I have an exam tomorrow I've GOT to study for and If I stay on here I know I won't get anything done. It's so east to just spend hours reading through posts!

Oh, and welcome, Breanna!

Arienna

I'm so excited - I just got my first real weight-related compliment... I went to my mom and stepdad's for dinner (a healthy dinner!) and my mom told me she can already tell my face looks slimmer. I don't really see it, but I'll take what I can get.

Anyways... it was kind of a rough day - I feel like i've been hungry all day and I got stuck on this horrible horrible monotonous project at work for the last half of the day. Boredom tends to make me want to eat. But I did okay and didn't give in. Yay!

I haven't added my dinner in yet, but I am expecting to have some calories left over - if that's the case I definitely need a snack because I'm stilllll hungry even though I just ate dinner an hour ago. I will probably have some no-sugar added applesauce with cinnamon, or maybe some Bob's Red Mill 5 grain hot cereal (soooo yummy and pretty darn good for you too!).

Hope everyone's had a good day. I'm signing off because I have an exam tomorrow I've GOT to study for and If I stay on here I know I won't get anything done. It's so east to just spend hours reading through posts!

Oh, and welcome, Breanna!

That's so awesome that your mom noticed!!! :drinker: Good luck with your exam tomorrow!! :flowerforyou: I'll be thinking of you!

I, too am going to finally sign off! I am soo tired and need my sleep.

Gnight all!!!

jeanniedreambtl

Ya'll I've been busy busy busy. Dont forget about me :P

XFitMojoMom

Becca - My girls love Annies Bunny Mac n Cheese and ask for it all the time. Thing is that we can only find it at a specialty health food shop, not even in the organic section of the grocery stores. Good job not going for the pizza or calzone, I know smell alone can satiate cravings (apparently keeping the smell of chocolate nearby will nix the cravings for it...)
jeannie - we won't forget about you... hopefully we'll get to see more of you, soon!
Tiff - I find it so hard to be good during stressful times, but good on you for resisting. Good luck on your exams.
I didn't get to exercise last night like I wanted, but I'm going to my deep water fitness class today. I need to ramp it up over the next couple days because tomorrow night I'm going for Indian dinner to celebrate my 5th wedding anniversary, and I will not forgo the butter chicken!! I'll likely do a 10-15 minute run on the treadmill and go for a good walk with my dog - hoping to burn 700+ calories in exercise today.

Giggles27

Good Morning Everyone...I am just checking it....so yesterday I worked out amazing well...burned 850 calories...that included elliptical, Body Works class and Power Yoga...but I must admit I made a big BOO BOO and ate 10 pieces of chocolate at over 500 calories...I just needed to eat them....THEY WERE CALLING MY NAME!!!!

Its just so hard being at home and being surrounded by food (I recently moved back in with my parents because I lost my job and started school...at my apt I never had "Bad" food so if i was starving at night it was healthy cereal or an apple)...this sucks and I just blew it...in so mad at myself.....Oh well

I DONT HAVE AN ISSUE WORKING OUT>>>>>I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH FOOD!!!!

Giggles27

I'm so excited - I just got my first real weight-related compliment... I went to my mom and stepdad's for dinner (a healthy dinner!) and my mom told me she can already tell my face looks slimmer. I don't really see it, but I'll take what I can get.

IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!! Getting compliments is great...especially when they come from family!!!!

Giggles27

I didn't get to exercise last night like I wanted, but I'm going to my deep water fitness class today. I need to ramp it up over the next couple days because tomorrow night I'm going for Indian dinner to celebrate my 5th wedding anniversary, and I will not forgo the butter chicken!! I'll likely do a 10-15 minute run on the treadmill and go for a good walk with my dog - hoping to burn 700+ calories in exercise today.

I am Indian....so I know Our food can be a killer...my makes makes homemade everything including Butter Chicken and Dal Makani (Buttery Lentils)...alll so yummy and I dont know of anyway to make them healthy...have fun on your 5th anniversary Dinner and congrats on being married 5 years

charcharbec

Good Morning Everyone...I am just checking it....so yesterday I worked out amazing well...burned 850 calories...that included elliptical, Body Works class and Power Yoga...but I must admit I made a big BOO BOO and ate 10 pieces of chocolate at over 500 calories...I just needed to eat them....THEY WERE CALLING MY NAME!!!!

Its just so hard being at home and being surrounded by food (I recently moved back in with my parents because I lost my job and started school...at my apt I never had "Bad" food so if i was starving at night it was healthy cereal or an apple)...this sucks and I just blew it...in so mad at myself.....Oh well

I DONT HAVE AN ISSUE WORKING OUT>>>>>I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH FOOD!!!!

Omg. That just about killed me. ("THEY WERE CALLING MY NAME!!!!!") BAHA! It is very clear that you are great with working out. Don't feel like you HAVE to burn 850 cals. I mean 400 or so for me at least 5 days a week... sometimes even as low as 250, is causing some great results. I say this too, because if I exercise WAY over that, I just start eating crap to make sure that I am getting the 1200 cals I need. I used to be afraid of going OVER 1000 now I am terrified of not making 1200. Haha. Anyway--- don't be so hard on yourself about the chocolate. Something that might help? Get those Quaker Fiber Omerga-3 bars for a snack. They are yummy, good source of fiber. AND They have chocolate pieces on them. That way you get your chocolate fix.

I mean, a very tiny bit of chocolate is alright once in a while. As most things are.

But I read this article once that said, that its not JUST counting calories--- it's also--- HOW BIG the cal sizes of your meals should be. Normally I personally try to keep my snacks between 100-200 Cals and my Meals between 300 and 500 cals. Sometimes, it is easy to eat a huuuge meal thats like 600 or 700 cals, and just write it off and say, "Well I will just exercise them off." But, and I am no expert so if someone knows better than me please correct me, I feel like it just doesn't work like that. THe article talked about how bigger meals with more cals and carbs and fat take a wholllle lot of time to digest. So because it's harder for your metabolism it either slows it down a bit, or stores that extra stuff it can't burn right away as fat. I mean... maybe the article was being read incorrectly.

Anyway, that's just what that made me think of. Don't be hard on yourself, we ALL induldge some sometimes. I mean come on. Right? I want to still be allowed to have the things I love. Like... chipotle?!?! That has got to be my favorite food ever. But instead of eating a whole mother effing burrito... I can eat half... save the rest for later and then BAM... its like two times chipotle. Right? Or Pizza.... instead of eating the whole damn thing... a piece or so is sufficient.

Damn it. I'm done now... but I so want chipotle. MMMMMMMM.

Arienna

Good Morning Everyone...I am just checking it....so yesterday I worked out amazing well...burned 850 calories...that included elliptical, Body Works class and Power Yoga...but I must admit I made a big BOO BOO and ate 10 pieces of chocolate at over 500 calories...I just needed to eat them....THEY WERE CALLING MY NAME!!!!

Its just so hard being at home and being surrounded by food (I recently moved back in with my parents because I lost my job and started school...at my apt I never had "Bad" food so if i was starving at night it was healthy cereal or an apple)...this sucks and I just blew it...in so mad at myself.....Oh well

I DONT HAVE AN ISSUE WORKING OUT>>>>>I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH FOOD!!!!

I had a candy bar yesterday too! lol :grumble: But really we can't completely deprive ourselves. We have to occasionally give in (in moderation of course!) otherwise when you cave and eat some you'll end up eating more than you want. You didn't blow it though! Each day is a new day

Arienna

Good Morning Everyone...I am just checking it....so yesterday I worked out amazing well...burned 850 calories...that included elliptical, Body Works class and Power Yoga...but I must admit I made a big BOO BOO and ate 10 pieces of chocolate at over 500 calories...I just needed to eat them....THEY WERE CALLING MY NAME!!!!

Its just so hard being at home and being surrounded by food (I recently moved back in with my parents because I lost my job and started school...at my apt I never had "Bad" food so if i was starving at night it was healthy cereal or an apple)...this sucks and I just blew it...in so mad at myself.....Oh well

I DONT HAVE AN ISSUE WORKING OUT>>>>>I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH FOOD!!!!

Omg. That just about killed me. ("THEY WERE CALLING MY NAME!!!!!") BAHA! It is very clear that you are great with working out. Don't feel like you HAVE to burn 850 cals. I mean 400 or so for me at least 5 days a week... sometimes even as low as 250, is causing some great results. I say this too, because if I exercise WAY over that, I just start eating crap to make sure that I am getting the 1200 cals I need. I used to be afraid of going OVER 1000 now I am terrified of not making 1200. Haha. Anyway--- don't be so hard on yourself about the chocolate. Something that might help? Get those Quaker Fiber Omerga-3 bars for a snack. They are yummy, good source of fiber. AND They have chocolate pieces on them. That way you get your chocolate fix.

I mean, a very tiny bit of chocolate is alright once in a while. As most things are.

But I read this article once that said, that its not JUST counting calories--- it's also--- HOW BIG the cal sizes of your meals should be. Normally I personally try to keep my snacks between 100-200 Cals and my Meals between 300 and 500 cals. Sometimes, it is easy to eat a huuuge meal thats like 600 or 700 cals, and just write it off and say, "Well I will just exercise them off." But, and I am no expert so if someone knows better than me please correct me, I feel like it just doesn't work like that. THe article talked about how bigger meals with more cals and carbs and fat take a wholllle lot of time to digest. So because it's harder for your metabolism it either slows it down a bit, or stores that extra stuff it can't burn right away as fat. I mean... maybe the article was being read incorrectly.

Anyway, that's just what that made me think of. Don't be hard on yourself, we ALL induldge some sometimes. I mean come on. Right? I want to still be allowed to have the things I love. Like... chipotle?!?! That has got to be my favorite food ever. But instead of eating a whole mother effing burrito... I can eat half... save the rest for later and then BAM... its like two times chipotle. Right? Or Pizza.... instead of eating the whole damn thing... a piece or so is sufficient.

Damn it. I'm done now... but I so want chipotle. MMMMMMMM.

I completely agree with everything you just said! I've also heard that about meals. I was reading an article yesterday that said that many people think their "snacks" should be less calories than meals but ideally they should all be about the same. So if you eat 6 times a day and are allowed 1200 calories, ideally they should be about the same. But I don't know because how can you ever have an actual meal at only 200 calories?! lol Maybe just make meals 100 calories more than snacks? I don't know, seems like maybe if you ate a 2000 calorie diet this would work but that's a lot of calories!

Arienna

I finally was able to edit my previous weigh ins, before it wouldn't save. I started at 309, I weighed myself this morning (i know i do EVERYDAY lol) I was 289. God, how horrible!!!! How did I let myself get this BIG. I hate myself :mad:

Giggles27

THANKS SO MUCH LADIES!!! I kinda needed that....my breakfast is usu. around 200 or so calories...350 - 400 for lunch...snacks is all the calories at 600....so that hardly ever leaves me room for dinner...if I exercise then its a nice dinner...

XFitMojoMom

I try to eat my biggest meal in the morning. Somewhere between 300-450 calories for breakfast. I was NEVER a breakfast eater until I read that you really need to eat within the first hour of waking up to start up your "furnace". With years of poor eating habits (not poor nutrition, just bad eating habits) - it was time for a change.
My problem is eating snacks... I just am not a snacker... if I'm going to eat something, it's going to be a meal!!

Anyway - totally pissed off because I packed my bag for deep water fitness and had every intention of going, but then got into the morning power struggle with my kids getting them ready for pre-school. Get one dressed, hair brushed and work on the other... the dressed one gets undressed. Get her dressed again, the other one just spilled milk all over herself. Get her changed, the other one is washing her hands and putting soap in her hair. :explode: I swear they do it to me purposely. By the time I got them to school, my swim class was 15 minutes in.

So off to walk the dog then to do a run. Later!