MEAT Me at the Beach: 7/14-7/17 weigh-in

Happy Monday :flowerforyou:

Bump

Oooh, cool challenge, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's recipes. I'm going to share my favourite "use up all the miscellaneous half-veggies in the fridge" recipe - my healthy version of fried rice.
It's great with an egg on top, or some avocado. Add chili sauce or diced chillies if you like it hot. This makes a decent sized batch so it makes great leftovers for lunch.
I've included the nutrition stats from my recipe but yours might vary depending on which veggies you use and whether you include the chorizo.

Bella’s Special Fried Rice

500g chicken tenderloins, diced
50g chorizo sausage, diced
1 brown onion, diced
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 carrot, diced
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 red capsicum (bell pepper), diced
1 medium zuccini, diced
1 cup button mushrooms, diced
1 cup cabbage, sliced finely
3 cups brown rice, cooked
1 tbsp soy sauce

Heat a non-stick wok or frypan, spray with spray oil and cook chicken over medium heat until brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan, set aside.
Add chorizo, onion, garlic, fennel seeds and carrot, cook until onion is tender.
Add capsicum, zuccini, mushrooms, cook until just tender.
Add cabbage, cook for a few minutes. Add chicken back to pan.
Add rice and soysauce, stir it all up until heated through.

Serves 6. Stats per serve:
Cals: 261
Carbs: 31
Protein: 25
Fat: 7
Sodium: 367

Handy hints:
- Serve with an egg on top (I cook them in non stick pan with no oil) - add 70 cals.
- Also great with prawns (shrimp) instead of chicken. Or leave the meat out for a vegetarian dish. I'd add some chilli sauce for extra flavour in a veggie version.
- It is a little high in sodium, you can leave the chorizo out to cut this almost in half.
- Use whatever veggies or leftover meat you have. Frozen veggies would be OK too, though I think it will be tastier with fresh if you have them.

anyone else here on a high calorie diet??

how high are we talking - my cal goals are 1580 (were 1620 a couple of weeks ago)....

no, am talking more 3,500-4,000 calories usually (occasionally more)

This Week's Challenge: What's for dinner?

Prawney Tomatoey Vegetabley Sauce for pasta/spaghetti.

Ok, so this is a homemade recipe that I use all the time, I make it slightly different every time, so feel free to play around with what you like/don’t like about it, throw in whatever veg you have in your fridge/like, Chuck chilli/paprika/herbs in to suit your palate…for me it’s always slightly different but this is the basis of it.
It’s not an exact science at all.
For example if I need more cals one day I add in frozen peas, or cherry tomatoes too.
The sauce serves 4 HUGE adult portions at about 200cals each (depending on exactly what you put in) but you could totally serve 6 or 8 if you wanted smaller portions or were watching the cals.
Oh and the timings are all kinda approximate, if it looks right it’s probably fine – there’s nothing in here that’s uncooked so there’s nothing to go wrong by over/undercooking.

I apologise if I’ve used British words and havn’t provided a suitable translation… the measurements are all in grams but, it doesn’t have to be exact if the quantities are different in the USA…I normally just use measurements in whole vegetables or cans or whatever.


TOMATO VEG SAUCE WITH PRAWNS (for spaghetti)

Serves 4
1 large onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (crushed/finely chopped)
2 x large peppers (I normally use 1x red and 1x yellow) (diced)
2 x courgette (zucchini) (diced)
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
140g (ish) tomato puree
1 x stock cube (I try to use vegetable or fish, I dissolve it in the can the tomatoes in a little boiling water and then throw in)
400g frozen (cooked) prawns (these might be called shrimp in the USA?)
A few sprays of less than 1cal spray fat (FryLight in the UK)

Method
1. Chop all the veg.
2. Spray a large pan with the spray fat over the heat, add the onions and the garlic and soften (3 mins?)
2. Add the courgettes and peppers, soften (4 or 5 mins?)
3. Add the can of tomatoes, and the tomato puree. Dissolve the stock cube in a little boiling water in the can to get all the remnants from the can of tomatoes out into the pan. Simmer for about 4 or 5 mins.
4. Check the seasoning, add chilli/herbs/pepper/whatever takes your fancy to make it taste right. Add the prawns. Simmer for about 5 mins. Make sure the sauce is lovely an hot and the prawns are warmed through.
5. Serve over spaghetti/pasta/rice/whatever takes your fancy.

I love Hungry Girl and these are some awesome brownies!

HG's Nutty-Good PB Brownies (http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/show/1982)

Ingredients:
One 18.25-oz. box moist-style devil's food cake mix
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (Libby's is best!)
1/4 cup creamy reduced-fat peanut butter, room temperature
1 tbsp. fat-free milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large baking pan (about 9" X 13") with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix with pumpkin. Stir until completely blended. (Batter will be thick.) Spread batter into the baking pan, and smooth out the top.

In a small bowl, combine peanut butter with milk. Using a butter knife or a narrow spoon handle, stir until thoroughly mixed. Swirl the peanut butter mixture over the top of the batter with the knife or spoon handle.

Bake in the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 - 25 minutes.

Allow to cool, and then cut into 16 pieces. Enjoy!

MAKES 16 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1 brownie (1/16th of recipe)
Calories: 160
Fat: 4g
Sodium: 293mg
Carbs: 30g
Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 15.5g
Protein: 2.5g

PointsPlus® value 4*


**Whatcha thinking?**
I'm really happy with my progress so far. I hit a slow patch during the first part of this challenge, and even gained one week, but with the help of people on MFP I got some great ideas to get back into the groove. I'm really excited I met my first mini-goal and am really hoping I can keep this up. I would love to meet my final goal of 165 (that would put be in the overweight catergory!!!).


>>Thanks, everyone!<<

Bump

No wonder I loved her recipe - she's a Polish Princess like! I intend to try those apples this week.

I'm sorry, but I'm not a cook and my "cooking" is very simple. My dinners are usually salad (using only 1 tablespoon of dressing combined with some water to make more dressing - 2 tbsp of some dressings are way to much for me to swallow - calorie bank wise).

Here is my fav dip and it's great because you can make it your own with any spices.
Ingredients:
Dannon 32oz (or whatever brand) fat free, plain yogurt
Your favorite seasoning

Put the yogurt into coffee filters that are sitting in a strainer (with a bowl underneath the strainer)
Let the yogurt sit in the filters (covered) overnight
Add favorite seasonings to create a dip of your choice

Nutritional value will vary depending on the spices you put in the dip.

I happy that I joined this challenge and am glad that I didn't gain any weight on vacation. I appreciate all the hard work you all are doing and want you all to know how you motivate me. It's not always easy to check in, post on a thread and be committed to an extended challenge - I admire those of us that are doing just that. Plus, THANK YOU, Meat, for taking on the big task of tracking this challenge! And for, OMG, kicking so much butt in your workouts! Keep up the awesome work.

But for me, 270 is something I haven't seen since probably high school. I'm proud of myself and I'm not afraid to admit that! :-)

And you should be proud!! That's an awesome achievement!! Keep it up!

Sorry for no weigh in this last week! My family was in town and to be honest I have had no motivation for the last 3 weeks! I can give so many different excuses, but none are really good!

CW as of 7/10/2011 is 130.4 no change! Congrats to all the losers this week!!

BUMP

This Week's Challenge: What's for dinner?

Part 1: White Bean Ravioli

Can of white beans (large can)
Fresh garlic to taste (I usually use a tsp of fresh minced organic)
Fine grated parm cheese (I use about 1tbsp)
Fine grated reduced fat mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup
Fresh wonton wrappers
Canned diced or fresh diced tomatoes and italian spices or jarred sauce of your choice

Puree white beans, add garlic, and grated cheeses, and place tsp on each wonton wrapper, dip finger in water and rub gently on edge, and fold over and press. You can make these bigger using two wrappers to make one large ravioli, or make more work for yourself, (how my kids like it) is cut wrappers in half, place small amount of mixture on one side, and fold in half to make little squares sealing same way as before...

Place made ravioli in boiling water, and boil till the ravioli floats. Does not take LONG!
Simmer tomatoes in a saute pan and let them cook down, at as much or as little spices to taste, or eliminate this step, and use jarred sauce heated up to top ravioli.

Serve with a salad

My kids LOVE this, hubby does too... it is quick, and easy, and a great meatless family friendly meal

This Week's Reflection: Whatcha thinking?
I have been lazy, and not recording everything I eat... no one's fault but my own. We have been in summer mode, and have been going on day trips, and I have not been preplanning my meals lately, and bringing food with me. I know what is wrong, and I just need to fix it!

Here is a recipe that I actually found on MFP. I'm not much of a cook and it was really easy and yummy!

Broccoli Casserole

Sweat 1 cup chopped celery and 1 cup chopped onion.
In a large bowl mix together 1 can low fat Cream of Mushroom soup, 1 can low fat Cream of Chicken soup, 1 1/2 cups instant brown rice, 1/2 block Velveeta cheese (I soften in the microwave first), 2 1/2 cups frozen broccoli (partially thawed). Transfer into large casserole dish and cook for about 35-40 min at 350 degrees.
When I made it the other day I used a little less broccoli and added in some spinach, next I want to try it with some asparagus as well. The recipe originally says it makes 5 servings, but I split it into 8.

Nutritional Info:
Per Serving
Cals- 203
Carb- 29
Fat- 7
Protein- 9

Category: Feeling alive losing 21-25

7/14 weight 139.0


Current Weight (As of today): 152
Challenge Goal Weight (for Sept. 1st): 132
Weight Category: reduce
6/9: **start of challenge** 152
6/16: 148
6/23: 146.5
6/30: 143.2
7/7: <<<mini goal weight ___>>> 141 actual weight is 141.4 lbs. I was close, but forgot to account for TOM when I set my goals 7/14: 139.0
7/21:
7/28:
8/4: <<<mini goal weight ___>>> 135
8/11:
8/18:
8/25:
9/1: <<<challenge goal weight ___>>> 130

Vic - Seeing as I'm at my original second week mini goal today, I decided to revise my goal weights. Please see below. Thanks!

Current Weight (As of today): 324 (down 6.6 lbs this week!! WHAT WHAT!!! )
Challenge Goal Weight (for Sept. 1st): 310
Weight Category: REDUCE! 26lbs or more group
6/9: **start of challenge**
6/16: 340.2
6/23: 336.4
6/30: 332.8
7/7: 330.6
7/14: 324
7/21:
7/28:
8/4: <<<REVISED mini goal weight 319>>>
8/11:
8/18:
8/25:
9/1: <<<REVISED challenge goal weight 310>>>