Chocolate (Protein) Fix

So, around the Pinterest pins I have been seeing these yummy Greek yogurt chocolate muffins. This weeks current obsession has been higher protein foods. Greek yogurt has always been a fave of mine but I keep trying to find yummy ways to sneak in more protein into my regular repertoire of deliciousness.

This is the muffin that I have been eyeing the last couple days. The recipe I used I also found on this site http://healthyisalwaysbetter.tumblr.com/post/6583755120/lessthan300kcal-triple-chocolate-chunk-muffin

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 c oats
• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar)
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda granular) OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use white chocolate or peanut butter chips!)

I cut this recipe in half because Lord knows I don't need all of those muffins laying around my kitchen. I also omitted the chocolate chips and replaced with 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut. I also didn't have applesauce so I used Gerber baby food pears. In my skinny baking I have found any fruit puree works just the same and doesn't really alter the flavor too much. 

My version of the yummy Greek yogurt muffin is more like a cupcake because lets face it who doesn't love cupcakes?! I also made it a little less in calories by not using the chocolate chips. I also put 3 banana slices a dollop of canned redi-whip and topped with a little toasted unsweetened coconut! YUM!  In the recipe builder on WW these came out to about 1pp per muffin (recipe yields 24 muffins I halved it so I had 12 standard size muffins).

Mahalo!

 

 

Looking back to go forward!

Oh my,my! I have come a long way and this week has been sorta up and down emotionally. I find myself sooooo excited and still needing motivation to keep going!!! I received my latest award at WW another 25lb washer fro my key chain last Friday at my meeting. This may not seem like anything but to me this is so very much. The only thing that means more is that 5k charm because that's really when my life changed.

The 5k charm on my key chain is what I earned for running my first 5k,ever! I love that cheap little metal charm because of what it represents to me and how it set my pace (haha, pace!) for my weight loss journey. I love that I made a choice to sign up first of all for my 5k and then that I trained for it and then that I ran it. Those small steps were HUGE and mimic exactly what I have chosen to do with my life. I made a choice to lose my weight, I took the steps to make it happen and when I reach my goal weight It will be like receiving my charm for finishing what I planned. I need one more of those little washers on my key chain and I cannot wait for the day that I get it.

Breaking up my goal has really made all the difference for me if in July last year when I started all this I was like "I am going to lose 100 lbs!" would it have been attainable, sure. Would it have been overwhelming,scary and probably too intimidating to accomplish? most likely! I started with non-scale goals and running that 5k was key to me earning that key chain first of all and all of the following bells and whistles that accompanied it.  You earn the key chain when you lose 10% of your body weight. That sounds like okay, whatever 10% but the benefits to your health alone have been proven to be tremendous, that's why WW celebrates that.

So even though I have lost over 75lbs, officially with WW its 53.8 (and yes that .8 is everything;-P)
I have had 2 major plateaus in loosing one at around 40 and one at around 60ish that lasted a good 2 LONG....FRUSTRATING months. I know after loosing so much your body really just needs a break to adjust to the new weight and also I wasn't changing up my workouts because I was training for my races so it wasn't like I was feeling like"what am I doing wrong?!" But, It can still be frustrating and the one thing I have found is to really look back at those numbers and remember that I got past them and I am now at the new number. Its very helpful to look back for me and know I can do this and I will continue to do this.

I saw a little craft on Pinterest and I knew I had to make it. It required 2 containers and some little marbles or river rocks.

this is pretty much the easiest thing ever but this made a very visual reminder of where I was and whats next.

On one jar I wrote "Pounds Gone" and the other I wrote #untili'm@goal I love using hash tags and this is a # I plan on using for the next hopefully only couple more months. I need to get rid of 31 more little glass marbles and move them over and this will be officially 107 pounds gone and that will be a great day but this journey has been so much more than those silly little marbles. To see a visual for me other than my body, Is very helpful. I am still at the point where my mind has not caught up to my body and I look in the mirror and don't always see the changes. I don't mean this in a negative way either but when you have lived with being a certain size for a long time there are times when I still think I wear "that" size and every time I buy something and  I don't try it on I end up having to take it back for a smaller size, I know tragic!haha!

Never underestimate progress no matter how slow you are moving forward, YOU ARE STILL MOVING! This is one of the biggest things I need to remember!

Mahalo!

Oatmeal..in my smoothie!?

So, there has been so many different recipes posted on Pinterest lately using oatmeal inside of a smoothie. Of course I was intrigued so this morning I finally got around to it. I like to usually have something with protein after working out (especially a 2 hr workout that I did this morning, go me and my booty! :-) ) so I like to use Greek yogurt in my smoothies or I use a protein shake. The protein shake I used this morning was a Muscle Man protein shake and one of those bottles I use will make 2 smoothies. A full one is way too many calories for me so using half and half the other day works great! So here's the deal on the oatmeal I blended mine in the magic bullet mixer to make a powder and then added it in to ensure an even consistency.

Oatmeal,Protein berry-banana Smoothie

1/2 frozen banana cut up (I like to have at least one fruit that's frozen so that way you don't need ice and makes a better texture)
1 cup your choice protein shake or 1 cup Greek yogurt
mix berries
1/4 cup strawberries
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup raspberries
2 Tbsp quick oats, blended to powder

blend and enjoy- 4 ww pp (3,1 c protein shake and 1 for oatmeal)

Mahalo!





Dina :-)

Pizza Party

I looooove pizza of all kinds and the kind I love most are healthy and filling! This last week and today I came up with some great variations on 2 of my most favorite pizzas. I like to think of myself as very semi-homemade. I enjoy cooking, baking and love it even more now that it is not my job. I love to use fresh ingredients but I also love fast and simple cooking. My time is precious and I do not need to prove anything to my family by "slaving away" in the kitchen all day/night to give myself and them way yummy, healthy food.

The first one I made was Caramelized Pear,Onion and Gorgonzola Pizza this is a take on the CPK version which seems like it could be healthy because its topped with a salad but guess again. I used a store bought pre baked crust(thin, to cut bake on carbs) and then added my own ingredients as I wanted. I also baked this in the oven and it tool from start to finish 30 minutes!

I started with these ingredients

Caramelized Pear,Onion and Gorgonzola Pizza

• Boboli thin crust
• 2-Pears- Cored,sliced thin
• 1/4 cup Gorgonzola
• 1/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella
• 1 Onion-sliced thin
• 2 Tbsp Candied Pecans
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Caramelize, pears and onions over med flame, in olive oil till golden brown, this breaks down the sugar in the pears and onions and brings out that sweet flavor.

On crust sprinkle mozzarella evenly and then arrange pears and onions. Sprinkle candied pecans(yum!) over the top of that and then crumble Gorgonzola over the top of all of it.

Bake 450 degrees for 15 mins. While baking assemble vinaigrette and prepare salad topping!

Vinaigrette

3 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

pepper

mix together and toss with a bag of mixed greens.

This yummy pizza comes out to about 5 ww pp per serving, yields 9 servings.

Skinny BBQ Chicken Pizza

Now, for this one I used a handy,dandy pizza oven that I picked up on a trip to Kohl's. My girl friend Rachel over at Divalicious Dishes and I were virtual shopping together (she lives in MI and I'm in CA,we work with what we've got,haha!) and I asked her if I should get a cake pop maker or this Bella Pizza Maker Well, thankfully I agreed that although great to make cake pops super fast the pizza maker was way more practical and we use it ALL the time and so nice not to heat the house up on warm days.

 

So, for this one I used a pre made refrigerated crust and then added my ingredients. As you can see from my picture I have a thing for Fresh and Easy neighborhood markets,haha! I totally realized that everything I had to use was from there including stuff I had already in my pantry or fridge.

1 whole wheat pizza dough @room temperature

1/2 cup,cooked chicken breasts

1/2 cup white onions

1/2 cup tomatoes

2 tbsp bbq sauce

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

basil, cilantro,green onions for garnish

1 tsp butter on maker or pan if using oven to cook, 450 deg 8-11 mins.

Spread pizza dough onto surface. Spread bbq sauce down. Spread chicken,tomatoes and onion all over and top with shredded cheese. bake 8-11 mins and when it comes out top with herbs and green onion.

I also was craving some cole slaw so to lighten up store bought cole slaw I used a bag of shredded cabbage to a 1/2 cup of pre made cole slaw mixed together and served.

This pizza comes out to 4 ww pp per serving and yields 8 servings,enjoy!

Mahalo!









Skinny Waffles

I am so very addicted to breakfast, I love it!!! When I was pregnant with both girls I was sick for most of the pregnancies but the one food that I could tolerate was breakfast. Cereal, oatmeal, pancakes and of course WAFFLES!! I love waffles, however I hate what waffles can do to my weight.

Enter my quest to make a great "Skinny Waffle." I have toyed around with a recipe for a while now and it has been a pretty stand up method. Being on WW for some time now has really opened up my eyes on getting the most for my points values. For 2 of these waffles comes out to 4 points. I LOAD them up with fresh seasonal fruit and sometimes may top with can light whipped cream(1pt). These keep me full and because they are so flavorful I don't use any other fat or syrup. For me its a decadent version of breakfast heaven.

"Dina's Skinny Waffles"

3/4 c. Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 c. Coconut milk or Almond Milk (I use fresh and easy unsweetened for either kind)
1/4 c. egg substitute or 2-3 egg whites to equal a 1/4 c.
1 T. Splenda
2 T. baking powder
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce (this replaces the fat, oil.I have found that you can also use any other unsweetened fruit puree that. I have used Penelope's Gerber baby food too and any combo just adds to the flavor. This morning I had a straw/apple/banana and that worked great!)
1/4 c. water to "thin" out mixture if needed

Combine ingredients to form batter. Pre-heat waffle iron before and get it ready.

This recipe yielded 6 waffles, in this Hamilton Beach 4-square waffle iron.

Mahalo!

The morning at home!

So, Last night I was on Pinterest and I found a recipe for a yummy apple cake!! I just bought some green apples and decided this would be such a great way to enjoy them. I found the recipe here

I did modify to make a more skinny version with an appropriate amount of WW points. This little piece of heaven comes out to about 4pts. I don't add fruit in the recipe builder on etools because fruit is free and if I'm just eating one peice of cake it's a fruit :-))

So I adapted the recipe... Here is my version!

3/4 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3 very large apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1-inch chunks
1 large eggs
3/4 cup splenda
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c unsweetened applesauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

Whisk the eggs in another bowl until foamy, then add the splenda Whisk until smooth and incorporated. Add the vanilla. Mix well.

Alternately add the flour and applesauce in two batches. Mix well and gently after each addition to have a smooth batter.

Fold in the apples with a spatula. Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly with a spatula.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Since the cake is really moist, it is best to keep it uncovered or lightly covered at room temperature. I have also found out that it tastes better if you heat it quickly in the microwave for a few seconds before eating.

Seriously yummy!!! Splenda is pretty sweet I think next time I will only use 1/2 c instead of 3/4 c.

Water was falling from the sky!!

I dislike rain for a lot of reasons but I do love it for a couple. I love rainbows, flowers and green grass. I dislike all the garb you have to wear to not get wet, driving on wet roads and especially despise gloomy skies!!

So, even though It was raining, thank God it was only just a couple of days. In being home with husband and the dumplings yesterday made us say "well, it's raining..so Disney is out!" I put on my thinking cap and started to think of indoor things that we could do on a gloomy day rather than wasting it on a sunny day.

Pretend City! Pretend city is a very cute indoor child's play place. It has a couple different city themed rooms and areas where children can wander,interact and explore! We happened to arrive here at 11am and on Monday's it closes at 1pm, which was fine for us because we did receive a discounted admission for being a military family.

Greenlee was a little overwhelmed by a lot of children that were there visiting with a school group visiting from LA but she managed to find some free space in a couple areas. I did inquire if everyday was open to large groups and the staff said yes but that you are more than welcome to phone ahead and see what the projected group attendance is, which I would do next time.

She loved the grocery store and the garden area as well as the building area where her and daddy were able to sort through different wood pieces and put together a wooden structure.

This place is very cute and appropriate in my opinion for children over 2yrs as there just seems to be more things to actually do. I think it would be very suitable for all ages of children with adequate parental supervision. Seeing those children with the school group made me ever so happy my girls have us and their Nana and Granddaddy to care for them, we are blessed!

Mahalo!