This is the way to stay on program for me: a week of tracking, of getting workouts in (mainly power walking) and trying new recipes. Why do I let myself slide so far off track when being on program feels so much better. *sigh* I'm basically starting all over again. No use crying over spilled milk, as they say. Anyway, I was down 5.4 pounds at weigh-in this morning. See tracking does work, Janet!
Anyway, let me share some of the recipes that I tried. I love the page of smoothie ideas in the September
issue of Cooking Light (Peanut Butter Berry) and it was refreshing though a bit tart. (My smoothie drinking child added sweetener.) I used skim milk instead of their suggested 1%, since that is what we have in the fridge, I had raspberries which I picked up at Costco and had forgotten to serve (so yeah!), and using one of my many over ripe bananas (my family basically eats green ones), I was good to go on this one without an extra trip to the store.
I've actually never (in recent memory anyway) used pb in a smoothie, even though it's a staple in our house. Not sure why! Easy protein- which I probably don't always get enough of.
The other smoothie I made from the double page spread was the Creamy Mango, Avocado and Lime one. I did it in the middle of the morning rush before work, even. Didn't enjoy dealing with the mess involved while rushing to be on time, but the smoothie itself was very refreshing and kept me feeling satisfied until lunch. My mango was a little unripe- I'll have to do it again with a ripe one, I had an avocado already on hand (love those things) and our garden has been taken over by mint- so that made me really want to try this one. It was unlike any smoothie I've ever made, and very refreshing. It made me think of something that might be served at a fancy spa before your facial and mud bath. har.
I also tried Crisp Lamb Lettuce Wraps from the August 2012 issue this week. I have to admit I didn't tell my family it was lamb. It was really tasty- loved the hint of cinnamon and with the lack of a bun, the two Boston leafy cups of lamb and veg was only four points. No one in my family would try the hummus/yogurt/pinenut sauce (why I served it on the side- since I know these people), but that was really good, too. I didn't go out and buy the suggested red pepper hummus, as my fridge is filled with other flavours of hummus and I'm trying to work on wasting less food (as well as losing weight), so I used the pinenut hummus we had in the fridge.
Another CL dish I tested on my family this week, which I didn't have to pretend was something else, was the recipe makeover recipe in the September issue: Chicken Nuggets with Crispy Potato Chips and Honey Mustard. My kids really liked them, especially my 13 year old and both my children took leftovers ones (I had way more nuggets than the suggested serving size) for lunch the next day. The cool thing about this recipe is that you marinate the chicken in pickle juice and buttermilk before dipping it in panko. It gives the chicken a nice pickle flavour. I did try the chip recipe, but couldn't find the required purple sweet potato, used a regular sweet potato (I like the chips, but my kids didn't really.), as well as fries from our low-fat chip maker (which I knew everyone would like). The whole meal deal was definitely one I'd make again. Plus, I bought that really large bag of panko from Costco, so...you know, the whole not wasting food thing...
