2011-Year of the Queen

[Amity228]

I just like saying that word "cassoulet". You are doing awesome and have an awesomer attitude. Keep rockin it.

[Bubble Yum]

It sounds like you are doing great and really have the right mindset to acheive your goals.

I really admire your goal of running as that is my goal too. I completed the C25K program around April last year and was doing great having no problems running for 45 minutes straight. Then I stopped for about 8 weeks and needless to say, I can barely run three minutes at a time right now. I begin the program again tonight so maybe we can keep each other posted on our progress? I hope to enter a 5k and then a 10k by the end of 2011!

I love the Kalyn's Kitchen website though I hate to cook. My DH is not a fan of being on south beach though he does enjoy all foods and isn't crazy eating bad stuff. The only issue is he can easily eat non SB foods and inadvertantly sways me in that direction. ie. he has no problem suggesting picking up pizza for dinner when we are short on time to cook something, even though he knows I really want to eat healthy. So far my challenge is finding the time to make a variety of healthy dishes that feel satisfying to my husband as well as my kids. My son is a very picky eater at three years old so we are usually making him something else for dinner anyway. (Bad I know, and I will try to break this habit soon!) Anyway, I made the Chicken broccoli curry casserole (phase 1) from her website and it will be new favorite recipe. It was so delicious and my husband loved it too. I am not a fan of spicy stuff so I just cut back the curry a little bit and it was fantastic! I highly recommend it.

Good luck with the rest of your journey!

[queenoftheu]

Amity - You're rocking it too! Keep up the good work!

Bubble Yum - Oh, I feel your pain... Part of the reason I started this was because the "let's just grab a pizza" was starting to happen at least 2 or 3 times a week. If left to his own devices, my boyfriend would probably eat pizza and Taco Bell every day. I really do love Kayln's Kitchen, because it helps me keep my promise that we would not have grilled chicken and veggies every night. It's helped me be creative not just with her recipes, but also with my own standbys.

I'm glad to hear that you've had some success with a running program! I'm super excited to be doing this... Tonight is run number 2 for us (our training program has us running T/Th/S, and then we cross train 3 nights a week), and I'm pumped! Then I'm making one of our favorites for dinner, but with a couple of modifications. I posted this on another thread, but I'll post it here, too.


Pasta Fagiole (Phase 2, minus the pasta for Phase 1)

1 half onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tblsp olive oil
6 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken, low sodium preferred)
3 cans of rinsed beans (I use 2 cans of cannelini and 1 can of kidney, but any combination of beans will do)
2 tsp each rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil (more or less to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of whole wheat pasta shells (optional for Phase 2)
Chicken or turkey meatballs (optional)
Chopped Spinach (optional)

1) Sautee half an onion and about 6 cloves of garlic in a little olive oil for 8-10 minutes until soft
2) Add 6 cups of vegetable (or chicken) broth and 3 cans of rinsed beans, and season with rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste
3) Cover and cook on medium for 10 minutes
4) Scoop out about 2 cups of the cooked beans and throw in the meatballs (or 2 cups of whole wheat pasta shells for Phase 2) for another 10 minutes.
5) While everything is cooking those last 10 minutes, mash the two cups of beans with a fork to make a paste (you can use a blender for this step, but I find it makes it more gluey).
6) Stir the bean paste in just before serving, and it naturally thickens the soup. You can also add spinach in for a couple of minutes until it wilts, if you'd like.

Finish with a pinch of red pepper flakes and a dab olive oil in each bowl. I make this every 2-3 weeks, and the leftovers make for awesome, easy lunches!

[Bubble Yum]

Yum, that sounds delicious. Today I am entering phase two so I might have to give this a try tomorrow night if I can pick up some spinach. We just came back from the doctor to follow up on some blood work we had done and it's tough news for my hubby. His cholesterol is really high and just below they point where he would need to start taking medicine. The doctor has prescribed a pretty strict diet for the next six weeks to see if we can lower it that way. So, it looks like he'll be joining me on the beach after all. It's weird though because he is actually fairly fit, and not overweight at all. I think it might be party genetics though. Anyway, he has been instructed to cut out chocolate, fried foods, dairy, fatty meats, etc. I am sure he will be in an exceptionally good mood for the next few weeks!

[queenoftheu]

Oh no! I hope everything turns out okay! At least now he has some motivation to join you. That's a pretty clear sign that he needs to eat better, even if he still has great metabolism. That's a big reason for me, too. Both of my parents are on medication for high cholesterol and diabetes, and I know it can totally be genetics.

Also, don't worry about the spinach... I don't typically put it in there unless I have it. Instead, I have a big salad or other veggie with the soup.

[queenoftheu]

I did my second running workout yesterday! Go me! My shins felt a little achy, but I think it might actually be psychosomatic. I just expect them to hurt after what I experienced last fall. I didn't have any actual pain, but rather little aches that made me think, "Oh, here we go again!" I finished my mile just fine and iced them last night.

My program is a little different than C25K in that we are working on miles and not time. For this week, we're doing 1 minute run/2 minute walk for a mile. Since it was raining yesterday, we went to the gym to do our mile. It felt funny to go to the gym to do what was essentially a 16 minute workout, but I do know that the real calorie burn comes from our cross training 3 nights a week. I think we'll be hitting the bikes for at least half an hour tonight. I may also do some yoga this afternoon.

Other than that, food is good! Dinner came out great last night, and I'm looking forward to enjoying leftovers for lunch today. I'm going to make roasted broccoli and shrimp for dinner. Once I fully tackle vegetables, I think it will be time to expand my seafood palette beyond shrimp

Have a great day! I know I am!

[queenoftheu]

UGH! PMS!!!

Today started off so beautifully, but by the afternoon, my desire for salt and chocolate was ridiculous! I didn't have chocolate, but I sure did have extra almonds and another cheese stick... Mmmm... Salt... The salty cravings were also accompanied by the dreaded fatigue, so I drifted in and out of a nap instead of doing yoga.

However, I did drag myself to the gym, and I am feeling much better after biking. I worked up quite a sweat, and my crabbiness seems pretty diminished (which I'm sure The Boyfriend is thrilled about ).

Yay for exercise!

[queenoftheu]

Tomorrow's Friday, and I just got a manicure! Clearly, I'm in a good mood

I'm about to start dinner, and it's going to be delicious... I put a rub on some pork chops with paprika, onion powder, mustard powder, salt and pepper, and little chinese five spice. I'm going to bake them with a glaze of SF maple syrup, spicy mustard and a little soy sauce. Mmmm... It's going to be delicious! I'm also going to be baking my very first spaghetti squash, which I am excited about! I think it'll be great, and I think there will be enough left over to make something delicious with the chicken meatballs and a sauce at a later date.

I did my running workout earlier today, and I definitely need to ice my shins this evening. Tomorrow will be something non impact, like the elliptical.

Because of our running and lack of any cravings, I'm transitioning into P2 a couple of days early. I'm adding in an apple tomorrow to start so we have some extra carbs for Saturday morning's run. I'm definitely looking forward to a beautiful Granny Smith with a little peanut butter tomorrow afternoon!

[Bubble Yum]

I feel you on the PMS. I was exactly the same yesterday and didn't realize why until this morning! I have been fighting cravings and temptations all day today and I have been winning!

Great job on the exercise but I hope you shins feel better soon. I have been having an issue with groin muscle but it seems to be getting better. I am supposed to do my third run this week tonight or tomorrow but it looks like it will have to wait until the morning because we have plans tonight.

Good luck with the apple and try to have it with some protein to lessen the sugar spike and hopefully any resulting cravings. I have been having a grain or two since going into phase two but broke down and had an apple with some almonds today. So far so good!
(sorry, I just re-read you are having it with some peanut butter)

Have a great time at your running clinic tomorrow!

[queenoftheu]

Whoops! I've been forgetting to update my journal!

Well, I feel pretty great... I've been plugging along. I've experimented with so many wonderful, flavorful dishes, and I've even kept The Boyfriend on track! Last night, I made an amazing quinoa, black bean, and chopped red and yellow pepper side dish that may become a staple for us.

I'm heading out this weekend to Sacramento to babysit for 3 youngsters. I adjusted my running schedule to give myself Saturday and Sunday off, since I'm sure running around after them will be a workout in and of itself! I don't have a ton planned foodwise, but we'll be picking up some essentials on our way there.

My running workouts have been much better! I bought this thing called The Stick at our running store that really releases tension in my calves and the front muscles on my shin. It's improved my leg fatigue 100 fold and made it a lot easier to keep up with the increases in running time and distance. We're currently doing 90 seconds running/2 minutes walking, and we got up early to do 1.75 miles this morning. What a way to start the day!

That's all I've got for now... Feeling beachy, and feeling good!

[CATLADY]

Sorry to hear about the PMS. Do you take a multi-vitamin? It can really help with cravings associated with PMS. Otherwise it sounds like you're doing well.

So glad you like Kalyn's Kitchen. It's the source of my best "company" recipes. As long as you don't tell them it's healthy, they rave about them. Check out Smittenkitchen.com It's not strictly South Beach but she has a lot of great stuff there.

Catlady

[Amity228]

Hi Queen,

I was reading the Phase 2 thread and saw you got engaged. Just wanted to say Congrats!!!!