Tip of the Day:

When I started this blog, I started it with the intentions of being a full-gamut weight loss blog. I had so many questions when I began losing weight/calorie counting and have learned so many tips and tricks throughout that I thought this would be an excellent venue to share the knowledge. However, so far I've only posted recipes and things of the sort. So right now I'm going to give you my first Tip of the Day:

                                                                                               Cheese. Do you need it?

If you answered "yes", then here's what to do:

             Shred it                          

One slice of cheese is usually around 110 calories, but with shredded cheese, you have greater control over portion size, and can easily cut back on the amount used while still covering the same amount of area. You'll probably notice, too, that the less cheese you eat, the more you realize the food that would have been underneath have fantastic flavors of their own. I've even gotten to the point where I often realize that I didn't even need to have the cheese in the first place, and go without it the next time, freeing up calories for more of something else! As with anything (erm, most things), you don't have to give it up entirely, just dial it back a notch or two.

Two, two, two recipes in one (blog)!

I was first introduced to the idea of a sweet spinach smoothie this past summer when a friend of mine entered hers into a smoothie contest. At the time, I had every intention of trying it, but then...I forgot. That is until the other day when another friend posted a link to a different green smoothie on facebook.
I had lost the link to my friend's recipe, and I would have loved to try the second recipe, but living in Korea, I don't have access to many of the ingredients listed, so I found a different recipe and tried it out.

My first try...not love at first sip. The recipe called for milk, spinach, berries, a clementine, a banana, and some water. In honesty, the flavors were good, but it was a bit too much like juice for my taste, and the oranges and spinach created a stringy aspect, as well. I like my smoothies to have a real creamy texture, and was really disappointed in this. My husband is a genius, though, and quickly picked up on the fact that frozen tangerines would cut back on the juiciness. Duh, right? So after his suggestion, I tried again, and this is what I did:

Makes 2 servings:
1 85g tub of plain yogurt- 65 kcal
100ml skim milk- 30 kcal
2c spinach- 14 kcal
(I blended these ingredients at this point, to ensure the spinach blended better than the last time)
62g (~half of a medium) banana- 56 kcal
100g frozen tangerine sections- 52 kcal
110g frozen strawberries- 40 kcal
78g frozen blueberries- 40 kcal
~1/3c water
blend!

total calories: 297 (148.5 each serving!)
and you know what else?
It was taaasty:)
Next time I make this, I'm only going to use 1/4 of a banana, since bananas can be so overpowering- but otherwise, I don't think I would change a thing!


Bonus:
My husband made a DELICIOUS dinner tonight! The idea came from what my dad always called Swiss Steak. My dad's version usually consisted of thinly cut strips of steak pan-fried with sliced tomatoes and topped with pepper. JD (that's the husband) likes to play around with this recipe a little bit, and tonight we decided to swap steak for chicken, flavor with fajita seasonings, and add mushrooms and onions (so it's kind of a lot like fajitas, in the end...). It was so good! Paired with a salad, I call it perfection.

Here's the recipe:

167g button mushrooms- 25 kcal

1can sliced tomatoes- 75 kcal

1medium white onion- 47 kcal

1 package fajita mix- 120 kcal

(that seemed kind of high to us...)

280g chicken (raw)- 320 kcal

mix ingredients in a lightly-sprayed pan (or a wok if you have one) until the chicken is fully cooked
Easy-peasy!

total calories- 588

~makes about 3 servings @ 196 kcal per serving!

My snack-over

When I first started calorie counting, I promised myself that I wouldn't "quit" any foods. I knew that if I did that, I would never keep it up. By allowing myself whatever foods I want, I have learned how to move things around so that I can eat what I want, when I really want it. If I'm wanting ice cream for dessert, I find a light version and load up on veggies at dinner. If I want french fries, I bake them at home and eat them with lower proteins like fish or boneless, skinless chicken. Throughout my weight-loss, I have decreased my calories gradually, which has helped to weed out snacks. Because of this, I have naturally cut back on many snack-type foods...and especially eating more than one in a meal.
Yesterday was the Super Bowl, and my husband and I had decided to have a party. What do we all know comes with Super Bowl parties? Snack food. Lots and lots of snack food...and we were no exception. In preparation, I made sure in advance to plan my maintenance day for the Big Game, and I ate a lighter breakfast and lunch than usual that day. When the time came, I had plenty of calorie wiggle room, and I really let myself enjoy what would have never been a second thought for me food-wise before. Even though I know I had indulged a little more than I *needed* to, I had no idea of the residual effects I would feel today.
When I woke up this morning, I felt okay...but my breakfast ended up consisting of about 400 calories worth of cereal and Doritos. Not okay. Shortly after breakfast I started feeling awful. It's really hard to explain how I was feeling, exactly, but the closest I can attribute is to somewhat of a food-hangover (hence, My Snack-Over). My mom and brother are both hypoglycemic, and a part of me wonders if that is what they feel like when they are having their issues? A slight headache and a little bit nauseous...but different? So I took a page from their book when they're not feeling well, and made myself a much healthier lunch. After doing so, I felt much better.

Here's what I had:
Homemade pizza:
1 English muffin (total)
30g. homemade tomato sauce (per pizza)
7g. shredded colby jack cheese (per pizza)
1 slice shredded deli turkey (total)
bake!
@124 calories/pizza= 248 kcal
Sliced veggies:
40g. celery- 6
30g. cucumber- 5
30g. carrot- 9
20g. green pepper- 4
=24 kcal (I love veggies!)
(light ranch for dipping, probably could have done without, but I like it)
=41 kcal
Water
(it's important to stay hydrated-that post will come later)
total meal= 313 kcal! +totally filling, colorful, AND delish

This morning really drove home for me how much of a favor I am doing to my body by eating the way I am now, opposed to the way I was before. Just the thought of something as basic as food giving you such a physical reaction...it makes me really sad for how unhealthy old Jamie was...how clueless old Jamie was. I recognize that, health-wise, my eating still has a lot of improvements that could be made, but to see the improvements thus far-it makes me proud, to be honest. This is more than just a losing weight thing-- I'm finally treating my body in a way that shows me that truely, I-love-me. I am worth taking care of.

And that feels good.