The Blonde Diaries

Weight Watchers End of Week 7 update

Well another week has come and go. This week I had high hopes for. I had all my meals planned out and ingredients ready to go but somewhere along the way I realized I was missing a can of pineapple and got too lazy to hit the grocery store. Then I had a few late nights at work and well you know where this is heading. Yup derailed by the weekend - hit up our favorite Mexican Restaurant (Chuy’s) after our Relay for Life Walk on Friday and then Buffalo Wild Wings Saturday night for UFC Fight Night. Yeah no healthy choices at either. Its ok though.

I’m not letting that stop me. I hit the grocery store last night and picked up the can of pineapple I was missing and am cooking my fruited pork chops right now as I type. These should last till Thursday as the value pack of chops had 10 large chops in there before we get tired and try something new. I’m also plugging away with my workout routine. I’m trying to keep things fresh so I’ve decided to retry the new cardio machine at work. It is a cross between a stair stepper and an elliptical machine. Last time I tried it I only made it for 10 minutes but that was when I first started working out. I’m hoping I can make it a little longer this time around. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

So at the end of week 7 I weighed in at the same as last week which I consider a victory especially with my falling off the wagon so hard last week. This week I’m vowing to be better and healthier.

Crockpot Recipe Series - Recipe #3

Another favorite crockpot recipe and it is really simple to make and uses ingredients that most of us have in our pantry and refrigerator already. I actually cut 3 chicken breasts in halves to make 6 chicken breast pieces that the recipe called for below and to lower the points value. I don’t know about your local grocery stores but mine are making 3 packs 2 pounds each! I know I don’t eat that much chicken in one sitting! For the onions I have been purchasing prediced in the freezer section to save money (1 pound = $1!) and so that I can same time and keep from crying. It is definitely a life saver.

Spicy Italian Chicken - 4 WW points per serving

1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1/2 c fat free Italian Dressing
1/2 c water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp cold water

1. Spray the inside of a slow cooker with nonfat cooking spray (or use a liner ). Combine all ingredients except chicken, cornstarch, and cold water in slow cooker.
2. Add chicken. Turn to coat.
3. Cover. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
4. Remove chicken and keep warm.
5. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and cold water.
6. Add cooking juices gradually. Stir and bring to a boil until thickened.
7. Pour sauce over chicken and then serve over noodles or rice.

Per serving: 180 cals, 3.5 gms fat, 7 gms carbs, .5 gms fiber, 27 grms protein.

Weight Watchers End of Week 6 update

I can’t believe I forgot to post this yesterday! I just finished Week 6 of my Weight Watchers lifestyle change (ie diet). I can tell you its getting harder and easier at the same time. Let me explain. One of the hardest things for me to incorporate into this lifestyle change is getting in the right amount of fruits, veggies, and water. By week 6 of this diet you are eating so much of those items that you don’t have any issues meeting the recommended servings. What I do start having problems with is staying on track.

By the beginning of Week 6 I had lost 5 pounds. I was super excited but then I got a little cocky diet wise. I started thinking well I’m doing everything right and losing weight so I don’t need to monitor my food intake. I also can skip the gym tonight if I just stick to my points. Not a good attitude to have with oneself. Sorta like self sabotage. So I tried really hard this week to overcome that. Monday - Friday absolutely no problems. Hit the gym, ate healthy, tracked my food intake. By Saturday though I was getting bored with my set menu and cranky. Mike and I turned in our Free night card and headed to Wendy’s for my favorite meal - jr. bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a frosty (for dipping the fries). So no point counting then nor on Sunday when Mike and I turned in the card again to unwind after his CPA exam test.

So this week I’m aiming to start tracking points again (and correctly) as well as going back to the gym. I have roughly 5 months before our vacation and I would like to be at least the same size I was 2 years ago if not a tad smaller so my capris don’t suffocate me. We are continuing our meal plan and are finishing up the pork tenderloin and will move onto pork chops tomorrow. I’m super excited over that one.

So as of the end of Week 6 I have lost another pound bringing the total to 6 pounds in 6 weeks!

Dinner Solved: Citrus Garlic Pork Loin

I posted last week in my Weight Watchers End of Week 5 post that I had preplanned out my next two week’s worth of meals. There was a few recipes that I hadn’t posted on here but were old favorites of mine. So I’m going to post the recipes as I make them. Unfortunately, the digital camera is still dead so pictures can’t be added right now. I’ll do a special thread for that later.

Tonight I made Citrus Garlic Pork Loin. It is very diet/weight watcher friendly and very easy to make. You basically make a marinade and let it soak for as long as possible, then pop it into an oven while you boil the marinade on the stove, then serve. It comes out to about 4 servings (6 if you stretch it out) and about 4-5 weight watcher points per serving. I’m going to try serving it with the asparagus I need to make and then tomorrow I will serve it with potatoes of some sort since I’m still dealing with a 5 pound bag and little experience dealing with potatoes other than baking them. I’m going to try steaming them tomorrow. Super excited. So here we go. I present to you:

Citrus Garlic Pork Loin

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup grapefruit juice (not cocktail)
• 1/2 cup ginger soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce
• 1-2 pounds of pork tenderloin

1. Mince garlic and mix with lime juice, grapefruit juice, soy sauce, and hot sauce. Turn tenderloin in marinade and coat evenly.
2. Cover and refrigerate at least 1.5 hours or longer if possible
3. Drain pork and reserve juices. Roast pork 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook until 145-150 degrees inside (~1 hour)
4. Boil marinade for about 3 minutes, reduce heat and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Serve sliced with marinade on top.

A serving size is about 3 oz of pork and 2 tbsp of sauce.

Sprouts: the easiest veggie to add to your diet

Its been a slow process adding vegetables into my diet. I have always been a fan of the old standbys: lettuce, carrots, cucumber, corn, peas, broccoli, cauliflower. But not so much with onions, peppers, and the likes. So this time around on weight watchers I am doing my hardest to add in more vegetables and learn to like them. I started with slow cooking onions, celery, and bell peppers (the Cajun “holy trinity”) and have now been able to successfully incorporate them into all of my cooking as long as they are diced and soft.

I have now moved on to something not as exciting but another vegetable: Sprouts. Sprouts are those stringy things you sometimes see at the salad bar or you may find them in certain wraps or sandwiches at Jason’s Deli. There are many varieties: broccoli sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, radish (aka spicy) sprouts, and bean sprouts. They are a pretty good way to add in a little amount of vitamins and nutrition without a lot of calories. With that said you do need to eat a lot to equal what you would get with a normal sized vegetable but in any case they should not be overlooked. I use them the same way you would use lettuce. Right now I’m adding in a fourth cup to my salads each night as well as adding them to my lunch sandwich. I tend to like bean sprouts (they are thicker) with my Asian cuisine. They go well with stir fry Chinese or Thai foods and my favorite Vietnamese place puts them with their pork/noodle/spring roll bowl dish that is delish. I find that I tend to like the bean sprouts raw as they give a little crunch to my meal. Give them a try at California Pizza Kitchen and order the Thai Chicken Pizza - its to die for.

Sprouts tend to give me a little something without too much or too many calories. I haven’t tried them in a pita or a wrap yet but I think I’ll give it a shot next weekend. If you have any different ways to use sprouts in meals let me know. I am always up for something new