Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

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If I could point to one thing that always trips me up in my quest to eat healthy, it’s my snack choices. Mostly I forget to eat them – not a good thing. But when I do remember, I find that it is easier for me if I’m consistent with my choices. Too many choices and I go astray.  So I try to keep it simple.  However, consistency’s natural enemy is boredom.

My go-to afternoon snack is celery and cream cheese. It’s easy to make and measure out. Lately, the urge to replace this afternoon snack with the chocolate chips in my baking pantry is growing.  I needed to shake things up but not with those tasty morsels (damn you Nestle Toll House!).

Yesterday I discovered a nifty little recipe to jazz up my celery snacking. Actually, any veggie snack will be better with this little concoction. It’s quick to make and stores for 1 week in the refrigerator.

For all of you Weight Watchers out there, this recipe comes out to 2 points per serving. You’ll have to decide if it is worth the points. Since I have trouble reaching my daily points, it’s a no-brainer.

Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
Serving Size: 2 Tbsp
Net Carbs: 0
PointsPlus Value: 2

Ingredients:
11 ounces fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
1 Tbsp heavy cream
3 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil
2 Tbsp minced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/8 Tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Combine goat cheese and cream in a bowl; whip with a handheld mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in basil, tomatoes, 1 Tbsp oil and pepper.
2. Transfer to serving dish and drizzle top with remaining 1 Tbsp oil.

If you are feeling adventurous, try adding in 1/2 C of chopped toasted walnuts. I haven’t tried it so I don’t know the points value. But it does sound yummy.

Back On Track

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Friday afternoon my hubby and I went out for lunch. He was starving after undergoing a small procedure (he had to fast for about 12 hours). So we went to a small diner. He ordered a Belgian waffle, eggs, English muffin and sausage. I had a salad. His food looked amazing compared to mine and I think he took pity on me because he offered me a small bite of his waffle. Ugh!

I caved.

I had two small bites of his waffle. My taste buds went berserk. I wanted any type of sweet tasty carb that crossed my path. My hubby then ordered an apple pie ala mode. I ended up having 3 smallish bites. It was so good.

Yes, that was my bender for the weekend. And I felt terrible afterwards. I was so mad at myself for not being stronger. I’ve passed on high-carb food before. But this weekend, I had a little voice that said, you should reward yourself.

I had just weighed in that morning at lost 3.6 lbs. But after lunch I really felt that I took a major step back. I ended up taking a 2.5 mile walk going at a pace that was way too fast for me…the kind where I couldn’t talk at all and just panted heavily. I ended up falling into bed when I got home. Just felt incredibly weak.

But as the weekend progressed, those carb cravings became stronger. Saturday I wanted to order pizza instead of cook. I talked myself out of it, then I thought I’ll just run to the store and get wine. I actually got in the car and drove down the street before I said out loud “This is totally f***ing stupid” and ended up driving back home.

Sunday my cravings were at a fever pitch. For some reason, I really wanted a Frosty. Thankfully I didn’t say anything to my husband, as he is always in the mood for a Frosty. I just cooked all day and nibbled on some very unfrosty-like low carb snacks. I was miserable.

After a night of bad sleep, I’m happy to report that I survived the weekend. The cravings are gone. Its just amazing how things could have spiraled out of control this weekend. All because I wanted to “reward” myself with food. For someone trying to lose weight, food is probably not the best reward. Next time, I’ll treat myself by downloading some new music for my workouts.

Lime Chili Grilled Wings

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Wow. Just wow.

I made Lime-Chili Wings yesterday. A very easy to make Atkins recipe. Also pretty damn tasty. If I had one change to it, I would limit the lime juice. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup. However, I think that makes the marinade too thin. I think I would prefer more of a paste that really clings to the wings. But that is just me. I ended up baking these instead of grilling due to the weather. Nonetheless these are delicious.

Lime Chili Grilled Wings
Serving Size: 3 wings
Net Carbs/serving: 1g

Ingredients
1/4 C Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tsp Chili Powder
2 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Ground Cumin
3 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Cilantro
12 Chicken Wings

Directions
Combine lime juice, oil, chili powder, ground cumin, salt and cilantro in a large bowl. Add wings and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours, turning occasionally. Heat grill to medium-high. Grill wings until browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

If baking in oven, preheat oven to 375 and back wings until browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Cooking Day! Prepping For The Week

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food prepWhen I go to my Weight Watcher meetings, I always hear people talk about how they don’t have the time to plan ahead and that causes them to make bad food choices.  Well, I use to think like that too.  I did the 16-hour daily grind. Sat in traffic for an hour to get home. Did drive thru or order pizza for dinner because my day was grueling.   I use to tell myself I just don’t have the time. But that was really a lie.  I just wanted easy…and I got fatter.

Anyone who tells you they don’t have minutes to spare for their own health is fooling themselves. They just haven’t made themselves a priority.

And in fact, planning for the week only takes minutes. Every Saturday I do a weekly menu-10 minutes tops! Then on Sunday I cook a few items for the week. Not only is this a time saver, it takes the guess work our of what I’m eating each day and ensures that I eat healthy, low carb foods. Today, I’m whipping up:

Cream of Broccoli Soup
Grilled Chicken Breasts
Lime Chili Wings
Curried Egg Salad
Lots O’Chopped Veggies (snacks!)

Just try starting off prepping a few items, like chopping veggies for snacks or grab and go lunches. It will make your life easier and healthier.

Recipes will be posted after I do some chopping. But here is the cream of broccoli soup:

Low Carb Cream of Broccoli Soup
Makes 6 1-Cup Servings
Carb Count: 4g (if you make it without cheese, 3g)
Ingredients
1 lbs Broccoli, cut into florets, stems trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 C Chicken broth (can substitute veggie broth)
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 C Heavy Cream
1 C Sharp Cheddar Cheese (optional, buy why leave tastiness out?)

Directions
Combine broth, salt and pepper in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat; bring to boil. Add broccoli, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until broccoli is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer soup to a blender. Blend at low speed to puree soup. You’ll want to do this in batches. Place pureed soup into a sauce pan. Stir in cheese. Bring back to simmer over medium-high. Whisk in heavy cream; simmer and whisk occasionally until thick, about 5 minutes. Serve.  This can store in the fridge for up to 3 days.