Cozumel
Merida
But one picture, caused me to see something I did not want to: My Fat!
So I decided to change! I started a "game" with 40 or so people on Facebook who all had the same ideas I did about change. They wanted it! So I started "The Biggest Loser."
It just officially started this Sunday, January 2, 2011. I weighed in at a whopping 223 pounds. A weight I have never before seen and in no way wish to see in the future. Since Sunday, I have worked out everyday using either the gym or using the Wii system in our bedroom--Wii Fit and Biggest Loser games. I hate working out but the results had to come so that I could feel better about who I am as a person: physically and emotionally.
I started eating right: not diet food and stuff that I can't stand to eat but mine and my husband's favorite foods and in proportion. Cooking is actually something that I loved to do since I was a kid. My mom is an amazing cook and she taught me my way around the kitchen. I love experimenting with foods and creating new things.
A few of those things include:
Shish Kabobs
Who said losing weight has to taste bad?! Each Kabob is 230 Calories and was GOOD! It includes onions, green peppers, tomatoes, LEAN steak, chicken, and sausage. I seasoned each kabob with 1/2 teaspoon of Tony's. I cooked them on our George Foreman so the fat and oils drained. And it was fun to make, if you have kids, this could be fun for them! You cut the stuff and they put the kabobs together! Win, win!
Vegetable Soup
Made with onions, carrots, green beans, corn, Beef Stew meat, diced tomatoes, black eyed peas (already boiled to ensure softness), sweet peas, kidney beans. I place all the ingredients in the crock pot uncooked, then I mix them up to ensure that the frozen foods are broken up and each scoop would include everything. Then I fill the crock pot up half way with coke (Don't ask me why by Coke makes it cook and taste better. I promise.) I stir again. Then I sprinkle a tablespoon of Tony's over all of it and stir again. Then I place the top on it and set it to low. Now...you wait. about six hours. Long wait but well worth it. ;) After 5 or so hours, I place it on high for the last hour. I then check to see if the meat is fully cooked. If it is, then you are ready! As an added tangy, sweet flavor, I add a tablespoon of Baby Ray's BBQ and stir it into the soup. Then I serve.
After the first serving, I go ahead and place the rest of the soup in containers so we are not tempted to eat too much. Proportions are the problem in America. We SuperSize everything. I mean think about it. You go to a restaurant and order a steak. Likely you will receive a 12oz or bigger steak PLUS sides. The problem is, a 3oz steak is actually a serving! So you are consuming 4 times what you are supposed to! And we wonder how we get obese! So I place them in bowls.
My mom a few years ago, bought me a box of bowls from Wal-Mart. It included bowls of all sizes and their lids. The smallest of these bowls holds two cups of whatever you place in it.
In my case, two cups of veggie soup. This is the perfect size for the meal. It allows you to reach into the fridge, pull out a bowl, pop it in the microwave and enjoy the correct serving that does in fact fill you up! There are those days where we want something to go along with it so what I do is make whole wheat cheese quesadillas. I lay down a whole wheat tortilla and put a serving of shredded cheese inside (serving sizes vary by what type of cheese we use) then top it with another tortilla. I put the oven to "Broil" and then toast either side, flipping it when it is browned to our liking. I then cut them into 4ths and serve! It's amazing and takes me back to elementary school where soup and grilled cheese was the best meal we had!
2 cups of the soup = 160 calories
1 wheat quesadilla = 300 calories
Which means this meal is a slim 460 calories! Add that with water or if you are absolutely craving a coke then use Coke Zero! And you are getting off cheap!
So these are a few meals to get you started. Depending on your family size, your soup can last ya a week, and considering all the ingredients cost about $10-$15, you are getting off cheap!
