天78

Grilled Chicken and Jalapeno Poppers

The following recipe is very easy to tinker with. Add, remove or substitute any of the ingredients and I'm sure it'll still turn out just fine. It might turn out even better.

The inspiration for this dish came from Guy Fieri, of the Food Network. Here's the original recipe.

I'm not a very precise cook. The amounts listed below are approximate.

LC Jalapeno Popper Recipe

+ several jalapeno peppers (we use about 8-10)
+ 4 oz of regular cream cheese (not the whipped variety)
+ 4 oz of sour cream
+ a diced shallot
+ 2-3 oz of chopped dry chorizo salami
+ 3-4 oz of shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. Cut the peppers down the middle. Scoop out the insides, leaving you with a "jalapeno canoe".

2. Wash your hands well! The insides of jalapenos contain the "hot stuff" (that's the technical term for it).

3. Put the pepper halves on a baking sheet. We put parchment paper on the sheet prior to placing the peppers on - makes for an easy clean up. Put the peppers into a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

4. Chop and dice all the necessary components.

5. Combine room temperature cream cheese with the other ingredients.

6. Pull out the peppers (from the oven). Allow them to cool. And then fill them with the other (combined) ingredients.

7. Put the peppers back into the oven and broil them until they look bubbly and begin to brown on top. This seems to take about 5 minutes in our oven. But check sooner to make sure you don't burn them.

8. Enjoy!

Saturday - February 7, 2009

12:15 am

+ a cup of instant coffee with a few ounces of low-fat milk and a pinch of pure stevia

1:30 pm

+ a cup of organic whole milk yogurt

5:00 pm

+ "pumpkin pie" shake - (4 oz of organic cream, 4 oz of organic canned pumpkin, 2 scoops of natural vanilla whey protein powder, 1/4 tsp of organic pumpkin spice blend, 1/4 teaspoon of pure stevia powder and 1/4 teaspoon of Also Salt)

Note: This was delicious. I'm trying to add more variety to my diet. Pumpkin is a very healthy LC food - when used in moderation. It's rich in nutrients, beneficial phytochemicals and fiber.

7:00 pm (pictured above)

+ chicken leg and thigh (store bought)

+ 7 jalapeno poppers


More to come ... I hope.

Giorno 77

What a wonderful film this is. I'm not sure what made me think of it. But I felt compelled to give it props on this stormy evening. Things Change. Indeed.

PS - I do believe the chamomile tea blend is positively impacting my sleep. It may be too soon to tell for sure, but I think it just may be helping.

Friday - February 6, 2009

9:45 am

+ a cup of instant coffee with a few ounces of low-fat milk and a pinch of pure stevia

11:30 am

+ a vanilla whey protein shake - (2 scoops of natural vanilla whey protein powder, 4 oz of heavy cream & 2 packets of Also Salt, 1 packet of stevia + FOS)

2:45 pm

+ thick sliced natural salami

+ an organic avocado

+ 2 organic Roma tomatoes, topped with organic sour cream and organic Monterey Jack cheese

+ a glass of organic red wine

5:30 pm

+ a cup of instant coffee with a few ounces of low-fat milk and a pinch of pure stevia

7:30 pm

+ poached salmon (store bought)

+ 1/2 cup homemade mashed cauliflower

Note: I don't have much of an appetite. I think it's more of a mental thing. But I must say that this meal goes down pretty easy. And it sits well with my digestive system. So it's a good choice at times like these. Pretty healthy too.

More to come ... I hope!

일 76

I Love this Lunch - So Satisfying! Mmm.

Two brief items I wanted to mention before hittin' the sack:

1. I had a really good nights rest yesterday. I believe I slept the whole night through. It *may* be because of a chamomile tea blend I had prior to retiring last night. I'll give it another shot tonight and see how it goes. I shall report back.

2. I tried a new sour cream today. It's my favorite one yet. Very thick and rich. Organic too. I found it at a local health food store.

Thursday - February 5, 2009

9:15 am

+ a coffee whey protein shake - (2 scoops of natural vanilla whey protein powder, 3 oz of heavy cream, 1 oz of purified water with instant coffee & 2 packets of Also Salt, 1 packet of stevia + FOS)

1:45 pm

+ a strong cup of white tea (3 tea bags)

2:45 pm (pictured above)

+ thick sliced natural salami and chorizo salami

+ 2 organic Roma tomatoes, topped with organic sour cream and raw goat cheese

+ a glass of organic red wine

Note: I ate more salami than what is displayed in the photograph. I cut up several slices that didn't make it to the plate! They took a more direct route to my belly!

5:45 pm

+ a strong cup of white tea (3 tea bags)

7:30 pm

+ the last of the oven-roasted pork shoulder with blackened onions

+ 1/2 cup of homemade mashed cauliflower

11:00 pm

+ a cup of organic chamomile, lavender tea and lemongrass tea (two tea bags)

More to come ... I hope!

The 75th Day

A Still from the film Gran Torino.

I just don't really feel like posting a food picture tonight. There's more to life than food, right?

We saw Gran Torino this passed weekend. We both enjoyed it. There are plenty of flaws in the picture. But there are far more reasons to recommend it than to knock it, in my opinion.

I hope you're all having a swell day. Please take good care of yourselves.


Wednesday - February 4, 2009

6:45 am

+ a cup of instant coffee with a few ounces of low-fat milk and a pinch of pure stevia

8:00 am

+ a vanilla whey protein shake - (2 scoops of natural vanilla whey protein powder, 4 oz of heavy cream & 2 packets of Also Salt, 1 packet of stevia + FOS)

1:30 pm

+ a strong cup of white tea (3 tea bags)

2:45 pm

+ thick sliced natural salami

+ an organic avocado

+ 2 organic Roma tomatoes, topped with organic sour cream and raw goat cheese

+ a glass of organic red wine

5:45 pm

+ a strong cup of white tea (3 tea bags)

8:15 pm (pictured yesterday)

+ oven-roasted pork shoulder with blackened onions

+ 1/2 cup of homemade mashed cauliflower

11:15 pm

+ a cup of organic chamomile and lavender tea (two tea bags)


More to come ... I hope.

Jour 74

My Idea of Comfort Food

The Whole Pork Shoulder

I'm feeling more up-beat and confident today. I hope this feeling lasts. I'll do my best to keep it going.

The days are so much easier to deal with when I'm not having to grapple with full-on bouts of depression, insecurity and self-loathing.

Onwards and upwards.

PS - I oven-roasted the pork shoulder tonight, instead of cooking it in a slow cooker. We enjoyed it MUCH better "oven style". That's definitely the way to go (for us). Can you say "crispy pork skin"? Mmmm. :-)


Tuesday - February 3, 2009

9:45 am

+ a cup of instant coffee with a few ounces of low-fat milk and a pinch of pure stevia

11:30 am

+ a vanilla whey protein shake - (2 scoops of natural vanilla whey protein powder, 4 oz of heavy cream & 2 packets of Also Salt, 1 packet of stevia + FOS)

3:30 pm

+ stuffed chicken breast (with skin) with spinach, peppers and goat cheese (as the stuffing)

+ 2 organic Roma tomatoes, sliced and topped with organic sour cream and raw goat cheese

+ a glass of organic red wine

6:45 pm (pictured above)

+ oven-roasted pork shoulder with blackened onions

+ 1/2 cup of homemade mashed cauliflower

10:30 pm

+ a strong cup of white tea (3 tea bags)


More to come ... I hope!

Dag 73

Wild Dover Sole w/ Italian Herbs & a Lemon-Butter Sauce

What time is it? It's weigh-in time! Can I get a drum roll, please?

_____________________________

This Week's Body Weight: 214.4 lbs.

This Week's Body Fat %: 33.1 %
_____________________________

Last Week's Body Weight: 216 lbs.

Last Week's Body Fat %: 32.7 %
_____________________________

Two Weeks Ago Body Weight: 217.6 lbs.

Two Weeks Ago Body Fat %: 33.8 %
_____________________________

3 Week's Ago Body Weight: 220.6 lbs.

3 Week's Ago Body Fat %: 34.1 %
_____________________________

4 Week's Ago Body Weight: 224.4 lbs.

4 Week's Body Ago Fat %: 36 %
_____________________________

5 Week's Ago Body Weight: 227.4 lbs.

5 Week's Ago Body Fat %: 35.7%
_____________________________

6 Week's Ago Body Weight: 228.2 lbs

6 Week's Ago Body Fat %: 38.2%
_____________________________

7 Week's Ago Body Weight: 230.6 lbs

7 Week's Ago Body Fat %: 36.9%
_____________________________

8 Week's Ago Body Weight: 231.8 lbs.

8 Week's Ago Body Fat %: 37%
_____________________________

9 Week's Ago Body Weight: 235.6 lbs.

9 Week's Ago Body Fat %: 38.9%
_____________________________

So I'm down another 1 1/2 pounds or so. I'm actually pretty happy with that. This past week has been so off-kilter that I wasn't sure what to expect at the scale. This was a pleasant surprise.

The lesson I re-learned and wish to pass on is this: Even if you feel all messy-like inside, keep doing what's right and you'll likely find positive results. And even if you don't, at least you won't dig yourself further into a hole.

PS - Tonight I took a little drive (while running an errand). I got in my car. Turned on some talk radio. And do you know what popped into my mind? I thought about how much I love(d) going to fast food drive thrus late at night. Eating in my car while listening to the radio. Or sometimes just anticipating the binge that would surely come once I arrived home.

I didn't seriously contemplate making a detour to any of my old junk food haunts. But that feeling was still there. A lot of self-defeating feelings still stick around, even when we wish they wouldn't. It's a reality of life, until (hopefully) one day it isn't.


Monday - February 2, 2009

9:30 am

+ a cup of instant coffee with a few ounces of low-fat milk and a pinch of pure stevia

11:45 am

+ a vanilla whey protein shake - (2 scoops of natural vanilla whey protein powder, 4 oz of heavy cream & 2 packets of Also Salt, 1 packet of stevia + FOS)

2:45 pm

+ leftover Ribeye steak

+ 1/2 cup leftover creamed spinach

+ a glass of organic red wine

5:30 pm

+ a cup of instant coffee with a few ounces of low-fat milk and a pinch of pure stevia

7:00 pm (pictured above)

+ wild Dover sole with Italian herbs and a lemon butter sauce

+ 1/2 cup of homemade mashed cauliflower

10:30 pm

+ a strong cup of white tea (3 tea bags)


More to come ... I hope!

День 72

Jalapeno Poppers (Super Bowl snack)

Ribeye Steak with Asparagus

Super Duper Steeler Breakfast!

It's Super Bowl Sunday! Go Steelers!

Update: What a game! Incredible!


Sunday - February 1, 2009

10:30 am

+ a cup of instant coffee with a few ounces of low-fat milk and a pinch of pure stevia

12:30 pm (pictured above)

+ omega-3 cheesy eggs with grilled onions, natural bacon and organic avocado

3:30 pm

+ a strong cup of white tea (3 tea bags)

4:45 pm (pictured above)

+ 7 Jalapeno Poppers - jalapeno peppers (gutted) and filled with a mixture of organic cream cheese, sour cream, Chorizo salami and shredded jack cheese

+ a glass of organic red wine

6:30 pm

+ a cup of instant coffee with a few ounces of low-fat milk and a pinch of pure stevia

8:45 pm (pictured above)

+ Ribeye steak, sliced

+ asparagus spears (store bought)


More to come ... I hope!