Directions, Losses, and Gains

What a week it has been. I apologize that I've been so extremely random in my blogging habits lately. Things have been busy!

So... a couple of updates:

• The wedding is now 74 days away!
• Every time I sit down at home, I think of about 5 things I should be doing.
• I have no idea what I'll talk to people (or Jason)about after September 22nd.
• Pre-marital counseling is awesome. 
• I haven't lost any weight on WW, even though I've stuck to the plan 100%.
• My dress is getting about seven inches of length cut off of it as we speak.
• I need to work out my arms.
• I have a lot of new recipes that I've been trying. 
• Jason turns 26 in two weeks. 
• My dad turns 50 tomorrow.
• I feel like I'm constantly doing laundry.
• I'm okay with the fact that I'm constantly doing laundry.
• I'm learning to be comfortable in my own skin.
• I think I know what I want to be when I grow up.
• I have no clue how to be what I want to be when I grow up.
• I'm reading three books at one time.
• I'm frustrated with WW.
• I'm thankful for WW.
• I hate carbs.

I think that about sums it all up. 

Here are my latest eats:

Chicken Skillet

Normal lunch for me

Saturday morning breakfast

Chicken roll ups with Tzatziki sauce.

Chicken Skillet (adapted from Betty Crocker recipe):
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 diced red peppers 
• 1/2 chopped red onions
• 1 can reduced sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
• 1 Old El Paso® flour tortilla for burritos (8 inch) (from 11.5-ounce package), cut into 2x1-inch strips
• 4 oz. low-fat shredded Cheddar cheese 

Directions

1. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in center.
2. Stir in vegetables, beans and salsa; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender.
3. Sprinkle with tortilla strips and cheese. Cover and cook about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Chicken Roll Ups (adapted from Dashing Dish recipe):
Ingredients:
for the chicken

• 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. EVOO
• 2 tbsp. water

for the Tzatziki sauce 

• 1/2 c. 0% fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 medium cucumber, grated and squeezed dry
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. lemon juice  

for the pita toppings

• High fiber/low carb tortillas (or pita) 
• Reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients for the chicken in the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2. To make the sauce, start by grating the cucumber over a small bowl. Blot the excess moisture with a paper towel until dry.
3. Add the yogurt, garlic, salt, and vinegar to the grated cucumber. Whisk until everything is well combined. Cover and refrigerate until serving (I put mine in a medium sized mason jar and kept the excess for other meals).
4. Place one sliced chicken breast onto each tortilla or pita bread. Top each with 1/4 cup yogurt mixture, feta, and onion if desired. Roll pita over chicken, and enjoy!

A look at my "Normal Lunch":

• 2 oz. of low fat or fat free turkey w/ something on top (1/2 avocado, honey mustard, etc.)
• 1 oz. of low fat cheese
• Sugar free jello cup
• Dannon Light & Fit yogurt (or Publix fat free yogurt)
• Something green
• Fruit 

A look at my "Saturday Breakfast":

I try to keep my breakfasts small, but it really is my favorite meal of the day. On Saturdays, I try to make it special by spending time actually cooking breakfast. This usually consists of a an egg and some fruit. On a weekday morning, I usually eat a boiled egg, 4 oz. of 2% cottage cheese, or a 0% Greek yogurt.

I hope you all feel slightly more caught up on the happenings of my food world (and I guess my world in general). I'll be expanding on some of those things I listed at the beginning throughout the week. But for today, I'm done rambling.

 

	P.S. Who is team 1 "f" Jef and who is team Arie? Ready...go!

Summer Nights - Looking Forward

Last night Jason and I had a great, normal night.

We both worked until 5:00.

I made dinner - pizza for him and feta turkey sliders for me.

We watched Person of Interest.

We went to the Apple Store to exchange something.

We went to Target to buy a wrench.

We went to our friends' townhouse to watch The Bachelorette.

We went home.

Jason went home.

Jason finished his washer/dryer project (for now at least).

I read.

I went to sleep.

The end.

Haha...just kidding. It's not the end. I of course have to give you at least a few pictures and a recipe. Duh...

I've been wanting an iPod Nano for a little while now. I had one that I used to run with, but around the time I got my first iPhone, my sister lost her iPod so I gave her mine. Then, last year, Jason bought me an iPod Shuffle to run with. I love it, but it doesn't hold a lot of music and I can't figure out how to select the music I want to listen to. Plus, I like the Nike+ app.

Lately, I've been using my iPhone to run because my shoes have the Nike+ sensor and I like to measure my distance, pace, etc. I'm not a fan of running with my phone though because I'm terrified of dropping it, I'm scared of sweating on it too much (that's one nasty form of liquid damage), and honestly, I hate holding it.

The solution to all of this: a new iPod Nano.

Yesterday I finally broke down and bought one (using Jason's Apple employee discount of course).

I told him I wanted red. I've always gone for the cute pink or green electronics, but I decided that red is my color right now. It's my main wedding color, it's the color of my lunchbox and tumbler, and it's the color of my purse. I've gotta match, right?

Source

Poor Jason thought he'd done such a good job. He got me the pink nano because he knows I like pink. When I opened it, he realized his mistake, but I told him I'd keep the pink. I do like pink. But he insisted we go up to the Apple Store and exchange it for the red one. My man is so good to me...probably too good.

After the Apple Store, we ran to Target really quickly to buy a wrench. We've (well, he's) been trying to get the pedestals off of our new-to-us washer and dryer since they're too tall for me. We've both lived either on campus or in an apartment for the last five and eight years, so we don't have many tools. I was supposed to bring the one bolt he could get off Sunday night, but I forgot it (oopsies). He ended up finding the right tool anyway, and then we were on our way.

After Target, we headed to our friends' townhouse for Bachelorette night (the TV show, not the pre-wedding party). Last season, Jason was only home for Monday and Tuesday nights, so in order to see a lot of our friends, he partook in Bachelor night. He actually got really into it...well he got really into making fun of it :) This season, he's back full-time, but we've really become accustomed to Monday nights with friends. So last night, we showed up and per the usual, Jason was the only guy.

My friend Rachel took this pic and put it on Instagram.
Someone commented, "You taught a dude to watch this show? Nice!" That's my man :)

After The Bachelorette, we went home and went our separate ways. I've been really enjoying going to sleep before 11 p.m.

So...where are we on the checklist? We've got two pictures and we're missing a recipe.

As promised -

Feta Turkey Sliders:
Ingredients

• 1 pkg. lean ground turkey
• 1/4 c. feta cheese (I used garlic and herb crumbled feta)
• 3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
• Italian seasoning to taste
• Garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a medium size bowl. Mix everything together (I used my hands).
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Form mixture into the size and shape burger you want (my first few were kind of thick, but my last ones were thinner and it was much easier to cook the thinner ones).
5. Cook until all the way through. There should not be any pink in the middle. Flip them every few minutes.
6. Sprinkle a little bit of feta cheese on top.

I didn't put mine on buns, but you definitely could! I just ate mine with a little bit of honey BBQ sauce and a sliced orange.

No more time for rambling, I've got to post this and get to my doctor appointment (more on that later).