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Archive for the ‘Jillian Michaels 30-day shred’ Category
Monday, November 9th, 2009
I love pizza — the gooey cheese, the endless array of toppings, the buttery crust. My, oh delicious my! But, I have looked up the Weight Watchers points values for my favorite pie — pepperoni, extra cheese, mushrooms and black olives on regular crust, and let me tell you, the fat and calories ain’t pretty! Ha Ha! So, with a few odds and ends from my kitchen, I came up with a recipe that to me, tastes a lot like one of my favorite Italian indulgences, sans crust. And I don’t feel like a big grease ball is slugging along, only to finally settle on my hips. 
Here’s what I used (minus those browning bananas in the background. Ha!): Leftover Prego Heart Smart spaghetti sauce, Hormel turkey pepperoni, provolone cheese, two yellow squash, three zucchini and an onion. Of course, you can make this your own with different kinds of cheese, veggies and protein. Tofu crumbles, maybe?
Chop your veggies
Oh onion, you make me weepy! Throw all the veggies in a pan and cook over medium heat until they look like this:
The husband wanted to make his side of the casserole dish a bit “manlier,” so he added leftover organic noodles and a few meatballs. My part looks a little nakey!
Not anymore — pour on those steamy veggies!
Add sauce (about 3 cups) and smooth with spoon
Layer with pepperoni
Cheese, please! We used six slices for the whole casserole
About 25-30 minutes in a 350-degree oven, and ta da:
Now that’s amore!
A square about the size of one cheese round (a little over a cup) is 6 points. I did count and measure all my ingredients though, so it may vary a bit if you are a little more heavy-handed with the pepperoni and cheese. I did try a bite of the husband’s noodle-laden side…it was really good too, if you have the extra cals to spend.
In other News…
- I started Level 3 of Jillian Michaels Shred Challenge. My muscles are trembling just talking about it! Jumping jacks and butt kicks with weights?! I-N-S-A-N-E. I also walked two miles with JD and the pup, so that’s 62 minutes of exercise for today!
- Tomorrow, I’m going to see a nutritionist. I’m pretty pumped about it, and of course will share the full report. Hopefully, this gal can help me figure out a good plan to get this weight loss rolling. (Fingers crossed) Which means, I may be switching from Weight Watchers to something new — we shall see.
- We have several loads of laundry that need to go in the washer and dryer, and a cat who needs her medicine (we have scars from trying to give it to her the other day) so I better quit talking!
Have a great week!
Posted in Hormel turkey pepperoni, Jillian Michaels 30-day shred, Prego Heart Smart spaghetti sauce, Weight Watchers points values, low-WW point pizza bake, low-cal, pizza | 2 Comments »
Monday, October 12th, 2009
Well, I managed to make it through Jessica’s bridal shower without shoving maidzilla into a closet. It was a really nice party, and Jessica said she loved everything. I was so nervous about making several dishes because I’m not used to cooking for crowds, but I luckily got rave reviews on the egg and sausage and hashbrown casseroles. Whew! I sampled them myself, and I have to say they were pretty yum. If you would like the recipes, e-mail me at twopounds2@yahoo.com. (Warning: While delicious, these aren’t the healthiest of dishes. Ha!) Along with pumpkin bread, sausage balls, fruit and a few Mimosas, I was stuffed!
Mimosa and punch table
Shower game gifts — very fall appropriate!
Digging in
The happy bride-to-be — that smile was worth all the work!
I have to say I wasn’t on my best portion behavior Saturday or Sunday night. Some friends and I went out for Mexican food Saturday night, and while my tacos weren’t too bad in calories, the chips and cheese I scarfed down sure were!
Sunday I did pretty good eating wise, and took Tex for an hour walk. But that night, I had a couple of glasses of wine, and WAY too many pita chips and pine nut Sabra hummus. Seriously, that hummus could lead to addiction!
So to make up for a few days of overeating, I enrolled myself in my very own boot camp today. I did 40 grueling minutes of Jillian Michaels’ shred workout, and by the end of it, I was so shaky and my face was six shades of red! I was proud of myself though — I didn’t think I’d be able to get through the first 20 minutes, let alone a second round, but I just pushed through it. I followed that with two miles of walking with Tex. I almost shortened that workout too because my legs were so tired, but in true boot camp style, I wouldn’t let myself take the easy way out. Hopefully, my efforts today erased some of the mistakes of yesterday. I’m learning through this process that I’m not always going to be perfect, and that’s ok. There will be times that I eat too much or skip a workout, but I can’t dwell on it and get down on myself. I just have to move forward and concentrate on making good choices for the day ahead.
Meg Makes It on Monday
I actually made tonight’s “Meg Makes It on Monday” meal last night for dinner, but it was so good, I still wanted to share it. My coworker, Janet, gave me a recipe for chicken enchilada soup awhile back, and it has become one of my favorite cool-weather suppers. (And man, was it chilly last night! Brr…) I altered it a bit and used ground turkey instead of chicken, but I think any protein (i.e. ground beef, tofu) would work in this dish:
4 oz. light Velveeta cheese
10 oz. chopped chicken breast (boiled without skin)
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 cans niblett corn (undrained)
2 cans pinto beans (I used organic beans)
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel
1 tsp garlic pepper
Mix all ingredients except cheese. Simmer 30 minutes. Stir in cheese and let simmer until cheese melts.
The recipe says 1 cup equals about two Weight Watcher points.
Enjoy!!
I’m sad to see my three-day weekend come to a close.  But it’s always nice to have a short work week. Hope everyone has a great one!
Posted in Jillian Michaels 30-day shred, Meg Makes It on Monday, Sabra hummus, bridal shower food, eating too much | Comments Off
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
So yesterday, I said I was going to talk about the number one reason I want to lose weight. I’m sure you’ve all figured it out by the title of this post — the husband and I are thinking about trying for a family early next year! While I don’t have a lot of weight to lose, (23 lbs to be exact after having a discussion about a good “number” to shoot for with my nurse practitioner today…more on that in a min!) I want to make sure that I’m as fit and healthy as possible for our future baby. But until then, we still have our “starter” child:
Tex when we first got him at 8 weeks old! I am one proud mama! Ha! Most of my life, I wasn’t even sure I wanted kids. Anytime I would hear a baby whining about candy in the grocery store or banging spoons on the table in a restaurant, it convinced me a little more to scratch “be a mom” off my to-do list. But then, in 2004, my anti-maternal wall came crumbling down when my sweet niece, Kristen, was born. Elizabeth and Presley further reduced the rock to rubble when they came into the world a few years later. All of the sudden, instead of running far, far away from anything related to babies, I was shopping for Dora dolls and offering to babysit (something I never enjoyed doing in my teen years). I feel like being an aunt has been a great way to test the waters so to speak into motherhood, and after being around these precious girls, I think I’m almost ready to jump in.
It may be somewhat sooner than JD and I had originally discussed, but I found out before we got married last year that I have a cyst on my uterus, which may make it difficult for us to have kids. I’ve had two doctors tell me that if I want to have one child, let alone a second, we better push our family plans up on the calendar. But we both believe that we will have a child if God intends for us to, and we want to wait until we feel confident to do so. And with extra weight on, I don’t feel like my body is ready for baby. But hopefully, with continued efforts in the food and fitness department, it will be soon.
As I said earlier, I talked with my nurse practitioner today about my slow weight loss. I initially spoke with her about it over the summer, before I started this little blog, and she ran several tests, took some blood, etc., to make sure everything was working A-OK. I did find out I have a Vitamin D deficiency, (taking vitamins for that now) but my thyroid and glucose levels were just grand. She asked questions about what I eat, how often I exercise, and concluded that I’m on the right track to getting to my 23-pound-gone goal. Metabolism medicine isn’t an option for me, due to my history with heart palps, and I have to honestly say I was a little disappointed. Working this hard with no change on the scale has been frustrating, and having a “push” to get my weight loss moving was something I was secretly hoping for. But now that I’ve had time to mull it over, I’m glad I didn’t leave the doctor’s office with a prescription. Hard or not, this is my battle, and I’ve got to figure out what weapons work best to fight it. My NP advised me to do more strength training (30-45 minutes), so that will be goal #1. I already do about 10 minutes with Jillian every day, but I may have to seek out some additional workouts each week to give my muscles the optimum workout.
Any suggestions — great DVDs, online videos, classes?
Posted in Jillian Michaels 30-day shred, difficulties having children, losing weight before pregnancy, strength training for weight loss, weight loss medication | Comments Off
Sunday, October 4th, 2009
I can’t believe it is Sunday already…this weekend went by lightning fast! JD and I have had a wonderful few days together, and got so much accomplished. When I got home from work on Friday, I wanted to get my workout out of the way, so I quickly changed and completed my last day of Level 1 of Jillian Michaels shred challenge. I ended up sleeping in Friday morning (must make getting out of bed early a goal for this week), so no two workouts to make up for Thursday’s day off. JD and I did take Tex out for a brisk, 2-mile walk after I got done with the shred, so I guess that could count as an extra workout. But I’m going to add a day somewhere so I will have a full 30 days with Ms. Michaels. I didn’t take pictures of Friday’s meals, but I didn’t do too bad: Yogurt with toppings for breakfast; 1/2 cup chicken salad over greens and veggies for lunch; and grilled steaks, baked french fries and steamed asparagus for dinner. I did have a small piece of ice cream cake in celebration of someone’s birthday at work, but it was only a few bites. (Even though I was tempted to lick the bowl. HA!)
Saturday, the husband and I slept a little longer than we intended (think 10:15!), but we still got a ton of chores done around the house after this quick but yummy breakfast:
Grilled turkey, bacon and cheese sandwich on Ezekiel bread, with lettuce and tomatoes, and a side of frozen berries. The turkey and bacon were both hormone free!
In between weeding the flower bed, doing dishes and laundry, putting the last few things in our new china cabinet and helping the husband clean the back porch, I managed to do Day 1 of Level 2 of the shred. I had a hard time keeping up with all the moves, and it is definitely more difficult than the introductory level. I mean, walking push ups?! AHHH! I took the dog out after I finished my workout, but I was so shaky and tired, we only did a mile. Hopefully it will get somewhat easier (yeah, right!) I took the husband to Outback for dinner last night (his choice), and I got some great tilapia with mushroom sauce and veggies. I was a bit too full afterwards, so I probably should have boxed up half the fish. Oh well!
Today, I had some me time and went shopping alone. My friend Jessica’s bridal shower is next Saturday, so I was hoping to find a cute dress to wear to it. I didn’t see anything I really liked in the dress department, but I did buy some fall-appropriate shirts that are pretty cute. And, I didn’t get stuck this time. HA HA! I also got my grocery shopping done, and loaded up on some great eats for this week. I’m excited about tomorrow’s “Meg Makes It on Monday” meal!
I’m about to do Day 2 of Level 2 of the shred — say a prayer for me! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!
Posted in Jillian Michaels 30-day shred, shopping, weekend chores | Comments Off
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
…that’s what my coworker and friend, Monique, said to me when I sleepily walked in the office this morning. Those three little words were exactly what I needed to hear after a discouraging day yesterday. I want to thank everyone, including Tina and Brittany, for their kind words and suggestions. It is truly appreciated! And I was so excited today when I put on a pair of fall-appropriate corduroys that were borderline too tight last year, and they were surprisingly loose. So I guess another thanks is in order to Jillian Michaels for kicking my butt everyday with the shred challenge. Only three more days to go until Level 2! (Insert blood-curdling scream here) I also have to give a few kudos to Jessica for walking with me around our buildings at lunch, and to my dog for begging me to take him out when I got home. We went another 2 miles today, so I already have 4 for the week (plus however far Jess and I trekked)! Is this starting to sound like an Oscar speech or what?! Ha!
Here’s a few pics of today’s meals. I didn’t go over my allotted Weight Watchers points, and I’m feeling satisfied instead of stuffed. I drank a barrel of water too!
Breakfast was 1/2 cup organic plain yogurt, 1 cup frozen organic berries and 1/2 cup Kashi GoLean Crunch. I think I may thaw the fruit a bit before adding it to the yogurt next time, but it was still really good and filling! Beverages were water and lime La Croix. And yes, that is a yo-yo in the background…a little fun is in order sometimes when you live in a cube! 
Lunch was leftover WW bacon and scallop pasta. I added some broccoli and cauliflower for a little more color and vitamins.
Snacks included a juicy apple mid-morning from this bunch. I got a big bag of these for $4! I also noshed on this when I got home:
Since I had a starchy lunch, I went for a lower-carb dinner option: taco salad. Iceberg, tomatoes, 1/4 cup black beans, a few pieces of avocado, one slice of Colby-Jack cheese, sprinkle of olives, two dollops of Daisy sour cream, and of course the best part, organic, grass-fed ground beef. I don’t know if I can ever buy meat from a grocery store after tasting hormone-free beef. I definitely recommend it if you don’t mind paying a few extra dollars — every bite is worth it!
Tonight is the premiere of The Hills! I didn’t really watch it last season, but with the new girl in town (Kristen Cavallari), I’m anxious to see what kind of drama unfolds. I know, it’s bad reality TV, but as Miranda says in Sex and the City, “It’s my thing, let it go!” Ha Ha! Have a great night!
Posted in Jillian Michaels 30-day shred, The Hills, WW pasta, low-point taco salad, organic beef, organic yogurt and fruit, walking at lunch, weight loss encouragement | 4 Comments »
Monday, September 28th, 2009
I love some good Italian food every now and then, and luckily, Weight Watchers doesn’t mind it either. I still had all the ingredients I bought last week for bacon and scallop pasta from WW’s cookbook, “Take 5: 150 Five-Ingredient Recipes.” So to shave a few bucks off our grocery bill, I thought I’d go ahead and make it for my Monday menu.
This dish was light, flavorful and had just the right amount of onion and bacon. But really, what doesn’t taste good with bacon? Ha! I wanted to get some more veggies in for the day, so I altered the recipe a bit and added asparagus and zucchini. I would have preferred fresh scallops over frozen, since mine were on the small side and took a long time to thaw, but all in all I’d give the pasta a 9 out of 10. And, it was only 4 points per cup! I wish I could share the recipe, (dang those copyright laws) but next week, I promise to make something that allows me to post the ingredients and instructions. Here’s a few snaps from tonight’s dinner:
Chopping an O…can you see one of the other main ingredients in the background?
Multitasking at its finest. Ha! Browning the scallops and boiling water to cook the penne
I heart asparagus!
Cooking the veggies — onion as the recipe called for, with asparagus and zucchini that Meg called for.
Ta Da! Finished, with a couple of sprinkles of Parmesan on top. As our kitchen chef (I accidentally cut him off in the photo) says, “Bon Appetit!”
******
As far as exercise goes, I did really good today. I walked 2 miles with Tex, and I finished Day 6 of Jillian Michaels 30-day shred challenge. I fought with myself on whether or not I was going to do the workout, but ultimately, the determined me won.
I am feeling a little discouraged, because I weighed myself this morning, and I’m the exact same as I was when I first started this whole process at the end of July. I thought I’d be at least 10 pounds lighter at this point, and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I considered just taking a break tonight and not completing the workout, but giving up isn’t going to get me anywhere. And I know despite the stagnant weight loss, I am doing good things for my body. I just wish the scale would recognize all my efforts.
Is anyone else having or had a difficult time “jumpstarting” their weight loss? What did you do to get it going?
Posted in Jillian Michaels 30-day shred, Take 5: 150 Five-Ingredient Recipes, Weight Watchers points, bacon and scallop pasta, hard time losing weight | 6 Comments »
Friday, September 25th, 2009
Last night, I had a blast playing volleyball! I thought I was just going for a practice, but it turned out we were actually playing matches with not just one, but two teams. (Thanks for telling me, hubs!) I think I did pretty well considering my 10-year hiatus from the game. I made most of my serves, and I even spiked a ball that didn’t get returned! Score! We played for a good 2 hours or so, so by the time we got home, I was sweaty and exhausted. But, true to my word, I still trudged through Day 2 of Jillian Michaels 30-day shred challenge. The second time around seemed more tiring and tough than the first, but I’m sure the lingering soreness from Day 1 and playing in a muggy gym for several hours had something (or everything) to do with it.
Today, I have a serious exercise hangover. I am hobbling around like a 90-year-old grandma. It feels like every muscle I have is aching, and my arms are splattered with bruises from slamming a ball around. But while I may not be faring the best physically, emotionally, I’m super. I’m really sticking to the workouts, and I’m feeling leaner and healthier. I think others can see a difference as well. Last night, our friend, Amy, who also plays on our team, said, “Wow, you look like you’ve lost 10 pounds!” I wanted to give her a big bear hug! It’s nice when you are working so hard to hear things like that – truly motivating! I may weigh myself on Monday to see how I’m faring, but I don’t want to get discouraged if I’ve only lost a pound or two. I may need to take some measurements, because inches count too!
I’m going to complete Day 3 of the challenge tonight before heading out for my friend, Lori’s, birthday bash. Since I have already been to the restaurant we are dining at, I have a menu item in mind that won’t break the calorie bank: ahi tuna. I still haven’t had ahi that tasted as heavenly as the fish I sampled at the Black Dog Tavern on our honeymoon in Martha’s Vineyard, (for anyone visiting the island, seriously, get the ahi tuna. It is a food fantasy come true!) but the tuna at this eatery is pretty darn close.
Moi at the Black Dog Tavern in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. I’m probably thinking, “that’s the best tuna I’ve ever had!”
Tomorrow, I will be doing something besides shredding: antiquing! Lori and I are heading to an auction, where I will hopefully find the perfect curio cabinets for our dining room. I have some very pretty things that deserve a nice home over boxes.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Posted in Black Dog Tavern at Martha's Vineyard, Jillian Michaels 30-day shred, ahi tuna, antiquing, soreness from exercise, volleyball | Comments Off
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
If you do not hear from me, it is because Jillian Michaels killed me with crunches.
Love to you all,
Meg
Ok, so maybe I’m being a touch dramatic, but Day 1, Level 1 of Ms. Michaels 30-Day Shred was — needless to say — tough! I received my much-anticipated DVD in the mail today, and quickly put on workout clothes to see if it was every bit as hard as everyone says it is. After about two push ups, I knew I couldn’t call anyone a liar. Ha! For 20 long minutes, I lifted weights, did an endless amount of jumping jacks and squats and groaned my way through crunches. Jillian goes quickly from one “circuit” — 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs — to the next for a grand total of three 6-minute circuits. So, there’s really no time to catch a breath or gulp down water.
But, just when I thought I was going to pass out, it was time for the cool down. My whole body was shaking, and my legs had that awesome tired feeling when you know you’ve done a good workout. I love a challenge, and this workout definitely tested my limits. Plus, unlike some exercise DVDs that require a lot of equipment, this one only asked for weights and a mat if you have a hard floor. (Luckily, we have carpet.) I can only imagine what Levels 2-3 are like. I’m looking forward to getting to the 30-day finish line!
I felt good enough to go with the husband on the pup’s daily exercise routine, so we walked and talked for 2 miles around our neighborhood. All in all, I think it was a successful workout day for me, but I have a feeling the legs are going to feel a bit like lead tomorrow. Ha Ha!
I’m off to fix dinner now. Have a great night!
Posted in 2 mile walks, Jillian Michaels 30-day shred, circuit training, weights | 2 Comments »
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