The No-weight Weigh-in

There will be no weigh-in today.

If you read last week's weigh-in post, you'll partly understand why I am avoiding the scale at all costs this week.

The deeper reason is that I think I've become a slave to the scale. Sure, it started out with a casual weekly hop on the scale to see how I was progressing, but then I started jumping on every few days. Then daily. Then morning and night. I didn't like what I was doing. It felt really obsessive and my husband started looking at me funny and asking "Are you on that thing again?".

Besides, I'm not mentally prepared to play the game this week. The last few days have been somewhat chaotic. I've had no exercise, late nights, done a lot of mental gymnastics for work and ate a lot of french fries. You read that correctly. French fries.

I hope to get back on track this weekend.

Tasty Tuesdays #4 - Mexican Stuffed Peppers

This recipe is adapted from Clean Eating Magazine - one of my favourite sources for recipes that are diet friendly! It is a vegetarian dish that can easily be made vegan by omitting the dairy. It is a snap to make and you can squeeze in a quick workout while it cooks up. :P


Ingredient round up: plain yogurt, brown rice (1 c prepared), black beans (1 cup), olive oil, garlic, tomato, chile powder, cumin, 4 red peppers, fresh cilantro, onion, frozen corn (1 cup) and low fat cheese (not shown).


To start things off, make sure your brown rice is COOKED. You will need 1 cup. Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 375-degrees. Begin by chopping your tomatoes and onions. Put them into a large bowl with the corn, black beans and rice.


Now it is time for the flavoring agents! Add a few cloves of minced garlic, 1/4 tsp of chile powder, 1 tsp olive oil and a good handful of chopped cilantro*. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper in the mixture. Mix well!


Mmmm....it's coming together now!


Red peppers in various stages of deconstruction! Wash them, cut them in half and remove the stems and seeds. These will be the 'cups' for your stuffing.


Time to get messy. There really is no graceful way to do this...just roll up your sleeves and cram a half-cup of stuffing into each pepper.


Add the peppers to a baking dish that has been sprayed with a little cooking spray. Cover the dish in aluminum foil. These will go into the oven for 40-45 minutes. I actually did a quick treadmill workout while these baked up - can you believe it?! When the time is up, top each pepper with a tablespoon of Tex Mex cheese (my cheat: shredded cheese seasoned with a bit of cumin). Let bake for another 5-10 uncovered until the cheese is melted and golden.


That's the ticket! I serve these up with a green salad, a couple of avocado slices and a dollop of plain low fat yogurt or sour cream.

Enjoy!
Rae
xo

*NOTE: cilantro is one of those "love it or hate it" herbs. If you haven't tried it before, make sure you like it first! You can substitute fresh basil or parsley if you place it in the 'hate it' camp. ;)

255.5 (-2.5)

I have no confidence in my scale. I stepped on it this morning to get a reading of 253. What!? Not possible!!! I got on again to see 258, then 254.8...oh boy. I tried to be as consistent as possible in how I stood on the thing, took the average of 5 weights, and this is what I ended up with.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good, reliable scale?

This will be a short post. I'm heading back up to my inlaw's cottage for the weekend. Did I mention my parents are coming?? Yup. Don't worry - this isn't one of those awkward situations. I get along with my inlaws famously. They are great people and really enjoy seeing my family. It only happens a handful of times each year. They are very different from my parents on so many levels though. I hope the thunderstorms that have been looming in the forecast hold off so that we're not all stuck in the cottage trying to find things to do. I need to do my daily swim across the bay, after all. ;)

Have a great weekend!!
Rae
xo

Tasty Tuesdays #3 - Lentil & Bean Casserole

This recipe is one of my ole standbys - perfectly balanced, suitable for cooking in batches, freezer-friendly and fantastic as leftovers. Sometimes I think I should call this my Shorty Casserole because it's good when you're short on time, short on energy or short on money!


Ingredients Round-up: onion, celery, carrots, fresh oregano, diced tomatoes, lentils and kidney beans (I used canned out of sheer laziness - feel free to substitute for the real thing!).


Begin by cleaning and dicing all of your ingredients. Now is a good time to rinse your beans and lentils.


Grab a large saute pan and heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium. Add your mirepoix and cook until the ingredients have softened. Do not let them brown! This should take a good 5-10 minutes. I've been known to add a healthy splash of white wine at this stage, but seeing as I'm trying to be "good" this week, I skipped it. ;)


Next, add your diced tomatoes and oregano. Bring this to a boil then let it simmer with the lid on for 5-10 minutes.


You're ready to add your lentils and beans.


Mixy, mixy....looking good!


If you are eating this immediately, you can dump this concoction into a casserole dish, top it with shredded skim mozzarella and broil for a few minutes in the oven. I've chosen to take these little beauties to work for lunch, so I'll just melt the cheese when I re-heat.

Enjoy!
Rae
xo

258 (-3.0)

She's baaaaaa-aaack!

Hey everyone. I've just returned from vacation and I'm so excited to be posting about a loss. Trading in 8 to 10-hours per day of desk time for swimming, golf and walking is apparently enough to offset the odd ice cream cone, beer and licorice (Super Nibs to be specific!). I've had a fantastic couple of weeks and the weight loss is a bonus. In addition to cottaging, we went to see the Toronto Blue Jays play some baseball, visited with friends and family, went trout fishing, golfed our butts off and enjoyed our summer freedom.

It seems a lot has been happening in Blogland while I was away, so I promise to get around and see what everyone has been up to. I love reading all of your stories for inspiration and motivation and, selfishly, I think I'll need some of that to get back "on plan" in the week ahead!

Have a great weekend!
Rae
xo

wish you were here

Hey everyone! This is just a quick note to confirm I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I'm enjoying a FANTASTIC summer vacation. Internet access has been nil, as I've been spending the past week up at the family cottage in Northern Ontario doing a lot of this:


I haven't bothered to step on a scale, but I will do the dreaded post-holiday weigh-in when I'm back at home next week. So far, I have the following to report...
Biggest Accomplishment: swimming across the bay and back every day
Biggest Indulgence: 2-scoop Praline & Cream ice cream waffle cone
Biggest Improvement: getting my golf score to 90
Biggest Setback: Not running. At all. Like, haven't done it since Sunday.

Hopefully all the activity I've been doing will offset my poor meal planning. Er....maybe I should spend the second week of vacation being a little more disciplined!?

Hope you're having a good one!
Rae
xo

261 (-3.6)

First, Happy Canada Day to all my Canuck friends!

It's been two weeks since I weighed in, so I was a little reluctant to step on the scale this morning. It's not that I've been off plan per se - I just haven't been writing down my food or exercise as diligently as I was in previous weeks. Anyhenny, to be down about 3 pounds in 2 weeks isn't anything complain about, I suppose.

I could recap my exercise in detail, but I have something MUCH better to share with you today. I've received a lot of advice, but none is better than the advice dispensed in this song. The older I get the more I realise how true it is.



Rae
xo