Stress Eating?

I feel badly that I haven't posted in soooo long! I have to apologize in advance for the long post. 


Originally I was only taking a few weeks off because I went on an unexpected overseas trip (that was wonderful!). But things became crazier and crazier when I got back, and I have been under a great deal of stress. The stress wasn't about bad things - it was just stress (much was just made up in my mind).


A lot of the stress I was putting on myself was unneeded stress. Stress about things that were/are out of my control. That's just how I am wired. Unfortunately I worry about things that are far down the line; things that are completely out of my control. I am a natural born worrier, and it takes a toll on me sometimes. 


I said when I started this blog that I was going to stay true in my journey and tell you what I am thinking and doing as it relates to overall health and weight loss. I haven't changed that and this is probably the most open post I have written to date. 


The recent stress made me realize I truly do have a problem with food in some capacity. I found myself (during what were moments of what I thought to be real stress) turning to food (mainly carbs) for comfort and eating so much faster than normal. I felt better the moment I was eating and when I was "full" - but felt much worse the next day. 


I haven't been like this in so long - at least not since I've started this journey last year.  I do truly know that there are certain things that have been against me gene wise - as I was put on my first diet at 12 (even being an extremely active athlete at the time). However now I realize there is so much more to it. The mental factor is definitely there too which has made it a double whammy of sorts. 


I am so glad that I am now in a healthy, normal eating stage that makes me realize that what I was doing during those stressful times was abnormal, and I was able to get them under control.


My goal at the last post was just to maintain for June and then pick up the weight loss again for the rest of the summer. 


Over the past month I've been losing and gaining the same 2 pounds. I finally weighed myself this morning and I am up one pound since I last checked in with you. I hope to keep losing and losing now. I would really love to lose 50 additional pounds total but I'll just keep losing (even if losing slowly....) and see what feels right :).


One other update... the person that I was working with to update the blog fell through and I have a lot going on this summer. I am going to update the blog to make it much more user friendly. Including a navigation bar with an organized recipe tab, downloadable song recos etc. It's just going to take longer than I had originally hoped. Please be patient on this front :). It will eventually be great. I promise! My friend did design an amazing logo for me - that I was going to wait to show you until the blog was redesigned, but I will update the facebook page with it this week.


Hope you are all doing well! Welcome to all the new followers :). 
SONG THAT KEPT ME RUNNING THIS WEEK: "Party Rock Anthem" LMAFO. It's a good running song as it is upbeat and I have it on my playlist now before I get super sick of it from how much they are probably going to play it on the radio this summer! :)

RANDOM TIP OF THE WEEK: If you find yourself turning to food during stressful times - try to catch yourself before or doing and do something else. I would have loved to take a walk or un during those times but often it wasn't a possibility. My new favorite alternative is "tension tamer" tea. I don't know if it is mental, but it seems to have worked wonders on me :). 

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE: Chicken Paillard - the perfect summer dinner. You have to make this if you like arugula :). My friend Evie made this at her house one night for dinner, and I had to have the recipe to make again for my family and to share with you!

Chicken Paillard

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 1/3 cup pure olive oil (reserve 2 tbs for dressing below)
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground fresh black pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, pounded thinly
• Salt
• 1/2 pound arugula
• 2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, diced
• 1 small red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish (taken from 1/3 cup above)
• Lemon slices (slice them thinly into circles) for garnish

Directions

Yes, I grill.

Whisk together lemon juice, shallot, olive oil and black pepper in your favorite marinating pan, big bowl. Add the chicken, turn to coat and marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour. The longer the better!

Preheat grill to high. Remove chicken from marinade, season with salt on both sides and grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and just cooked through.

Combine arugula, tomatoes and onions in a large bowl, toss with the vinegar and oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place each paillard on a large plate, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and top with some of the arugula-tomato salad. Garnish with lemon halves.

NOTE - The key to this recipe is pounding the chicken SUPER thin prior to marinating it. If you don't like to deal with raw chicken and the clean up. Buy it from a butcher and have them do the pounding for you :).

Nutrition Information: 280 calories, 19 grams total fat (please note - this is based on the recipe above but the actual dish most likely has less as you don't use all the marinade to cook the chicken!) 3 being saturated, 9g carbs, 2g fiber, 17g protein. 7pp+

Notes on Running

It's been awhile since I've written about running, one of the major components of my journey, so I thought I would take some time to provide you with some of my latest notes on running...


As some of you know I've battled on and off with shin splints. Right now I am in a much better place with them because I started working on changing my form. Basically running with much smaller strides and being conscious of keeping my body in a straight line and pushing completely forward vs. also side to side.  Although I've only had time to look at a few parts of it so far, I am using Jeff Galloway's original "Book on Running" as a loose guide. This form change is taking me awhile to get used to, but has been helping me tremendously. I still am loving running! And running every other day! I am truly truly hooked. 


Gina Mooney, who I was introduced to through the "Another Mother Runner blog" (read her interview here), is an amazing mother of 5 who went through the same thing I am right now in terms of weight loss and beginning running (although she's much further down the journey than I am!). She also suffered from shin splints early on and hers turned into a stress fracture. She's helped me greatly and suggested the Galloway book to me. You can also check out her blog here.

Next Day Leftovers as Sandwich - delish!

I've lost a little over two more pounds since I've checked in with you last! woo-hoo!

I am taking a brief 2 week early summer hiatus from the blog. I will probably have some updates to the facebook page during that time, but won't see you back here until mid-June. I have a lot going on so I am just hoping to maintain all my recent loss over that time and not gain!

SONG THAT KEPT ME RUNNING THIS WEEK: "Mercy" Duffy (thanks for reminding me to re-add to my running playlist Randi!)

RANDOM TIP OF THE WEEK: Update your cool down song playlist. My current favorite song that I look forward to putting on as soon as a run is over is Aqualung's "Bright Than Sunshine", I also like Pearl Jam's "Just Breathe".
THIS WEEK'S RECIPES: "Clean" BBQ Chicken & Delicious Fresh Cole Slaw (the winner of these two is the slaw by far, so good!). Both recipes are based on recipes I found in April/May's Clean Eating Magazine and slightly modified.

BBQ Chicken

The nice thing about this recipe is you make your own sauce so you can control the amount of sugar, salt and other stuff that is in most BBQ sauces. It was really pretty good and easy but I am not going to run to make this again - I may just look for a cleaner, lower sugar bbq sauce.  (but the slaw that pairs with it below is very good and is going to be my go to summer slaw!) 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-4 4oz boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded thin)

*I forgot to pound them and it would have been MUCH better if I did!!

-black pepper

Sauce:

-1/4 cup tomato paste (no salt added if you can find it)

-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

-2 tbsp pure maple syrup

-2 tsp worcestershire sauce

-2 garlic cloves minced

-1 tsp onion powder

-3/4 tsp sea salt

-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

-2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a medium saucepan whisk together the following ingredients: 1/2 cup water, tomato past, vinegar, maple syrup,  worcestershire, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper flakes. Bring sauce to a boil on medium high and boil for about 3 minutes or until sauce reduces to about 3/4 cup. Remove from heat, stir in oil, divide sauce between 2 small bowls and let cool. Then sprinkle black pepper on both sides of chicken breasts. Place chicken on grill and cook for 3 minutes on medium high. Turn chicken over and brush some sauce over top and cook for 3 minutes. Then again turn chicken over and brush with the remaining sauce in the same bowl you just used and cook for 1 minutes. Finally turn chicken over and spoon the remaining sauce from the other bowl over the top and cook for 1 more minute or until no longer pink.

Light & Delicious Slaw

Serves 4

-3 cups of cole slaw with carrots

-1/4 of additional shredded carrots (optional)

-1/2 cup of celery thinly sliced

-1 banana pepper, seeded and diced 

-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

-1 tbsp safflower oil

-1 stevia packet

-1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (add a little more if you like spice)

-1/4 tsp sea salt

-1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and toss well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

I served the above with a slice of grilled multigrain bread sprayed with a little cooking spray and rubbed with garlic. 

Here is the nutrition info for 3 oz cooked bbq chicken, 3/4 cup slaw, and one piece of multigrain bread.

313 calories, 11g fat (only 1.5g being saturated), 24g carbs, 5g fiber, 29g protein, 8pp+

It's Ok to Take Care of Yourself

I read a great article in SELF magazine last month. It's about a woman who gained some weight for various reasons and felt too fat and embarrassed to return to the gym. I myself have felt "too fat for the gym" for many different reasons. I have also felt a little too guilty at times to take care of myself (like this woman has). This article is a great read for those who have struggled in this capacity.

http://www.self.com/health/2011/02/too-fat-for-the-gym

It's gotten a little warmer here, so I've been able to run outside a few times, which has felt great. I even busted out what I now like to think as my signature - the running skirt. I still had to wear pants underneath but the fresh air and scenery are so much better than the dreadmill! :)

At my own weekly weigh-in I was disappointed to find that I didn't lose an ounce this week! I weigh myself on wii fit and it weighs to the decimal point. I repeated the weigh-in twice, and both times I was exactly the same as last week. This week I am really going to ramp it up! I think I ate out too much last week, which as we all know is a nightmare for those losing weight - even when you order healthy, it's just not the same as preparing food yourself. This week I am only going out to eat once. I am also going to focus on drinking more water, which I haven't been doing. Except big numbers for next week's update. :) I still want to lose 12 by the end of April.

SONG THAT KEPT ME RUNNING THIS WEEK: "Dog Days Are Over", Florence + The Machine

RANDOM TIP OF THE WEEK: I hate wasting produce. Often my intentions with purchasing produce are better than what we can actually use in a week. And then before the week is up, I end up having to toss some - which I hate! I feel so guilty wasting. Well since I found green bags, I am wasting no more! I am currently OBSESSED with them. I think I first heard about them through Jillian Michaels. They make your produce last so much longer and are worth ever penny. They are even reusable. 

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE: Crazy Good Chicken Enchiladas. My husband has been nice about my leaner recipes for the most part, but as soon as he took a bite of these on Monday night he said, "Wow, that's a keeper! Honestly these are so good." So take it from him and try them :). 

Crazy Good Chicken Enchiladas

-4 medium whole wheat tortillas

-3/4 cup of 2% extra sharp shredded cheese

(note: in the picture below i was a little more heavy handed, it was one of those days :)

For sauce:

-15 oz tomato sauce

-5 gloves of garlic minced

-2 tsp chile powder

-1 tsp black pepper

-1/4 tsp kosher salt

For chicken mixture:

-1 pound chicken breast, cooked and shredded*

-8 oz of canned crushed tomatillos (you can sub. green chiles)

-1 tsp hot sauce (I use Sriracha and a bit more since I like spice)

-1 tsp ground cumin

-1 tsp chile powder

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp ground pepper

-1/4 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all chicken mixture ingredients in large non-stick pan over medium heat and cook a few minutes until heated through mixing well. Remove mixture from pan and place in bowl. Combine all sauce ingredients in same non-stick pan and cook about 10 minutes stirring well. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 8x11 or so dish. Top enchiladas with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake on center oven rack for 20 minutes. Let cool a few minutes. I love cilantro so I also sprinkled with cilantro, spring onions would be good too!

*Tip: This could be a labor intensive recipe if you try to cook everything at once. I poached and shredded double the amount of chicken during the day. Then I froze half the chicken (it defrosts quickly when it is shredded) - for future enchiladas or chicken salad. And I refrigerated the amount for this recipe until it was closer to dinner time so I had it on hand. 

Nutrition**: 360 calories, 9g of fat, of that 3 are sat. fat, 34 carb., 6g fiber, 38g protein. 9pp+

**note: you could reduce the calorie content by using small 5" whole wheat tortillas and making smaller portions. I would have, but the store I went to didn't have them. Or you could eat a half of one and have a size of veggies or salad. These are SO good don't pass them up!

Man in the Mirror

When I was thinking of a title for this post I kept getting Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" in my head. But I only know a few of the words of the chorus, so the same words keep coming in my head. "Sscimon, sssimon make that change... Man in the mirror... You know it... you know"

Basically I am going to keep this post short and sweet with a few random things that I've thought of this week... and when I am saying "you" below... I am really meaning myself.

If you want to change, change. It's really that simple. You are in control. But it takes hard work. Anything worth it usually does.

Don't you want to be at least the co-author of your own life? I do.

I started Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred and I really really like it. She is very motivating to get you through each workout. The workouts are broken into 20 minute workouts. Anyone should be able to fit that in their day. So far so good - it's an older DVD of hers and it's super cheap at Amazon or Target... so check it out! 

Progress update: I am on my way to losing 18 pounds by the end of April. I've lost a few pounds this week (weighed myself this morning) but I also had a great dinner out with friends tonight. And I could have made better choices (I hope it didn't undo too much of what I accomplished this week). One area I really need to work on is the going out to dinner part. Once I have a cocktail, I am more liberal with my choices. But I am on my way to losing 18 pounds by the end of April. 

How do you control what you eat when you go out? 

(please leave comment below or on the facebook page)

Have a great President's weekend everyone!

This picture is with Israeli/Pearl couscous

SONG THAT KEPT ME RUNNING THIS WEEK: "Firework" Katy Perry (I know this is an obvious one, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE working out to it and love the words). This song is also one of my husband's guilty pleasure songs...... so anyone who knows him, feel free to tease him about it.

RANDOM TIP OF THE WEEK: When you want a quick, healthy, comforting meal - have a "baked" potato topped with fat free greek yogurt. Not only does the greek yogurt provide the creaminess that you would get out of sour cream (without the fat), it adds a bunch of protein making it a more filling, complete meal. The quickest way I've found to get the baked potato taste is to wash throughly - poke holes all over with fork. Micro for 5 minutes and then flip and micro for 5 more minutes for a medium to large size potato.
THIS WEEK'S RECIPE: Chicken with Couscous, Orange & Mint

This dish is super easy & fast. It is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. It is delicious! My husband honestly loves this and I've made it twice. It's refreshing to be able to have oranges & the mint in the winter months.

Chicken with Couscous, Orange & Mint

This time with small whole wheat couscous

1 cup couscous

• 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken 
• (remove skin & use breast meat)
• 1/3 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
• I found unsalted, unroasted ones @Trader Joe's)
• To toast just cook on low in a dry non-stick pan & toss
• 1 navel orange, peeled and coarsely chopped
• I cute the rind off & actually end up using 2 oranges
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
• coarse salt and ground pepper to taste
• Directions:
• In a medium bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over couscous. Cover and let sit until tender, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. In another medium bowl, combine chicken, pistachios, orange, mint, oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Toss couscous with chicken mixture. Serves 4.
• Sorry if this post is slightly scattered - it's late and if I didn't get it out tonight, I wouldn't have had a new post this week.