Day 26: I Can See the Finish Line!

Hey all!

Thanks for hanging in there with me for 26 days!  I can't believe it's almost over!  I went to Eternal Fitness & Nutrition today for the final weigh-in and body scan, but will reveal the results on my last day!  I had to go a little early because the weigh-in times this weekend conflicted with my work schedule.

For breakfast, I enjoyed another bowl of Raisin Bran.  Oh man, I just realized I ran out of sliced almonds!  Well, I'll just eat it without the almonds tomorrow...no big emergency!

I had the day off, so I had some time to work on packing for my trip to WI next week, paint an art project for our upcoming craft fair at work and do a little cooking.  I cooked up my version of the sweet potato parsnip latkes that Brian made a few weeks ago at the Engine 2 meeting.  Unfortunately, it was a giant fail.  Somehow, there was an overwhelming off-putting taste going on with the pancakes.  I tried eating one topped with unsweetened applesauce, but it just didn't make it much better.  Oh well, at least I tried it out.

For a snack, I made up some more brown rice tortilla chips and ate it with homemade guacamole.  Now, THAT was good!

The only thing about the guacamole was that it gave me a stomachache.  I put in lots of fresh garlic and onion and think it just didn't sit well with my stomach.  I decided to forgo my plans for this afternoon and take a nap with a heating pad on my stomach.  It kinda helped, but I still woke up with a sore stomach.  Maybe it's just more sensitive from the E2 Diet.  Who knows?

I was planning on making some pad thai for dinner, but didn't think I could handle it.  I didn't want to go to the store to grab something that might absorb the icky feeling in my stomach (like a nice big piece of whole grain bread), so I dug through my cupboard until I found an option.  I boiled up the leftover whole grain noodles I bought for the mushroom stroganoff I made a few weeks ago.  I served them in a bowl with a little unsalted vegetable broth with some sliced shitake mushrooms.  I simmered the mushrooms in the broth for a few minutes so they were tender.

This meal helped me feel a bit better.  Yay!

I also whipped up more pudding tonight!  I don't think I'll eat it til tomorrow, but yay! 

Today I felt:  Bummed my latkes didn't turn out, Sore from a sour stomach, Glad my noodles helped my stomach.

Thanks for reading!  Just two more days!!!

Day 25: Almost Missed This Post...Sleep Made Me Do It

Hey all!  Day 25!  And that's right, I just woke up. I've been staying up late each night cooking and blogging, and was the opener at work today, which means I had to start my shift at 6:45 AM.  I ran a bunch of errands after work and got home around 5:30. 

Today started wtih my favorite cereal with almond milk (I'm still not sick of Raisin Bran!)  And again for my snack at my 15 minute break, I had a granny smith apple with almond butter.  Mmmm  I only had one tea today because I was out of my regular green tea packets.  I tried my kombucha herbal tea packet, but the flavor was stronger than my usual tea, so I just finished that cup but decided to wait until I bought more of my usual.  I like the green tea that comes in 100 packs for like $4. 

At lunch time, I finished up my 4 for $4 Health Starts Here salad pack from yesterday and ate a Larabar on the side as well.

I was glad to get off work a little early today (2:30).  I think my late nights added to some typical work frustrations really put me in a mood.  So, anyway, things started cheering up when I clocked out, especially since I'm off tomorrow!

After running some errands, I arrived at home and was really really hungry.  My lunch didn't really fill me up for that long, so I was already ready for dinner.  I made what was supposed to be a lunch extension around 6:00, but that turned out to be my dinner.  I cooked up the rest of my tofu into Chicken Baked Tofu and the second half of a sweet potato into oven chips.  Yum!

I had a lot of big plans for tonight.  I was going to paint and cook my spaghetti squash.  But instead, I had half a glass of red wine, FaceTimed my twin and then fell asleep on my bed until 10:45 PM!  My cat woke me up because it was very past her dinner time!  Oh no!

So, sorry to disappoint again, but I look an awful mess right now and will skip the progress photo.  All the more progress to be shown in tomorrow's photo however!

Tomorrow, I'll make more pudding, and that'll be awesome!!! 

Today I felt:  Hungry because I didn't eat enough at lunch, Sleepy, and Proud we have just a few days left!

Thanks for reading!  Good luck to you all!

Day 24: Wow, We're Almost Done!

If you asked me 24 days ago how I think I'd feel today, I'd say "READY FOR A PIZZA!" But, I am proud to say that I don't really have those cravings as much!  Sure, the rotisserie chickens coming through my lane today smelled divine, but I don't crave those greasy cheesy indulgences I used to snarf down. I guess my taste buds are really evolving!

I really hope I can keep this up after the challenge ends.  I mean, like I've said, I am going home to WI next week (NEXT WEEK OH MY GOSH!) and will be eating some pizza at my twin's baby shower, and maybe some fish fry...  But I hope to still make healthy decisions for the majority of the trip.  Also, I can have a couple pieces of pizza...not 10.  And I can eat one piece of fish and take the rest home....or get baked fish instead of fried.  Either way, I'll get back into a healthy habit as soon as I get back to Music City! 

I still had a headache when I woke up, so I stayed in bed as long as I could.  I rocked a hat and skipped my shower, although the hot water would have probably made me feel a bit better.  I stopped at the pharmacy on the way to work and grabbed some headache medicine.  I typically don't take that stuff, but my sister suggested a different kind.  I picked up an orange juice at the pharmacy and ate a banana and Larabar in the car on the way to work.

On my 15 minute break, I had a granny smith apple with almond butter.  Surprise Surprise right?  Oh, that and the hot green tea with lemon and ginger juice. I didn't really have anything prepared to bring for lunch, so I bought some at work.  It's pretty convenient working at Whole Foods - I always have an option for lunch if I don't pack one.  I bought our 4 for $4 Health Starts Here special.  It's such a good deal!  I got the garlicky kale, cilantro lime quinoa, mint dill cucumber salad, and the deconstructed hummus.  I ate a little more than half, so will have some left for lunch tomorrow.  I may need to buy something else to eat with it.....maybe a Larabar or some rice.

After work, I headed over to the Engine 2 meeting!  Tonight's guest was Yusuf Rahman.  He is the Owner/Operator of Eternal Fitness & Nutrition and is taking our body measurements at the end of the Challenge.  We were weighed (at Whole Foods) by someone from Eternal Fitness & Nutrition at the beginning of the Challenge, but will go to Eternal Fitness & Nutrition's location for our final weigh in.  They'll take our body mass index and some other measurements....which is pretty neat!  I hope I'll have lost a little more by then!

Yusuf also talked about the importance of exercise and getting your heart rate to a certain level that is appropriate for you.  I do think I need to work out more.  Besides the fact that I spend a lot each month for my YMCA membership, it's important to take care of myself on the fitness level...not just nutrition.  My ongoing cold kind of kept me from working out during this Challenge, but I did get to the Y a few times and will aim for more this week!

After Yusuf's presentation, Michael Martin, Whole Food's Cooking Coach, gave us a cooking class!  He is suuuuuuch a great chef and I love learning from him.  He's always willing to give me cooking tips and I've made some awesome stuff just from recipes he' s told me off the top of his head.  Actually, he really helped me figure out the enchilada sauce recipe!  Tonight, Michael made an Indian Greens & Beans dish.  It had garbanzo beans, onions, curry powder, diced tomatoes, parsley, vegetable broth, toasted pumpkin seeds and wilted spinach.  It was served over brown rice.  Yum!

He also made a delicious garlic tahini salad.  It was kind of like the garlicky kale we sell at Whole Foods (and that I make a lot), but it has some different ingredients.  He also served the dressing over baby kale, sliced red cabbage and radish slices.  I want to add cabbage and radish to my garlicky kale salads!

For dessert, we were treated with the Engine 2 recipe: Adonis Cake!  This cake was OUTTA SIGHT!  I plan to make it on the last day of the challenge as a treat!  It was a chocolate egg-less cake made with whole wheat flour.  The frosting was made with silken tofu and semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Oh my gosh!  So so good!  Dori served the cake in little cups with raspberries on top. I had three since there were leftovers!

These Engine 2 meetings are fun! I met another nice lady tonight, Suzanna.  She sat with me and we chatted a bit.  She's going to look up my blog....hi Suzanna!  By the way, I have more international readers!  Poland has been added to my list of page views!  In fact, here's a map of the countries reading my blog.  Countries shaded in green have tracked page views.

So that's: United States
Canada
Germany
Australia
United Kingdom
Ireland
Costa Rica
India
Norway
Poland

Isn't that cool!?  Tonight, I got home and even though I have a headache again and actually a bit of a stomachache now, I forced myself to make dinner.  First, I got back to a project I started a few days ago.  I lined a baking pan with parchment paper and spread the cooked garbanzo beans (from a few days ago) evenly out on the baking pan. I sprinkled a few drops of liquid aminos over the beans and rolled them around to try to disperse the liquid aminos evenly.  Then I just sprinkled the garbanzos with chilli powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika and nutritional yeast.  I rolled the garbanzos around to evenly coat them, then popped them into a 425 degree oven.  I baked the garbanzo beans until crunchy, which takes about a half an hour.  These are really good!  Watch em close at the end though, or they'll burn!  A few did...oops!

                           The photo is a bit dark, but there they are!  Aren't they beautiful!?

I also baked another portabella mushroom cap with balssamic vinegar and Hot Chicken Baked Tofu.  Yum! I was planning on having more pudding, but apparently ate it all!  I soaked some dates, though, to make more pudding tomorrow.

And here's my progress photo!  Just a few more left!

Today I felt:  Excited about how good the chocolate cake was, Happy to find another healthy snack option (crunchy garbanzo beans) and proud I've been plant-strong for 24 days! 

Thanks again for reading!  Have a great day!

Day 23: This is Why I Should Plan Ahead!

Hi all!  Day 23 already!  I've had some customers ask me about the challenge, and it's cool to see people are still interested!  I am getting more compliments on the changes in my body.  People say they notice my face is less puffy.  That's pretty rad! 

Today started with my favorite Raisin Bran with almonds and then a banana and almond butter for a snack.  I drank a few hot green teas with lemon and ginger too.

For lunch, I ate a garlicky kale salad and finished up my pad thai leftovers.  They were so good, but I think I packed too much.  It was a lot of noodles and I felt kind of heavy during the last portion of my shift.  I am planning on making more pad thai this week (since I have more green onions and cilantro to use up before it goes bad), but am going to use a spaghetti squash to replace the pad thai noodles.  Thank Jen Coyle, my cool twin, for the genius idea!

I picked up some more groceries at work today and also plan to make the sweet potato/parsnip pancakes with horseradish sauce soon.

I got home tonight and had a terrible headache.  It actually runs from my head and neck down into my shoulder.  I injured that muscle, the trapezius, a few years ago at a gig.  Anyway, the injury has gotten a lot better, but tonight, I'm feeling pretty blah.  I've been in bed for a few hours.  I want to make dinner, but don't feel up to it. My kind roommate offered to make me soup, but we don't really have any fixins in the house for E2 soup, so I'm just sitting up here trying to figure out what to do.  I could have an apple with almond butter, or another bowl of cereal.  I'll get one of those options soon enough.  And I have more pudding, which is packed full of the great nutrients from avocado, chia seeds, bananas and almond milk! 

I'm also too blah for a progress photo. Sorry guys!  But, if you're dying to see what I'm doing, here's a few photos of me and my headache...

 

 I want my mommy!

 

                                                                Ooowwww my head hurts!


Well guys, tomorrow is another day. I hope to sleep off this headache and wake up feeling lots of energy for work, with added energy afterwards to cook up some good meals.  Good luck to my fellow E2ers and thanks to everyone for reading!

Today I Felt:  Proud of my cooking skills (with my pad thai leftovers), Happy I bought more almond butter, Eager to think of other go-to E2 dishes (that are easy if you aren't feeling up to cooking a lot).

Day 22: I Lost Some More Weight!

Day 22!  Holy Moly! Just 6 more days!

Today was one of my days off, and that's always fun for me!  I stayed up until about 2:30 AM last night working on some art projects (I can't post photos because they're for my twin's upcoming baby shower!)  After waking up to do some more crafting...then falling asleep again, I finally got up and dug into some Raisin Bran with almond milk.

I lounged around my bedroom, filed my taxes, and finished this adorable art project!  I really wish I could show ya, but my twin reads my blog everyday! Hi Jen!  By the way, my sister is just the best.  You already know that she sent me roses on Valentine's Day, but she calls me every morning and is so supportive of me in everything that I do.  Everyone needs a Jen Coyle in their life!

Ok, let's get back to E2!  I was hungry a couple hours after my cereal, so I had a banana with some almond butter on it.  I love that stuff!  Then, I headed out to Franklin for a Bible study.  I stopped in to Whole Foods to grab a blueberry muffin flavored Larabar.  That was my lunch I guess.  Well, that and some hot green tea with lemon and ginger juice.

I had a great time at the Bible study.  It's great to have time to learn and also chat with some kind ladies about our lives.  I feel very appreciated and special there, which keeps me bouncin' through the day.  :)

After that, I popped into the YMCA.  I didn't have a ton of time to workout, but did lift some weights, and plan to get more workouts in this week....well, that's the hope!  And guess what?  I lost a little more weight!  I figured I wouldn't lose as much as I did in the first portion of the E2 Challenge, but was very excited to see that I lost another 2 pounds since last week!  So, that's a total of 10 pounds in 22 days!  Not bad!  Maybe I'll get another 2 pounds off by weigh-in next week.  There are prizes for the most weight loss at our Engine 2 Meet Ups at Whole Foods, and, being super competitive, I'd LOVE to win one!

When I got home, I got to cooking the garbanzo beans that I soaked overnight.  I put them in a big pot of water and added ground turmeric, ground cayenne pepper, ground paprika, ground cumin, ground ginger and ground garlic powder.  I covered the pot and brought it to a boil and then reduced to a simmer for about and hour...until the garbanzos were tender.  I strained the garbanzos and let them cool before packing them in a jar and putting them in the refrigerator.  I will bake them tomorrow until they are a crispy snack.  I planned on doing it tonight, but it'd take too long and I wanted to get upstairs and have some time to relax.

For supper, I had my favorites: Heather's Hot Chicken Baked Tofu and asparagus.

I also made a fun appetizer (since I didn't have much for lunch and was so hungry), baked brown rice tortilla chips and homemade salsa!  My tomato went rotten (gross!) but I used some leftover homemade enchilada sauce to use as the base.  To that, I added fresh minced garlic, onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, cilantro and lime juice.  And the last ingredient (which is what I learned at the E2 meeting from Brian) was minced banana!  It added a hint of sweetness and toned down the spice level...since it was pretty darn spicy!  This is such a great snack, and is so easy!

For dessert, I made another batch of chocolate pudding!  I'll probably branch out and try the brownie recipe in a day or so, but I had all the ingredients for this.  I made my Brownie Batter Chia Seed Pudding recipe but also added some unsweetened coconut flakes and avocado.  It was a great mix!

                                                            Yuuuuuuummmmy pudding!

   Day 1: 176 pounds  

Day 22: 166 pounds (10 lbs lost)

Pretty cool to look at these photos together!  What's cookin' good lookin'? :)

Today I felt: Proud of my weight loss, Pleased with my delicious salsa and chips, Glad to make more pudding!  I just can't get enough of it!

Thanks again for reading!  By the way, I reached my goal of 4,000 views!  I'm at around 4,285 views now!  So, maybe I can hit 5,000 views by the end!

Day 21: Feeling Great

It's Day 21!  Wow!  Just 7 more days!

Today was a pretty great day.  It was super sunny and warm here in Nashville, and I was in a good mood all day long.  I started my morning the way I've been starting it for the last two weeks, with Raisin Bran and almond milk.  I made a hot green tea with lemon and ginger juice before my shift started and sipped on that for a while.

On my 15 minute break, I snacked on a granny smith apple, cut into slices, with almond butter spread on the slices.  I love that mixture, and it keeps me full for 2.5 hours until lunch time.

For lunch, I had leftover Pad Thai.  I got a lot of compliments in the break room about how good it looked and smelled! I sure felt proud hearing those kind words.

After work, I bought a few groceries.  I had to stock up on a few items I was out of, so I picked up a big bottle of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, a bottle of lemon juice, a bottle of ginger juice and a two-pack of unsweetened almond milk.  They don't sell the unsweetened vanilla almond milk in a two-pack, but you save close to $2 getting the two-pack.  I can always add a little vanilla extract if I really want vanilla flavoring.

Once I got home, I frantically did my chores.  I have tomorrow off and would rather spend the day doing things I want to do instead of things I need to do.  I put my chicken baked tofu in the oven and used the timer on that as my motivation to get my work done.  I really moved fast and finished most.  For dinner, I had sweet potato chips, chicken baked tofu, a baked portabella mushroom cap and a garlicky kale salad with baby kale. 

Dinner was really good!  And I was glad to have a mason jar full of the garlicky kale dressing so I could just whip up a salad real fast.  It's always good to prep food in advance.  I'll have to think of other things to prep for this upcoming week.  Hmmm....  To finish the night off, I ate the rest of my delicious avocado chocolate pudding that I made last night.  I soaked some dates and have them sitting in the fridge.  I'll make more pudding tomorrow.  Oh, and I am soaking some garbanzo beans overnight too.  I'll cook them up tomorrow and then will bake them with seasoning on top until they are crunchy.  Dori, our Healthy Eating Specialist at Whole Foods, suggested that as a delicious snack.  Doesn't that sound good?

Today I felt:  In a good mood, flattered by compliments about my slimming figure, excited for 7 more days of E2!

Thank you to all my readers!  Have a great start to your week!!!

Day 20: Pad Thai Night

Hi all! It's Day 20! Wooooow!

First of all, I need to apologize for my crazy blog from yesterday! I thought I published it last night, but realized this morning that I didn't. Like I said, I was falling asleep while writing it and DID fall asleep, which is why it didn't post til morning.

Anyway, my dinner with Nathan was lots of fun. He's a great friend and we always have fun conversations. And MAN! I can't get over how good his avocado pudding was! Just amazing! 

It's no surprise that I ate another delicious bowl of raisin bran with added almond slices this morning. Still as good as ever...so why change?

I was stiil so tired this morning that I slept in as long as I could and didn't have time to pack a lunch. I really didn't have much to pack though, so I guess that's ok!

We sometimes do Pop Up Shops at Whole Foods that offer unique lunch specials. Sometimes it's quesadillas or ham and gruyere sandwiches or taco salads, etc. I was really fortunate today because it was a Quinoa Slider Pop Up Shop! They even put mine on special whole wheat mini pitas so I could stay E2 true.

It was so good! Top with a mustard sauce and onions! I really lucked out with that lunch.

After work, I got to thinking about dinner. I've only got one frozen enchilada left and want to save that, so I'd have to make something new. I was debating between an E2 burger or pasta when it hit me! An incredible craving for Pad Thai! So, that's exactly what I made!

This was my first time making it, and I must say, I was very pleased with my creation.

Here's the rough recipe (I say rough because I didn't exactly measure things when throwing them in.)

Heather Jean's Pad Thai

1 package brown rice pad Thai noodles

2/3 package extra firm tofu

1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 baby bok choy, sliced

1 cup fresh brocolli, chopped

2 inches ginger, peeled and minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp no-salt/no-oil added peanut butter

5 soaked dates

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp lime zest

Juice of 1 clementine 

2 cups water

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 fresh jalapeño, minced

Liquid aminos

2 tbsp vinegar 

Garnish Ingredients

2 tbsp chopped green onion

1 tsp sesame seeds

Juice of 1/2 lime 

1 tbsp raw peanuts

Tofu Directions

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Slice tofu into long thin slices. Lay each tofu slice on the baking pan and sprinkle with lime juice, ground ginger and sesame seeds. Bake until firm (about 25minutes.) 

Sauce Directions

Sauté 1/4 cup onion, garlic and ginger. Once it starts to stick to the pan, add the water, celementine and lime juice, lime zest, dates, pepper, cilantro, red pepper flakes, jalapeño, vinegar and peanut butter. Mix well and simmer on low until tender. Take off heat and cool for 10 minutes. Once cooked a bit, blend until smooth and return to heat, simmering on low.

In another pan, add the rest of the onion plus the red pepper, bok choy and brocolli. Sauté until tender. Add a splash of liquid aminos plus a sprinkle of raw sesame seeds once cooked and tender. 

Boil the brown rice Pad Thai noodles until tender. Drain and add the noodles to the sauce. Then add the veggies. Plate and garnish with a squeeze of lime juice, fresh green onion, cilantro and the raw peanuts. Then...dig in and ENJOY!!

I'll tell ya, I am super happy with how it turned out! The noodles were a tad sticky (maybe I needed to rinse them?) but I really enjoyed my meal! And it was nowhere near as unhealthy as the Pad Thai take-out I typically would have gotten!

For dessert, I made more chia pudding, but added an avocado this time like Nathan did. It is SO SO good! Rich and creamy! Oh man! The best!

All in all, today was a great day of flavors! I'm a lucky girl.

And look! I got a haircut! 

Today I felt: So pleased with my Pad Thai, Excited about my new haircut, Glad I had an avocado for the pudding!!

Thank you for reading! Just one week left!