Day two has begun! (And, by the time I post this, will probably have ended.) We are officially in diet mode! So far I'm feeling very motivated! I'm taking my calories using the MyFitnessPal app. In order to keep myself from snacking throughout the day, I'm working more on the house, watching less TV during down time, especially while the kids are sleeping, and working on other little projects. :) Hopefully this will keep my snacking to a minimum. However, when I am ready for a snack, I have some healthy choices available!!
Snack - Cauliflower Pizza Bites
I made these yesterday so we would have them to snack on throughout the week. They are DELICIOUS!! Michael and I each have the recipe two thumbs up! They were a little crumbly, so there is room for improvement, but the recipe is awesome!! Next week we're going to try a different recipe in the same style and see if we like it better. :) Michael and I made these after the kids went to bed. We sampled them, but the kids haven't tried them yet. We might save these for ourselves this week and give the kids some when we figure out how to keep them together a little better. ;)
Snack - Raw Chocolate Energy Bites
I know I've said to people that I'm following the recipe to the T, and for our meals this month, I am. The snacks, however, I'm trying to use ingredients we already have and not have to buy a whole lot extra. I altered this recipe a little. I used 1/2 cup sunflower seed kernals, and 1/2 cup pistachios for the nuts. I also only used 4 dates, because somewhere between looking up the recipe and going to Whole Foods (the greatest store ever, but that's a post for a different day) I got it in my head that I needed exactly 4 dates. :P Oh well! These turned out really yummy!! I think they'll be great when I'm craving something sweet! :) Michael and I gave these 4 thumbs up too! Yay for delicious snacks!!
Breakfast - Spinach and Artichoke Egg Casserole
Today's breakfast was just OK. I think the biggest problem I had with it was that it wasn't quite set when I pulled it out and Michael and I agree breakfast together before he left. I put it back in the oven, which was still hot, but no longer on, with the remaining 4 servings, which seemed to set the rest of the eggs great! Michael gave this recipe 1 thumb up, he said it was OK, but want sure about the spinach and artichoke combo. I gave this recipe 0 thumbs up. I know, right!?!? The picky eater gave it more thumbs up!! So here's why I gave it a 0... I bought whole artichokes instead of a jar of artichoke hearts - mistake #1. Breaking down an article is a HUGE pain! I will not make that mistake again. I didn't leave it in the oven an extra 5 minutes to make sure the eggs were completely set - mistake #2. While it tasted fine and was cooked through, it was just a little under where I prefer my eggs to be. The edges where the eggs were more browned and crispy were better. Finally, I thought to myself, do I want to eat this again? My answer: not really. The artichokes weren't really my thing. But hey, you never know until you try. :) Avery want a fan of this one either. Although she did easy a few bites in order to get her juice. (I wanted her to at least try it before she decided she didn't like it. My great little eater, version 1.0, did!) Redeeming qualities for this recipe: I originally gave it 1 thumb up, because it didn't taste bad, just want my favorite. Connor loved it! Ate his whole piece! If you like spinach and artichoke (especially artichoke), you might like this recipe, but it wasn't my cup of tea. :\
Lunch - Shrimp Caesar Salad
This recipe gets 3 thumbs up total. One from Michael, two from me. I'm a bigger shrimp eater than Michael is. I also handle salad a little better. Connor ate most of his salad, except a few bigger pieces of lettuce. Avery only ate the shrimp. ;) She is sooo my daughter. :P I can't find the link again for this recipe, so here are the instructions:
-Thaw 12 oz ready to eat shrimp by running under cool water
-Combine 12 cups romaine lettuce, 4 chopped tomatoes, and 4 tbsp chopped onion in a large bowl. (I used about 1/2 of a red onion sliced really thin on my mandolin)
-Top with 4 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
-Add shrimp to salad
-Finish with 8 tbsp lite Caesar dressing
Makes 4 servings
Dinner - Steak Tacos with Lime Mayo
This recipe gets 3 thumbs up too! Michael and I were both on the 1-2 line, so we decided to split it. ;) There were a couple things that we'd like to improve upon on this recipe. I thought the lime was a little overpowering (although it tasted INCREDIBLY authentic, took me right back to eating tacos off the street in Mexico City!) and Michael thought the steak should have been cut up more (my fault, not the recipes) and he wasn't sure about the corn tortillas (again, this truly took me back to Mexico, yum!). Avery wasn't nuts about this recipe. She ended up eating a banana for dinner (I did offer her more, but that was all she wanted, and she did eat a snack later). Connor wasn't as crazy about the peppers, but he did eat some of them, most of his meat, and all of his tortilla (he and Avery eat had 1/2 a serving, one taco). Overall, it was a success and we'll happily have it again! :)
Snack - Apple and Banana Oat Muffins
I made another snack today (remember those other two were yesterday). We eat a lot of muffins in this house because they are basically baking casseroles, just throw in whatever you have on hand and it'll be great. :P I had a recipe for these, but, with the exception of the apple, I had everything in the house already! I used whole wheat flour because I have no clue what 60% wheat flour is. :P These were also a hit! Avery, Michael, and Connor all ate one after dinner (getting crumbs all over my freshly swept and mopped kitchen floor, no less). ;) This is just one of MANY muffin recipes I can recommend and intend to try as we diet. :) If you like muffins, you should keep an eye out! There will be many more to come!
