Monday, May 2, 2011

Tricks and Tips

Melissa and I are getting very excited about our upcoming culinary adventure.  Wednesday evening's menu shall include 'EZ Tomato-Basil Chicken' with 'Miracle Mashies' mashed potatoes, both from Lisa Lillien's 'Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200' recipe book.  Wednesday also happens to be my birthday, so to make things doubly exciting, we will also be introducing our original recipe for lower-calorie cake balls!

In the meantime, we wanted to share a few discoveries:

Working out:  It's nice to watch TV while I'm on the treadmill, but nothing motivates me to keep going like watching episodes of 'The Biggest Loser'.  I gets me thinking, "if she/he can do that, I can easily... go another 15-20 minutes, bump up my speed/incline a few more notches, etc."  Episodes are available 'On Demand' or online. Do it.

Calorie-counting: Another great online application is the MyPlate feature on www.livestrong.com.  This is another easy way to calculate the number of calories you should consume for your particular lifestyle and the amount of weight you would like to lose per week.  Of course, I'd recommend visiting with a nutritionist, if you've got the time and money.

Dieting:  Don't deprive yourself of your favorite foods.  As long as you are aware of the number of calories you are taking in, there is no harm in having a special snack in moderation.  That way, you don't feel like your taste buds are being neglected, and you will be less likely to over-indulge later.  

Food favorites:  1) I've become a big fan of the Green Giant 'Just for One' servings.  These are delicious and snack-sized.  Green Giant also has several vegetable mixes with low-cal sauces available.  It's a great way to taste the cheese sauce you like on your broccoli without wasting calories.  2) Melissa and I have become obsessed with Lean Cuisine Market Creations.  They come in a very easy to use steamer bag.  Five minutes in the microwave, and you have delicious pasta with fresh-tasting vegetables.  We are particularly big fans of the pot stickers and the tortellini.  

That's all for now.  Stay tuned for cake balls!

And, of course, a quote from Bailey - one of our favorites: (while praying before dinner) "Excuse me, God... I tooted."





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