I'm back

After an unplanned hiatus, some personal issues, and a weight gain, I'm back. For you regulars, I apologize for just dropping out on you like that. For any newcomers, well, I have a tendency to disappear every now and then. I'm going to work on that so that it doesn't interfere with what I do here.

I'm still on Jenny Craig. It's kinda of hard some days. I know in my head what a portion should be, but sometimes what I want to eat just tastes so good that I want a little more. And you know what happens then, a little more becomes a lot more. I'm trying to focus on the things that I like that I know are good for me. I'm not a huge fan of strawberries, but I'm beginning to like them a little better. MJ and I will share a few. I'm helping him get his fruit in and that makes me feel good.

I have never believed that any food should be avoided. However, if you have issues with control, maybe stepping away from the trigger foods isn't such a bad thing. Or is there an alternative to having the trigger food? I know that a turkey burger isn't the same as a sirloin burger, but what's better in the long run?

The Unthinkable Happened

I lost my appetite! Yes, me of all people. Can you believe it?! I certainly couldn't. I have been mildly depressed since Saturday. Let me tell you how bad this was. I didn't even want to look at food. I mean no Tastespotting or FoodGawker. I didn't even want to go into the grocery store. I was starting to think that I was sick.

Well, I found out that it was one of the side effects of losing weight. You see I've lost nearly 18 pounds since I decided to change my eating habits. People have been reassuring me this is a good thing. What if I've lost my cooking mojo? Okay, I'm just being a little overly dramatic. Please forgive me. I know that losing the weight is the important part. I guess I now have an opportunity for a little creative license with my fave dishes. I have a chance to tweak them in a way that I'll get the flavor w/o so many calories or fat. You know I'll keep you posted.

How's your journey going? Have you kept up or fallen off the wagon? What sacrifices are you willing to make for your health?

A Breakthrough

I'm not going to lie to you, but JC food is expensive. However, my consultant and I talked about the cost and this week I'm allowed to have my own cereal. Not only that, I will be able to make my own turkey burgers in the coming weeks. I have to be careful about what I put in and on those burgers. There will be no full fat cheese, mayo (unless it's fat free), bacon, etc. That means I must get creative. C, my consultant, says a good turkey burger can be made w/a pound of lean ground turkey, a can of green chiles (love those), some onion and garlic. For my topping, I'd use a nice mild salsa.

How would you jazz up a pound of ground turkey to make juicy and tasty burgers? And please don't say, switch the turkey for an 80/20 mix of ground sirloin and chuck. You'll make me cry.

Week 4

So far the food has been pretty good. It's not restaurant quality by any means, but most of it isn't tasteless or bland either. What bothers me about this is that I miss making my own food. I'm a hands on kinda gal. There's nothing inherently satisfying about poking a few holes in plastic and popping the dish in the microwave. And then there's that whole size thing. I'm used to so much more. I know that was part of the problem. What's girl to do?

Well, I am allowed to have almost all of the veggies that I want. Corn is kind of a no-no. I stick to your basic greenies with a few orange, red, and purples thrown in. Say for instance tonight's dinner was chicken fettuccine. What can I do to spruce it up? Hmmm, I can saute some mushrooms, onions and garlic and a 1/2 tbsp. olive oil and steam some broccoli or asparagus. Then, toss the fettuccine with the veggies. I'd then have a full colorful plate w/o being deprived.

What do you do to renovate your frozen meals? Do you add your own special seasonings? Do you cut up a few carrots or slice a few scallions? Think about it and get back to me.

Down-6.2 lbs since 01/16/09

I Want A

It's Week 3 and I would give my right arm, left leg, a kidney and half my liver for a really good hamburger right now. Yes, JC has a burger. It's a turkey burger. It's quite good actually even the bun. But there's something about a burger that's freshly prepared with all the right ingredients. I mean the right blend of lean meat and fat, a little salt and pepper, fresh lettuce, a couple of slices of cheddar/swiss/smoked gouda, bacon, grilled red onions and a little mayo.

While I love a grilled hamburger because of the smoky flavor cooking on an open flame gives it, I prefer a burger that's griddled or fried. I've been known to bake a burger. Too much shrinkage that way. I'll work on it though.

As to the accompaniment for my perfect burger, I'll take a fried or roasted potato of some sort any day. I love waffle fries, shoestrings, roasted potato wedges, curly fries, steak fries if they're done right. I'm not terrible picky. They just have to be crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Really, who likes cold, pale, limp french fries?

How about you? If you were in my shoes, what meal would you miss the most? How would you prepare it? Better yet, do you love burgers and fries? If so, how do you like them?

I Never Met A...

that I didn't like. The blank can be filled with the food of your choice. For me it was potsticker. I loves those juice little Chinese dumplings. They are my favorite thing to order esp. when I'm sick. Talk about comfort food. Well, I hadn't met one I didn't like until Friday night. And it wasn't so much the dumpling itself as the accompanying side. JC served up fried rice with fake chicken and edamame. It didn't look natural. The edamame looked like little green spaceships. As for the 'chick'n', it felt weird.

On the plus side, at my weigh-in I am down another 1.4 lbs. This week's menu is a little bit better. I am trying to mix up the veggies that I have so that I don't get bogged down in the same thing every night. Although, I could eat broccoli and asparagus every day. Tonight, I'm having a tomato that's been stuffed with spinach, onions and mushrooms. I'll be checking the coming sales for slaw mix. I want to saute it with a little olive oil, chopped onions, black pepper and garlic. I like my veggies crunchy.

What veggies do you like? And how do you like to prepare them? Please share. I'll be looking for more ideas as I travel the road to a healthy new me.

Breakfast

is supposed to be the most important meal of the day. That being said. You should choose wisely when making your selection. I thought I had. Jenny Craig offers a variety of breakfast options from muffins to cereals (hot and cold) to egg sandwiches and platters. Well, when looking at my weekly menu, I thought breakfast scramble cool. I'm not too keen on eggs, but I thought there'd be something in there to make it good. The box said it has egg white product. That should have been my first clue. Does that mean real egg whites? What is an egg white product? The rest of the ingredients were turkey ham (better than turkey bacon), diced potatoes (cool), and cheese/cheese sauce (this rocks). In reality, this thing bit the dust. Since when does egg white look rubber ducky yellow? The ham had a nice bacony flavor, but it was the only redeeming thing in there. The potatoes were super chewy and flavorless. And the cheese stuck like melted rubber bands to the bottom of the bowl.

To be fair, there was a fairly good portion of food. It just wasn't as good as the maple nut hot cereal or the sunshine sandwich. I'll check next week's plan to see if it's on there. I'll be exchanging it for something a little more palate pleasing.

How do you like your eggs? What do you add to them? Can you fry it w/o breaking the yolk? Hit me back with your response. I'll keep you posted on JC.