Can someone please...

give me a swift kick in the pants and tell me to get a move on? LOL seriously....b/c I have a lottttttt to do and haven't done any of it!

I need to do the following:
clean my room
get organized
welcome in the new year
update my blog


etc.....

finally

put together an "About me" page!

Refer back to whenever you are craving sweets

The ugly affects of binging:

bloating

thick throat

sick to stomach

cranky

guilt

weight gain

puffiness

weakened immune system

robs you of a good night's sleep

bad breath

FOOD HANGOVER

Ok...so I did experiment with food; however, I experimented with the wrong kinds of foods. The holiday party I attended offered a nonhealthy "frost your own sugar cookie station" with no limit as to how many cookies you could eat, sweet n' sour meatballs, and not to mention the cute little weenies wrapped in crescent rolls. Everything was fair game! I was doing just fine with not eating anything until Kelsey reeled me in by asking if I wanted to frost a sugar cookie. I thought...sure, why not. I haven't had sugar cookies in God only knows how long. I'll just have one. One cookie never ends up being just the one cookie. The one cookie turns into two and before I knew it I was taking two cookies and sandwiching them together with colorful green and red frosting, topping it off with sprinkles just to be sure it looked extra pretty before I stuffed it away in my belly. My brain hadn't gotten the "STOP NOW BEFORE YOU PUKE" signal so I kept right on going. I started feeling a little sick by the 13th cookie...or was it the 15th? I DON'T KNOW! I lost count! I tried some meatballs before diving into the cute little weenies wrapped in crescent rolls that were displayed on a cookie sheet, on the stove top. Before heading home I allowed myself a couple handfuls of none other than the most amazing bbq chips on the planet!!! I couldn't possibly leave the party without sampling everything! If it hadn't been for Kelsey I wouldn't have come home feeling like a big TOTAL piece of CRAP or written about any of this b/c it wouldn't have happened!!!! Grrr...It's amazing how awful I feel when I allow myself to eat like this. I've eaten so healthy for the longest time that my body screams at me whenever I feed it junk. I'm writing this blog right now in hopes that I can avoid this from happening ever again. Binging isn't fun. Binging doesn't make me feel good and there are ways I can prevent it. I've come up with a cheat sheet to help me get through the holidays and most importantly life! Social gatherings, unfortunately, do involve food.

• Eat a snack before you go to the party. It will keep you full and most likely keep you from snacking on holiday goodies.
• Always drink plenty of water. This means your stomach won't have room for 15 cookies, 10 or so meatballs, 5 weenies, and a couple handful of chips.
• Set goals. If you know there are going to be sugar cookies at the party aim to eat only 1 or 2. Shoot for one, but if you have to have two eat the second cookie, but then stop after that.
• Always carry around a deck of cards in your purse. If you had your two cookies and your eyes are still wandering...relocate (somewhere preferrably far away from the junk food) and suggest playing a card game with the girls at the party.
• Look at all of your options before diving into something. Try to choose the healthiest option. For example, I should have gone straight for the meatballs because they have protein where sugar cookies are simply empty calories.
• Know the 20 minute rule. Let yourself have one cookie, walk away from the scene, and once 20 minutes is up your body will be able to tell you if it can stomach another.
• Enjoy it. No--really! Focus on the sugar cookie you are eating and really taste it. Treat it like wine tasting. Really engage all of your senses and enjoy that moment of indulgence. Savor each and every single bite. It's more fun that way instead of just shoving food in your mouth. What's the point? Eating should be fun and enjoyable!

P.S. I know the blame doesn't go to Kelsey, but I couldn't possibly pin it on myself... =)

busy day

Got called in to work today so I didn't get to experiement much with food today, but I'll try tomorrow!
Here's a picture of my delicious breakfast I had this morning though =)

you win some you lose some

Today I had a total baking flop =/. I tried replacing sugar with some frozen mashed bananas in a muffin recipe...turns out that isn't a good idea! lol The muffins may not have turned out the way I had wanted, but I did have success when I returned to the kitchen a few hours later! I recovered from the muffin flop by making a delicious chicken lasagna dish in my new little ramekin for dinner =) It was cute and tasted just as good as my mom's homemade lasagna without the added calories! =)



 

testing testing 1..2...3...

Still trying to familiarize myself with blogspot & get the hang of things! I still think facebook is more user friendly, but I prefer the blogspot b/c this way I can upload all of my pretty food pictures and not appear the least bit odd =P. Today for lunch I wanted another veggie burger. Ever since my run in with the delicious boca burger at Buffalo Wild Wings I've been determined to find a homemade recipe that tastes even better. I'd have to say that today's recipe, even though it tasted nothing like the boca burger, may just be that burger I've been looking for...(haven't quite decided yet! =))

Clocking in at only 166 calories (with my tortilla circles substituting for mini burger buns) it definitely has my approval. I adapted this recipe from  www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1552/goats-cheese-herb-and-lemon-patties , but did some tweaking of my own!

      +RECIPE:

1/4c. garbanzo beans 55 cals

.3 oz onion 4 cals

1/8 tsp lemon juice 0 cals

1/2 tsp parmesan cheese 5 cals

1/8 tsp parsley 0 cals

.2 oz goat cheese 14 cals

1 egg white 17 cals

.4oz carrots 5 cals

1/4c. spinach 2 cals

1/8 tsp kosher salt 0 cals

1 tsp flax 12 cals

Step #1: Combine mashed garbanzo beans, chopped onion, parmesan cheese, goat cheese, and spices all together.

 

Step #2: Mix in egg white, carrots, spinach, flax, and then mold into three mini veggie patties

Step #3: Spray down a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat them up and flip when they start to brown.

Step #4 and 5: Marvel at your work and create your own mini tortilla buns by using a store-bought tortilla and a small cup to cut into circles!



Step #6: Spread whatever condiments you wish on your burger (I chose mustard) and enjoy!

I paired my mini veggie burgers with two small mushrooms, each filled with 1/2 T of cottage cheese and 1/2 T of salsa, and a gala apple (they're my favorite! :))

What are your favorite side dishes to go with hamburgers or veggie burgers?

I'd love to hear from you so leave some comments =)

Danielle

Monday funday!

Ahhh I can finally breathe...
now that my finals are done! :)

As of today I'm officially on winter break...which means more blogging & baking :)

Recently I've been craving all things bread: big squishy pretzels, pizza dough, and fluffy white dinner rolls. I haven't come across a bread recipe low enough in calories for me to try, but I haven't given up hope...

the search continues.....

Once dinner time rolled around my cravings for rolls, dough, and pretzels had already subsided. I had a hankering for spaghetti and this is how it turned out! =) It was good...but not great. It felt like it was missing

something, but it still looked pretty!

Major changes underway

I'm too skinny. I've had numerous wakeup calls within the past couple of weeks: pictures I've seen of myself, people commenting on my overly skinny physique, not being able to fill out size zero pants at my new job, wearing layers over layers because I'm cold ALL THE TIME, not being able to "roll like a ball" in yoga class because it hurts, and lastly the number reflected on the SCALE. Embarassingly enough I've taken this healthy eating too far and now I weigh in at 99.1 pounds.

On a positive note I've had nothing but wonderful experiences in the kitchen today. This deserves a HUGE pat on the back and maybe 5, 6, or 7 gold stars ;). For all of the ones who don't know me...I'm slightly challenged when it comes to everything related to cooking and baking. I'm a prepackaged, low calorie kind of gal that is recently trying to learn how to change my ways and learn the following: patience, cooking/baking, and trying new recipes! =)


For Lunch: whipped up a veggie burger (2 mini patties to be exact) and sandwiched each part in a La tortilla wrap! I put my sweet tooth to rest with a 1/4 c. of strawberries, 1 tsp agave nectar, and 1/4 c. of fage greek yogurt.



 +RECIPE: .4 ounces onion 5 cals

.8 ounces carrots 9 cals

1/4 c. spinach 2 cals

1/4 c. garbanzo beans 55 cals

1 egg white 17 cals

 .2 ounces dutch crisp bread 23 cals

1/2 tsp olive oil 20 cals

wrap 50 cals

TOTAL: 181 cals

Combine egg white, garbanzo beans, and a little bit of salt in a food processor until it looks like the consistency of hummus. Next, mix in chopped of veggies and crisp bread and allow a couple of minutes for the mixture to set. After the mixture has had time to set heat the olive oil in a skillet and form two veggie patties, placing on the skillet when ready. Let each side cook for8-9 minutes. Serve in a La tortilla wrap.



+RECIPE: 1/4 c. fage greek yogurt

1/2 tsp agave nectar 10 cals

1/4 c. strawberries 13 cals

TOTAL: 53 cals

For Snack: Decided I'd give baking another shot and tweaked a pumpkin muffin recipe I found online. It actually turned out! I was pleased with my 107 calorie muffin! =)

+RECIPE: 1/4 c. flour 120 cals

1/2 c. instant quaker oats processed in food processor 150 cals

1/2 c. pumpkin 40 cals

2 T natural applesauce 14 cals

1 egg 80 cals

1/2 c. grated carrots 23 cals

1/4 tsp salt 0 cals

1/2 tsp cinnamon 3 cals

1 tsp baking powder 2 cals

1/2 tsp baking soda 0 cals

1/4 c. maple syrup 210 cals

TOTAL: 642 cals

serves 6 for 107 cals a piece

Put 1/2 c. of oats into a food processor until it looks like four. Combine the "oat flour" with 1/4 c. whole wheat flour , baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in one bowl. In a different bowl mix pumpkin, applesauce, egg, carrots (after being grated), and maple syrup. Now mix the flour mixture in with the wet ingredients. Use Pam nonstick spray and coat the muffin tin of 6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until done? I don't know how long I baked mine b/c my oven was acting up on me, but they turned out just fine. Be sure to keep an eye on them and they will turn out :)