Weigh In Wednesday - Week 6

This week I wasn't expecting much on the scale since last week I had such a great weight loss (3 pounds).  I was right - I pretty much stayed the same, at 143.4.   But I've done two major things differently this week so I'm expecting to lose again next Wednesday.

1.  Drink A LOT of water.  We're not talking 8 glasses a day.  I bought a 54 oz mug at Buc-ces and I fill it up TWICE a day with water.  At first it was hard to find the time and the will power to consume 128 ounces of water in a day.  However, working in a profession where I'm on my feet talking all day, I need to stay hydrated.  And the more I drank it, the more I got used to drinking so much water.

2.  Eat TONS of fiber.  I've been buying Oroweat Double Fiber bread.  Each slice contains 5 grams of fiber - so if I make a healthy sandwich for lunch, I get 10 grams of fiber! Thats more than a third of the recommended daily amount of fiber!  I have also started eating Fiber One brand pancakes for breakfast.  It comes in a dry mix.  Just add water, and they only take a few minutes to cook on the stove.  I sometimes mash a banana and add it for extra flavor.  Yum!

Also, if I get hungry in between meals, I eat a Fiber One Oat and Chocolate bar, or a Nature Valley protein bar with fiber.  They are very filling and do not taste diet at all!

Try these tips, and you will definitely feel more full throughout the day!

Freezer Meals Part 2

A couple of days ago I posted the first five recipes for my freezer meal themed posts.  I absolutely love freezer meals and once-a-month-cooking.  It saves so much time and money, and makes my life 10 times easier. 

I hope you all enjoy the next five recipes I have to share with you!

Notice that most of the meals I make are either Mexican inspired or Asian inspired! I'll try to throw in a few more Italian or American dishes next time.  To lighten up these recipes or any meal, you can always substitute lean ground turkey instead of red meat.  I made the switch a few years ago and I don't even notice a difference.

Let me know if you try these recipes by leaving a comment!

Fresh From the Garden

I absolutely love fresh herbs, but I hardly ever buy them at the grocery store.  This is partly because I just plain forget to get them, and partly because they tend to go bad before I get a chance to use them.  Plus, fresh herbs can be so expensive!

It is much easier to grow your own herbs.  Many people grow theirs in pots, which is how we started our garden a few years ago when we moved out of our apartment and into a rental house.  Now that we own our home, we are slowly but surely piecing together a wonderful little garden.  We planted some tomatoes, herbs and jalapenos last year, and had an amazing supply of pico de gallo to show for it.  This year we did even better, and built two large raised garden beds.


We followed the plan on this site and it was super easy.  We made two 3'x8' beds, and this spring we planted tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, cucumbers, green beans, squash, zucchini, thyme, basil, and aloe vera.  Its been a few weeks, and boy these plants are thriving better than ever before!  We used Peat Moss and topped it with mulch.  We also have sprinklers set to go off 3 times a week so we don't have to worry about going out to water the garden.

I can't wait to make many fresh recipes using the vegetables and herbs from our garden!

Lower Body Workout and Some Pies!

Two things that don't go together - pie and exercise.  The only connection these two have had in the past for me is that I eat so much pie at Thanksgiving that I inevitably begin working out for the week following the holiday.  But today I had lots of baking to do for an upcoming family gathering at our home, which included making these delicious mini pecan pies.  The recipe is super easy so I thought I'd share it with you all.  Skip the tutorial to find the full, printable recipe below.

To prepare for having pies in the house, I first did a super intense workout at they gym early this morning.
 I'm gonna call it the Super Sweaty Lower Body Workout cause it will really make you sweat!

If at any point, the reps feel like too much, just do as many as you can.  You will build up an endurance and one day soon will be able to do this and more!  Remember to drink plenty of water, and rest about 30 seconds between exercises.

Now for the tutorial and recipe:


First, make the tart shells. 

With the paddle attachment, beat 5 oz butter, 3 oz sugar, 1 egg and 1/2 tsp vanilla on low until butter is pea sized

Next, add 8 oz Bread flour and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. It should look like this:

 

Roll the dough into a ball and divide into two disks.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 20 minutes.  This would be a good time to make the pecan pie filling!

To roll out the dough, make sure you use a well floured surface.  Don't worry too much about overworking the dough - the bread flour has a higher level of protein and will help keep the flour strong and resilient. However, you should always let the dough rest in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes between rounds of rolling it out. 

To best roll out any dough, lay the disk in front of you and place the rolling pin in the middle of the disk.  Then roll the pin away from you.  Next, turn the dough 1/4 of a turn (45 degrees) and repeat.  Turning the dough helps prevent it from sticking to your surface.  Roll to about 1/8 inch thick.

 

Then take a mini tart shell mold and place it over the dough as a guide for what size you will need.  Cut a square around it, with a little extra around the sides.  

You can also use a small round cookie cutter - just be sure to measure it against the mold and cut a little larger than the mold.

Lay a square over one of the molds and just barely press it into the sides of the mold with your fingers.

 Place the palm of your hand over the top of the mold and use the edge of the mold to cut the dough cleanly

Then gently push the dough into the sides and clean it up a bit.

 

Place on a sheet pan and freeze for about 20 minutes.  Making the shells cold prior to baking will prevent the dough from bubbling up or shrinking in the oven.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden brown.  Halfway through the baking time, rotate the sheet pan 180 degrees.  

Once the shells are cool, you can fill them with the pecan pie filling.  It's super easy to make and so delicious.

Heat 3.5 oz of butter and 7 oz of corn syrup over medium heat until the butter is melted.

Hint - for a no mess solution to  measuring corn syrup, spray a glass measuring cup with pan spray (PAM or Bake Easy) and then measure.  The corn syrup will easily slide out of the measuring cup!

Once the butter has melted, add 3.5 oz sugar to the pot and stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved.  Take off the heat before it boils.

Have a bowl ready with 3 eggs and 1/2 tsp vanilla extra whisked together.  When the corn syrup mixture is hot and ready, temper it into the egg mixture by SLOWLY drizzling it into the eggs while quickly whisking.  You do not want too go to fast or else you'll end up with bits of scrambled eggs in your pies!  If you do end up with this issue, just use a fine mesh sifter to strain the mixture before baking.

Remember to pour slowly and keep whisking!

Next, Place your shells on a sheet pan lined with parchment (very important that you line your sheet pan so the shells don't break).  Fill with a large pinch of pecan pieces, and then use a spoon to drizzle in a small amount of filling, to just barely cover the pecans.

left - filled too high, right - just right!

 Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid is slightly bubbling.  Do not over bake.

 

 

 

These freeze really well - just put in a ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months.  Let thaw at room temperature (not in the fridge!) an hour or two before needed. 

Here is the recipe:

These are the perfect size to satisfy any sweet tooth and not ruin the great workout you did today (or will do today)!  What other sweets do you let yourself enjoy a little of while dieting? Or do you have incredible will power and not allow any desserts?