Todays Bento

Heres todays Bento Lunch!

The Breakdown:

PB&J Sandwich:

Low Calorie Bread: 80 Calories (40 calories a slice)

Reduced Sugar Jelly: 20 Calories (1 tbs)

Reduced Fat Peanut Butter: 95 Calories (1 tbs)

Hummus (Sabra): 70 Calories (2 tbs)

Special K Bar: 90 Calories

Total: 377 Calories

First Tzatziki Sauce attempt? Came out awesome!

I've been looking for alternates to guacamole and hummus to dip my carrots in each day (I'll get off this carrot kick eventually and move on to another veggie, I swear..). I thought of a few ideas, and was given a few ideas from friends.  Tzatziki sauce was one that stood out that I HAD to try to make. Heres my first attempt:

It came out great! Heres how I did it:

(keep in mind it was a quick attempt so measurements arent exact, and I only made a small portion)

One small container of low fat Plain Greek Yogurt (100 calories)

About a teaspoon or so of dried Dill Weed

Half of a seedless cucumber

Chopped Garlic (either fresh or jarred, I used Organic Jarred, I used about a tablespoon)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Use a cheese grater and grate down the cucumber (skin and all) and either place on a paper towel to soak up some of the water, or push down in a strainer, get it pretty dry. 

Mix yogurt, cucumber, dill, chopped garlic in a bowl. Add Salt & Pepper to taste. 

I know some people say to add lemon juice to this, but seeing I'm a greek yogurt newbie, this was tart enough for me without the lemon.

Again, SO EASY!!

..and tastes so great with my carrots, that I didn't have any left over for todays lunch.. oops :)

Saturday Nights Dinner - Chicken & Onion Stirfry!

My electric wok may be my favorite kitchen item, that I own. I will take a picture of it and give details on it, however I've been told it is no longer available. I hope above hope this thing never breaks. Well I had some chicken that had to be cooked, and an onion so I figured I'd make a quick stirfry for me, the husbutt, & mini man for dinner.

Quick and Easy Chicken Stirfry:

Chicken breast, chopped into cubes

One whole onion, sliced into wedges

Chopped Garlic (to taste)

Garlic powder (to taste)

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Soy Sauce (to taste)

This is a very "wing it" recipe, depending on the person. You can add other veggies, more or less soy sauce, sub the soy sauce with teriyaki sauce etc etc..

Throw the chicken into the wok with soy sauce on high to get it seared off a bit. Once that is seared, add the onions. Keep flipping around until the onions take the color of the soy sauce a bit. Throw in the garlic and season to taste. Cover and let simmer in the soy sauce a bit stirring every couple of minutes until chicken is cooked all the way through, and onions are desired crunchy/softness. Just make sure you add a bit of soy sauce all the way through for it to stay a little wet on the bottom of the wok. 

You can also add some olive oil to start to help move it around a bit. My wok is fully non stick so I usually dont need anything to coat it.

SO SIMPLE!! Throw this over some rice and you have yourself some dinner!

Monday Bento!

Boo it's another Monday.. back to work it is.. but yay for bento lunches to help me make it through the day :) 

Heres todays!

Breakdown:

Mini Whole Wheat Pita: 80 Calories

Cheese Cubes: 120 Calories

Turkey: 99 Calories (3oz)

Guacamole: 60 Calories (3tbs)

Baby Carrots: 22 Calories (16 pieces)

Total Calories: 381

Please note I did not count the banana in this, that was part of breakfast I forgot to move out of the picture :)

Bento of the Day..

Todays lunch & snack:

The Breakdown:

Small Turkey Wrap (came in kit, turkey & pepperjack cheese): 220 Calories

Guacamole: 60 calories (3 tbs)

Special K Sea Salt Crisps: 59 Calories (16 chips)

Pickles: 5 Calories (2 sandwich slicers)

Baby Carrots: 22 Calories (16 pieces)

Grapes: 21 Calories (1/3 cup)

Total: 387 Calories

Tuesdays Bento

Todays Lunch/Snack:

Breakdown:

Turkey: 66 Calories (2oz)

Hummus: 60 Calories  (2tbs)

Cheese Cubes: 120 Calories

Baby Carrots: 22 Calories (16 pieces)

Pickles: 5 Calories (2 sandwich slicers)

Mini Pita: 80 Calories

Banana: 53 Calories (half)

Total: 406 Calories

House update!

This weekend was crazy and non stop! We got all of the painting of the living room done, AND bought new couches. We went out saturday to five different furniture stores. Couch shopping so way harder than I thought it was going to be, lol. We finally found a set that we liked at Ashley Furniture. Turns out they were able to deliver it THAT same night, so we had our new couches by 7pm!

We had planned on all of the painting being done Saturday night, which would have happened, IF it took one coat like we had figured. This paint plus primer stuff from Home Depot was way way thicker than we thought, so around 3am we ran out of paint, ouch, and had to repaint two of the walls from it not fully covering. So it was back to the store come Sunday morning, and we spent a better part of yesterday finishing up painting the walls and the molding.

IT WAS SO WORTH IT! Now it's on to decorating!  I just need to go buy some canvases.. 

Here's a picture of the fireplace with the new couch!

(covered by the loveseat, because the little man and Roxy just LOVE to try to crawl into the fire place..)

And todays Bento is....

Todays lunch and snack:

Breakdown:

Turkey: 66 Calories (2oz)

Avocado (california): 114 Calories (half)

Hummus: 60 Calories (2tbs)

Cheese Cubes: 120 Calories

Baby Carrots: 22 Calories (16 pieces)

Grapes: 21 Calories

Total: 402 Calories

Updated picture

Decided to take a quick progress picture this weekend! I'm so excited! Summer, I'm ready for you.. Almost!!

The difference 5 pounds makes..

So when I initially started gaining weight back I realized how oddly weight is distributed on my body. First it goes to my love handles, then to my stomach, then it goes to my arms. I've lost just over 5 pounds at this point, since dieting again, and I really didn't think it would make such a difference. My favorite jeans fit again, without squeezing. My hoodie is loose in my arms, even though I just washed it. My wedding rings are even loose, they keep flipping over on my finger. 

It isn't a large weight loss, but it made some pretty huge differences. Now if I lose the other 12 pounds I want to lose, will that mean that I need an entire new wardrobe? AGAIN? For the 4th time since I first started dieting last year? I went from a size 15 to a size 7. I'm still steadly at a 7, and my favorite jeans that I'm talking about above are a 7 as well, but a different cut. I do not want to go smaller than a 5, I feel like I would look like I was sick if I was any smaller than that. I've heard 10 pounds = one jean size, and so far its kind of stuck true to me. I was just about to not fit into the 7's anymore when I gained the 8 pounds back.

Now its time to start really toning up. I got my 30 day shred DVD waiting for me, and I will be starting that soon. I was waiting until after my root canal, and it's over and I'm ALMOST pain free. So after all the house work and painting is done, I'll be starting that. Probably the first week of March. I'll make the month of March my hell month to work out, haha!

Todays Veggie filled Bento..

Todays Lunch!

 The Breakdown:

Mini Pita: 80 Calories

Chick Pea & Olive Salad (with mushrooms too): 142 Calories (full serving)

Homemade Guacamole: 60 Calories (3 tbs)

Laughing Cow Wedge: 35 Calories

Baby Carrots: 22 Calories (16 pieces)

Grapes: 21 Calories (1/3 Cup)

Total: 360 Calories

Ooooh the possibilities..

So this year is going to bring some super mega changes to our home. One of the biggest things I want to start is a vegetable garden. I grew up helping my grandfather with his, and let me tell you, those are some of my greatest memories. Homegrown tomato sandwiches always taste 1000x better shared around a table with family during the summer.

I'm thinking about growing Tomatoes (of course), zucchini, green beans, peas, eggplant, squash, and maybe carrots and soybeans. I'm just going to have to re-learn the seasons and planting styles, seeing I'm used to New York soil, not North Carolina clay. My lovely amazing Husband has offered to box out an area in the back yard to fill with soil and gravel, and my wonderful Mother has offered to help me get it up and going. I'm crazy excited! I definitely can't wait to start this!

Another thing we're doing, starting this weekend, is painting the living room and foyer! We're also looking into getting new couches for the living room. What does this all mean? I GET TO PAINT! I'm not talking about the walls, I'll help paint those too. I mean I get to break out my acrylic set and break in my brand new table top easel and go to town on some unsuspecting canvases. I'm too excited! I've decided to do a 4 canvas mural for the front foyer area! Now if we could just pick out the wall color.. 

More to come this summer? A bigger sitting area in the back, be it building a low deck, or extending out the cement area. Also, possibly lining the entire back fence with sunflowers. 

I have soo many things to look forward to! I love this feeling!

What does this have to do with diet and food and exercise? Not a thing, except the gard. But it makes me smile, which makes me happy, and keeps me motivated. Also, I warned you all I may go off topic sometimes :)

And now, for the Daily Bento..

Todays Bento

Breakdown:

Mini Pita: 80 Calories

Ham: 60 Calories (2 oz)

Turkey: 66 Calories (2 oz)

Laughing Cow Wedge: 35 Calories

Hummus: 60 Calories (2 tbs)

Baby Carrots: 22 Calories (16 pieces)

Sugar Snap Peas: 9 Calories (6 pieces)

Grapes: 21 Calories (1/3 Cup)

Total: 352 Calories!!

Turkey Sandwich Sushi.. sushi? yes. sushi.

I made these rolls (another pinterest idea.. of course) for my Bento box seen HERE. They came out great, and make lunch time way more fun. Call me a little kid, but I like to eat fun looking foods sometimes!

They're pretty easy to do. Heres what you'll need:

Two slices low calorie bread (mine is 40 calories a slice)

A wedge of your favorite flavor Laughing Cow Cheese (I used sundried tomato and basil)

two slices of deli turkey

a pickle (I used sandwich slicers)

 Cut the edges off of the bread (easier to roll) and kind of squish the bread down with your fingers a little bit. Spread half a wedge of the cheese on the top edge of the bread (it works as a glue to hold the roll together). Place a rolled up piece of turkey in the middle of the bread, along with a piece of the pickle. Then, simply roll up the bread around the turkey like you would for sushi! I cut each roll of "sushi" into 3 pieces. Perfect bite sized portions! 

Calorie total? only 90 Calories per roll! Two rolls make an awesomely fun 180 calorie lunch! 

This is another one of those recipies where you can sub out anything for anything, of course it would change the calorie count a bit. I may try these next time with shreaded carrots and other veggies with low fat cream cheese, or maybe even do a chicken type roll!

Today, in Bento Land..

Todays Bento lunch box!

The Breakdown:

Turkey Sandwich Sushi: 180 Calories (two rolls, I will blog this recipe next)

Hummus: 60 Calories (2 tbs)

Baby Carrots: 17 Calories (12 Pieces)

Snap Peas: 14 Calories (10 Pieces)

Grapes: 21 Calories (1/3 cup)

Roasted Chick peas: 105 Calories (3/4 serving)

Total: 397 Calories!

Eventful weekend.. But try these roasted chick peas!

After 6 hours at the dentist, sitting in a chair, with my mouth held open and drills going crazy.. I was ready to do nothing but sit for the rest of the weekend. However, by Sunday (and about 6 Motrin doses later..) I was finally starting to feel a bit better, so I decided food shopping would be a good idea. I was running low on ALL of my veggies, and there were a few new things I wanted to try out for this week. 

Here is one of the things I tried. (again, a recipe off of pinterest that I altered a little bit)

Roasted Chick Peas!!

Okay, these are SO easy its almost funny.

Take one can of chickpeas, rinse and blot dry.

Two teaspoons or so of Olive Oil, whatever spices you want (I used a garlic herb mix), and toss the chickpeas in it.

Spread over a cookie sheet, and bake for about 45 minutes at 375*.  

Check every 10 minutes or so, and move them around on the pan to avoid uneven cooking or burning.

Makes 4 servings, each serving is about 140 calories, but still WAY healthier than potato chips. I can just sit here and eat these like candy, its great! I've also seen a cinnamon and sugar variation, so it can either be sweet or savory.

New Exercise DVD.. but first? a root canal.

Tomorrow morning I'm getting a bunch of dental work done, so I'm not sure if I'll post at all this weekend. 

However, I got the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVD I've been waiting for in the mail. So once my mouth is all healed up I'll be starting this. I've been googling before and after pictures of people who used this DVD, and let me tell you, some of these results are amazing. IF (and I mean a big IF), I feel comfortable enough, I will post my before and after pictures.... Either way, I can't wait to start this! Then I'll take a month or so off and go back to Pilates, and then maybe do another round of this DVD.

Weight update! 

I've dropped 4.5lbs since I started counting calories again (throws mini dance party in my chair!). I'm finally back under 140!

Only 12.5 more to go for my last & final weight goal! Although, I would much rather be toned and gain some more muscle, than be TOO skinny.  I've decided, during this DVD, I won't pay too much attention to the scale. I know I'll be gaining more muscle mass, so it may level out. I want to go down one more jeans size, and feel confident in a two piece bathing suit by summer. My biggest feat will be toning up my stomach. I can thank my pregnancy for the sheer hatred I have towards how my stomach looks.

Welp.. goals are set and in motion, now I just need to get through tomorrow morning =/

Bento #4.. time to go food shopping again..

So I had a hard time trying to find things to throw into this bento last night. I'm out of my fresh veggies, but was trying to keep this under 400 calories. I also had NO idea what I was in the mood for today, so I just threw a bunch of stuff together, and I'll pick and choose what I eat come lunch time. Either way its definitely time to go food shopping again! 

Okay.. heres the break down:

Fresh Ham: 60 Calories (2oz)

Cheese Cubes: 120 Calories (may sub this out for a Laughing Cow wedge at 35 calories)

Chick Pea Salad: 106 Calories (3/4 serving)

Mini Pita: 80 Calories

Grapes: 31 Calories

Mustard: 5 Calories

Total in Box: 402 Calories (317 if I switch the cheese cubes for the Laughing Cow Wedge)

Off to the side are Special K chips: 110 Calories

Not sure what combo of this I'll eat, but its looking better and better to switch the cheeses haha.

Bento.. Day 3!

Last night I threw together the ridiculously easy chickpea salad seen HERE. So I figured it would be a perfect thing to bring in todays bento. I also made some quick guacamole last night, because I was absolutely craving avocados. So instead of hummus with my carrots today, guacamole it is!

Calorie Counts:

Chickpea & Olive Salad: 106 calories (3/4 serving)

Mini Pita: 80 calories

Guacamole: 60 calories (3 tbs)

Grapes: 31 calories (1/2 cup)

Baby Carrots: 17 calories(12 pieces)

Laughing Cow Cheese: 35 calories

Total: 329 Calorie Bento!

Last nights quick and easy dinner!

I was looking in the fridge to try to figure out dinner, for last night. Turns out, I had baby portabellas, red peppers, and onions, and a bottle of Low Calorie Sesame/Ginger salad dressing. First thought.. quick vegetable stirfry! I chopped up all the veggies and poured some dressing over them, and let them sit in the dressing for a little bit. My little man is sick, so I didn't want to spend the time setting up my wok, which is what I would normally use for this. So I grabbed a pan and started cooking. Just pour the dressing and veggies into the pan and saute until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. I tend to keep mine a little bit crispy. 

After the veggies are done, you can do just about anything with them. I was running low on calories for the day, so I just put the veggies themselves over some brown rice (which surprisingly enough, my son LOVED). In the past I've put them over chicken as well, or even cut up some cooked chicken and mix it in with the vegetables at the end. If I were to have brought a lunch with me today, this would have been a perfect leftover to use!

The calorie count for this will vary depending on what vegetables and dressing you use. Another way I cook vegetables in the summer is on a grill wok. I marinate chopped vegetables overnight in teriyaki marinade, and then toss them on the grill in the grill wok. This goes great paired with grilled chicken, burgers, steak, you name it!

No Bento today! So here's todays snack instead..

On wednesdays I only work until 1:30, so there is no point in packing a lunch. Instead I have my usual oatmeal and tea breakfast, and then a smaller snack around 12:30-1. My snacks used to consist of foods such as Garlic Bagel Chips, which taste awesome, but are 130 calories in just 6 chips. Today I brought Special K Cracker Chips (southwest ranch flavor) which are only 110 calories in TWENTY SEVEN chips! Oh, and they taste pretty awesome too.

Bento Lunch - Day 2

Yay! Another bento! For this one I used some left over chicken as the main protein in it. This is such an awesome way to reuse leftovers. 

Here is the breakdown of this Bento:
Chicken: 62 Calories (2 oz.)
Mini Pita: 80 Calories
Cheese Cubes: 120 Calories
Laughing Cow Wedge: 35 Calories
Hummus: 60 Calories (2 tbs.)
Baby Carrots: 20 Calories (14 pieces)
Cherry Tomatos: 18 Calories (6 pieces)

Total: 395 Healthy Calories!!

So I'm still under my 400 calorie meal marker, and not only is this lunch but also a snack! I already ate the veggies and hummus earlier as an early afternoon snack, and I'll be eating the chicken soon with the pitas and cheese. Much better than just trying to find random things that are quick during a foodstore run. Definitely better than looking at all the junk food around my office that would rack up calories and not be as healthy.

Bento Lunch - Day One

In keeping up with last weeks vow to bring lunch every day from home, here is day one! I couldn't be more excited! (no really, it's actually a little bit sad how excited I am over this)

Here is the breakdown of this Bento:

Turkey: 48 Calories (2 oz.)

Mini Pita: 80 Calories

Cheese Cubes: 120 Calories

Laughing Cow Wedge: 35 Calories

Hummus: 60 Calories (2 tbs.)

Baby Carrots: 22 Calories (16 pieces)

Total: 365 Healthy Calories!!

My current calorie allowance for the day is just about 1,400 calories. It will drop over time as I lose more weight. This is set for me to lose 1 pound a week.

I try to keep most meals below 400 calories. I tend to eat "6 small meals a day", rather than 3 major meals. It keeps metabolism going, and definitely helps with my stomach problems. It also makes it so you don't over eat in one sitting, by eating every few hours. I'll probably end up eating the carrots and hummus around noon or 1, and having the turkey and cheese a couple of hours after. 

Can't wait for lunch today!

This weeks lunch vow..

Next week I'm making myself bring lunch to work everyday. I always end up running out saying "oh, i'll goto the supermarket and get something to make quick at work". Yet, I always end up coming back with the same things, Lean Cusines or Sushi. I ordered sectional tupperwares earlier this week, to make my own "bento box" lunches. Should be fun.. I'll do photo updates with calorie counts as I make them :)

I've gotten some awesome ideas for healthy bento combo's off of Pinterest. Can't wait to try them!

Another Ab Challenge

Fab Ab February starts tonight! And on top of the 3-4 times a week Pilates routine & Fab Ab February, I'll be adding on another 14 day Challenge that was just posted to Pinterest. Check it out, and do it with me!

Sick of the same old lunch..

I'm currently on the hunt for some quick/easy/low calorie lunch options that I can take to work. I feel like I'm falling back into the "soup or lean cuisine lunches every day" cycle that I fell into a year and a half ago. I've been asking around and here are some of the suggestions I've gotten so far:
 

American Bento Boxes (I will absolutely post as I make these, should be fun!)
 

My best friend gave her favorite: "I always make this sandwich: 2 hard boiled eggs, raw baby spinach, cheese and hummus on whole wheat bread... delicious and high protein!" (I'll be trying this)

Another friend suggested: "Pita, humus, bag 'o baby carrots, some walnuts"

Of course, the ever popular salad. As long as I partner it with some carbs or protein, my stomach can handle it. 

Lean Cuisines have been a long standing favorite of mine, (specifically the Panini's). Quick, easy, pop it in the microwave and it already has the calories counted out for you. However, they are definitely loaded with sodium, which can leave you bloated feeling and retaining a bit of water. They're great if I didn't have the time the night before to pack a lunch, or don't have time to run out to grab something. I always make sure theres a Lean Cuisine in the work freezer, just in case. But eating a Lean Cusine every day gets boring, and isn't always the healthiest option. Homemade lunches, and fresh foods, definitely give you more nutrients and if done right, can either be just as low calorie or lower.

What's your favorite low calorie work lunch?