quest bar: s'mores

A coworker of mine gave me a bunch of the new S'mores Quest bars (yay!!).  She decided she wasn't overly thrilled with them.  Sure, I'll take FREE Quest bars!!  I don't eat them very often, mainly because they're delicious and I'd eat them all day if I could, but I like to have one once in awhile.

I really liked this bar.  It's not as delicious as their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor, but it was pretty good.  Obviously it's not as chocolatey as a real s'more, and it doesn't have melted, gooey marshmallow, but I could definitely taste chocolate and graham crackers.  There were little bits of marshmallow in there, too.  The only thing I didn't care for what that they were a bit messy.  Because of the graham cracker crumbs, it tended to shed some crumbs on my desk at work.  Not overly crumbly though.

I would definitely buy these again.

 

 

food diary: 04/07/15

Here's yesterday's log.  It was easier to resist popping bits of food into my mouth while making dinner, lunch, and prepping other food; it was a good day.  As a reward, the scale has gone down a pound today!!

Foods	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Dannon - Greek Light and Fit Blueberry Yogurt (150g), 1 container (150g)	80	9g	0g	12g	10mg	45mg	7g	0g
Lunch
4 oz Chicken Breast - Chicken Breast - Grilled, 3.75 oz	140	0g	3g	23g	61mg	38mg	0g	0g
Eggs - Hard-boiled (whole egg), 1 large	78	1g	5g	6g	212mg	62mg	1g	0g
Dinner
Joseph's Flax Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Pita Bread - Pita Pocket, 1 pita (28.3g/1.oz.	60	8g	2g	6g	0mg	300mg	0g	4g
Contadina - Pizza Sauce (Squeeze Bottle), 1/8 cup (63g)	15	3g	0g	1g	0mg	170mg	2g	1g
Sargento - Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese, 2 oz	180	2g	14g	12g	40mg	420mg	2g	0g
Pepperoni Original - Pepperoni Original, 0.13 oz.	16	0g	2g	1g	3mg	61mg	0g	0g
Snacks
Cedar's - Original Hummus [gl], 4 TBS (14 g)	120	10g	6g	4g	0mg	208mg	4g	2g
Any Fresh - Celery (Raw), 2.5 oz (29g)	38	10g	0g	3g	0mg	188mg	0g	5g
Pure Protein High Protein Bar - Greek Yogurt Style Coating Blueberry, 1 bar (50g)	190	19g	5g	20g	15mg	115mg	4g	2g
Mission - Chicharrones (Pork Rinds) - Plain, 3/4 oz. (14g)	120	0g	8g	14g	30mg	405mg	0g	0g
Crystal Farms - Pepper Jack Cheese, 0.13 ounce	14	0g	1g	1g	3mg	26mg	0g	0g
TOTAL:	1,051	62g	46g	103g	374mg	2,038mg	20g	14g

food diary: 04/06/15

Here's a picture of my day yesterday. I'm using My Fitness Pal to track my food. I'm aiming for 1,100 calories per day and at least 80g of protein.  I went over my calorie allowance yesterday, but I'm OK with that since I just recently started tracking again.  In just a few days, I've realized that it's really important to track my food.  Actually, anyone looking to lose weight should track it, especially a post-op; you just don't know how much you're eating unless you write it down.  It's so easy to say, "I know what I'm supposed to eat and how much. I know what a portion looks like. My new, smaller stomach will tell me when I've had enough."  We think we know what we're eating and how much, but we often underestimate and end up eat a lot more calories without realizing it.  I had no idea how much adding peanuts to my morning yogurt was affecting my calorie intake.  I thought I was adding an ounce, 160 calories, but once I started measuring I quickly realized I was adding AT LEAST two ounces, or 320 calories (!), to an 80 calorie yogurt!  Not to mention all those times I pop a piece of cheese in my mouth while I'm preparing my lunch or cutting up the cheese blocks.  Big eye opener!

Note:  Some food descriptions might look a little weird.  I'm using whatever the program gives me, rather than creating custom foods.

April 6, 2015

Foods	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Dannon - Greek Light and Fit Blueberry Yogurt (150g), 1 container (150g)	80	9g	0g	12g	10mg	45mg	7g	0g
Lunch
Eggs - Hard-boiled (whole egg), 2 large	155	1g	11g	13g	424mg	124mg	1g	0g
Crystal Farms - Pepperjack Cheese, 1 oz	110	1g	9g	6g	30mg	200mg	0g	0g
Dinner
Generic - Chicken Breast, Grilled - Homemade, 3 oz	138	0g	3g	27g	72mg	63mg	0g	0g
Green Beens - Cut Green Beans, 1 ounce	5	1g	0g	0g	0mg	4mg	0g	0g
Crystal Farms - Pepperjack Cheese, 1 oz	110	1g	9g	6g	30mg	200mg	0g	0g
Snacks
Any Fresh - Celery (Raw), 2.5 oz (29g)	38	10g	0g	3g	0mg	188mg	0g	5g
Cedar's - Original Hummus [gl], 4 TBS (14 g)	120	10g	6g	4g	0mg	208mg	4g	2g
Eas - 100% Whey Protein (Vanilla), 2 Scoops (36g)	150	7g	2g	26g	80mg	150mg	2g	0g
Fairlife - Skim Milk, 1 cup Cooked	80	6g	0g	13g	5mg	120mg	6g	0g
Mission - Chicharrones (Pork Rinds) - Plain, 1/2 oz. (14g)	80	0g	5g	9g	20mg	270mg	0g	0g
Giant - Garlick Bread Stick, 1 stick	150	21g	4g	3g	0mg	280mg	3g	1g
TOTAL:	1,216	67g	49g	122g	671mg	1,852mg	23g	8g

today's lunch

Surprise, surprise:  two hard boiled eggs. Sometimes I think Easter is the best time of year because of the abundance of hard boiled eggs. Not that I can't make them anytime,  but they seem better when someone else makes them. That way I'm not at fault if peeling the egg is like scraping crazy glue off the floor. And I'm so happy that they no longer bother my stomach. When I was early out from surgery I could eat them, but my stomach would bother me a little. No problem now! 

cornmeal fennel cookies

Yes, I know.  That sounds like an odd combination for a cookie, but I wanted to try something different.  And I wanted to use up some more ingredients in the spirit of my Eat Through the Kitchen Challenge:  fennel seed and cornmeal.

Awhile back I cleaned out my spices.  I tossed all the old ones, which were really outdated, and bought new ones to take their place.  I also added some ones I've never used before.  Since I buy spices at the dollar store usually, or buy the Badia brand (in the Spanish food isle at the store) ,I didn't have to spend any significant money to replenish my stock.  Well, somehow I ended up with two containers of fennel seed.  I have no idea why I bought fennel seed since I have no clue what it's used for; however, I recently discovered it's used in sausage making.

I also had a bag of cornmeal haunting the cabinet.  Not sure why I bought that, either.  I'm sure there was a recipe I wanted to try at some point so I bought it.  (This is why I'm doing my Eat Through the Kitchen Challenge!)

I went in search of a recipe using fennel seed and this is the one I found. Since it used cornmeal, too, all the better.  The recipe I found was actually reviewed by someone on The Kitchn website.  They said that the recipe they tried needed some added milk, because the dough wouldn't bind together.  So, I followed the recipe and added the milk.  It also called for the fennel seed to be coarsely ground, which means using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.  I was at my dad's house this weekend for Easter and was able to borrow my mom's mortar and pestle.

I made the recipe and included 3/4 cup of milk after mixing the dry ingredients into the dough.  I then chilled the dough, but only for about an hour and half since I had to get them finished to take them somewhere. The result was that they spread quite a bit. Next time I make this I will chill the dough for much longer.

I have to admit I was skeptical, but they tasted good.  They have a nice fennel flavor, just a hint of sweetness, and a bit of a crunchy texture inside because of the cornmeal, while still being chewy.  I would make these again.

Here's the recipe I used.  I added 3/4 cup of milk before chilling the dough:  Cornmeal Fennel Cookies
Here's the review of the recipe by The Kitchn:  Review

struggling to get back on track

You've probably noticed that I haven't posted any weight loss in a long time.  That's because I'm at a standstill at the moment and have been for at least 5 months.  I'm not gaining, but I'm not losing either.  And that's my own fault.  I've been snacking and grazing.  A lot.

I was really strict with my diet for quite awhile.  Then I took the wrong job, a job I hated.  I was good for the first couple months, but after that it was downhill. I was so miserable at that place and depressed because I couldn't find another job fast enough.  My desk was very close to the kitchen and people would constantly bring food in. So, whenever I was procrastinating on something, either because it was boring or I was just miserable and didn't want to do it, I would wander into the kitchen and grab a few bites of whatever was there.  It started out as a couple trips a day:  a Munchkin here, two crackers there. But that quickly became a trip to the kitchen six, seven, eight times a day.  It got to where I was never actually, truly hungry while I was at work, because I was grazing all day.  And then, eventually, it continued on at home.  While it's true I can no longer sit down and eat two cheeseburgers at a time, it doesn't mean I can't eat the equivalent over the course of a few hours; I'm only limited in quantity at one sitting.

And I don't even want to talk about the Girl Scout Cookies....

So, I've been trying to get back on track. 

First challenge:  not buying things I can't control myself with.  I've told myself to stop buying things I know I have willpower over, like Chex Mix.  It's really tough to break the habit of buying snacks.  I went to the store the other day and I really had to talk to myself (in my head) while I was shopping, telling myself, "Don't by that.  You don't need it.  You know you have no control over it."  And of course the other part of my was saying, "Oh, just buy it.  Just eat it in moderation.  You'll be fine."  Nope.  I've tried that MANY times and I don't have the control to eat it in moderation; therefore, I'm not going to buy it.  I walked out of the store with no snacks for myself except some pork rinds.  I see pork rinds as being OK, because they have a lot of protein, no carbs, and just a few fill me up. 

Second challenge:  weighing, measuring and tracking my food.  I used to be religious about that, but then that other job happened and I slacked off.  Plus, when the weight just melts off effortlessly, it's easy to feel like you don't need to follow the rules, or you can break them once in awhile.  That leads to a plateau or even weight gain.  Well, I packed my food yesterday (I take breakfast and lunch to work), just like I do every weekday.  I packed the right foods. I measured and weighed. I even tracked it in My Fitness Pal!  I did great while I was at work.  But then I came home.  I was good while cooking dinner. I didn't sample anything; however, I really had to restrain myself big time.  So many times I caught myself getting ready to reach for something, especially when I was chopping up my cheese for the week.  But then I sat down to watch TV and decided to have some chips and queso dip.  I checked My Fitness Pal and it's amazing how fast the calories add up!!  But that enabled me to see where my problems are:  it's the snacking.  A little here, a little there.  Doesn't seem like much, but it does add up.  And that's why I'm not losing.

So, today I packed my lunch again.  I cut back on the portion of pork rinds (didn't realize I packed TWO portions' worth yesterday).  I also cut down on the cheese I used for lunch meat rollups.  I had a breakfast meeting today and they served bagels, scones, fruit, etc.  I didn't touch a thing...until it was over and they asked if we wanted to take anything back to our desks.  Big mistake.  I ended up with a bagel (my kryptonite) and a mini scone.  So, that derailed my calorie intake for the day.  Yes, I tracked it, but I HATED having to confess to my digital calorie-keeper that I had screwed it up already, and it wasn't even 9:30 am. 

I shall try again tomorrow. 

Weight loss surgery is great and it works, but we have to be very vigilant about making sure we don't let old habits resurface and that we don't let emotions drive us into creating new bad habits.

today's lunch

This probably doesn't look appetizing but I assure you it does taste good! Cottage cheese mixed with nutra sweet, dry roasted peanuts and unsweetened coconut. Yummy!  I had to use up the cottage cheese. 

This would have been a breakfast and lunch post, but I forgot to take a pic before I ate it all. It was greek yogurt with peanuts (what else??) And celery sticks with hummus.

today's breakfast

Today I made scrambled eggs for Bob and I and topped them with American cheese.  They came out perfect:  nice and creamy and soft.

I made some fried potatoes and onions with it.  I bought a couple bags of red potatoes a few weeks ago (buy one get one free!) and I've been trying to use them up. Tonight I'll be using them to make mashed potatoes to serve with the Swedish meatballs I plan to make.  No, I'm not making the meatballs from scratch - I have a huge bag of Ikea meatballs in the freezer -, but I'll be making the gravy from scratch.  I've noticed that the Ikea gravy packets don't go very far at all so I ran out of them way before using up the meatballs.  That's OK, because the Ikea gravy just seems so...cheap? processed?...I guess those are the right words to use.  Tastes fine, but I'd rather make gravy from scratch.

This amounts to about 2 eggs, a slice of cheese and about 1/4 cup of potatoes.  I was able to finish everything except a few potatoes.

eat through the kitchen progress

Well, I've done pretty well with this challenge so far.  I've had to toss some frozen green beans that looked like they had been in the freezer a very long time; I don't even remember buying them.  I tossed some hamburgers that got freezer-burned.  Other than that, though, I've been able to use my freezer items without a problem.

One thing I will say is that when you do something like this, you need to be prepared to eat a lot of the same meat.  I had a ton of chicken in the freezer when I started, a little pork, some beef and a few other things.  I wish I had thought to buy some beef ahead of time, but it is what it is.  I've tried to be a little creative by making the Broiled Yogurt Chicken, Italian Crockpot Chicken, and a few other things. But I'm not sure how much more chicken I can take.

This has really tested my ability to not make spontaneous, unplanned purchases.  I actually have to fight my way through the store, because I just want to toss stuff in the cart; I'm so used to doing that.  I will admit I broke down and bought some hamburgers and hot dogs the other night, though. I just had to.  The thought of another chicken dish just got to me.  Other than that, I've stuck to buying just what I need to make a certain recipe or for the week's lunches at work.  I really can't afford to make a lot of unplanned purchases at the moment; however, that will be solved by the end of April.

I think I might do some baking this weekend since i have tons of cocoa powder and other baking stuff on-hand. I'll have to bring it all to work and dump it over in my team's cubicle area so I don't graze on it all day (more on that another time).

If I post any more chicken dishes next week, I'll be sure to make something a little more exciting that grilled chicken!

roasted potatoes with carrots and onions

This is a delicious way to use up buy-one-get-one-free bags of red potatoes, the half an onion haunting the back of the fridge, and the last few carrots leftover from the January family meal (yes, they were perfectly fine and crispy; carrots last).

This is so simple. All I did was cut up red potatoes, onions, and carrots (peeled, of course); toss them with olive oil and Sicilian seasoning (got it at Ocean State Job Lot for a couple bucks; it's a seasoned salt); and put them in the oven to bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.  Just stir it up once in awhile and that's it.