Meal Planning Monday

Linking up with Emily again for Meal Pinning Monday...

Week 3 of this 30 day transformation!!! So Far, after 2 weeks, I have lost 16.6 lbs.... guess I'll stick with it :)

Monday

B- Cereal with Almond Milk :)

L- Chef Salad

D- I'll make this in the crockpot today, and I'll probably add leftover black beans from last week. 

Tuesday

B- Omelet...I think this sounds good...

L- Chicken Tacos with leftover chicken from Monday night!

D- Chef Salad

Wednesday- Shake Day!!

Thursday

B- Boiled Egg, Wheat Toast with Almond Butter

L- Burger with Pepper Jack Cheese

D- Paleo Fish from a few weeks ago

Friday

B- Oatmeal

L- Taco Salad... I'll use the rest of the chicken from Monday with a good salad

D- I get steak and sweet potatoes, and this looks great!

Saturday

B- Fruit Smoothie!

L- Quinoa Pizza Bites

D- Burger with Roasted Asparagus

Sunday

B- My Low Carb Pancakes

L- Pork Loin with Quinoa

D- Leftovers

Meal Pinning Monday

Linking up with Emily after taking a week off from the blog!

Last Monday, I started a 30 day transformation (no cheats + exercise), so I have a full blown meal plan for the entire month. With that said, I do not have much planned for eating from pinterest this month. I am, however, going to try to find something similar on pinterest that would serve the purpose!

Monday

Shake Day :)

Tuesday

B- steel cut oatmeal with a scoop of protein powder

S- Greek Yogurt with Xypstick

L- Chicken Salad (Chopped grilled chicken, a little greek yogurt, a little jalapeno, a little dijion mustard) 

all served in a romaine lettuce cup

S- Lean Shake

D- Grilled Pork Chop and Grilled Zucchini Salad (I will probably make the following with a drizzle of this yummy Ranch Vinaigrette).

Wednesday

B- Shake with banana

S-almonds

L- a version of the below... this is my least favorite meal. it will be hard to eat, but I can also have salsa and a little bit of cheese, so I may use grilled chicken and mix it all up and make it like a taco bowl or something.

D- Grilled Steak and a Salad

Thursday
B-2 boiled eggs and a piece of wheat toast
L- Grilled Chicken Salad
D- Grilled Steak with Parmesan Asparagus :)

Friday
B- Wheat Toast with Almond Butter
L-Chef Salad
D- Pork Chop with Kale Salad

Saturday
B- Oatmeal with Lean
L- hamburger patty
D- Quinoa, Paleo Tilapia I pinned a few weeks back and never cooked

Sunday
B-Omelet
L- Turkey Sandwich
D- Grilled Chicken Salad

Bring On Week 1! Ready to Kick Butt!!

Weight Loss Wednesday.... Substitutions

One thing miss is good chips! I love Cheetos, sun chips, and I really miss "hot chips and cheese," but none of those are low carb friendly on my xyngular diet, so I had to come up with some substitutions. 

The first one is my Low Carb Chips and Dip. Just baking pepperoni gives you a nice crispy snack with a lot of flavor!

The second is new to me. I've mentioned before that I am super picky!! I am trying to test something new once a week. A few weeks ago, that was zucchini! It really has no flavor and works perfectly as a chip for salsa (and hummus if you like it). 

The third chip substitution comes from the Louisiana Bride Blog. It's her BBQ Kale Chips. I don't know how to put into words how great these little things are!!!

I am always open to other substitutions, so if you have any, please share!!!

Weight Loss Wednesday... Desserts

I have had lots of questions about how to enjoy a dessert every now and then on a low carb diet. White taking Xyngular, I really don't have the cravings for lots of carbs and sweets, but let's face it.... NOTHING is going to completely take away the craving for something sweet forever. So I've compiled a few of my go to sweet things when the urge hits! Please understand these things aren't carb free, but they are much better for you than most desserts. The greek yogurt has a fair amount of carbs, but it also has a lot of protein!

1. Chocolate Mouse

All you need for this quick bowl of yummy is one container of plain greek yogurt, a little bit of cocoa powder and a few packets of stevia (enough until it's sweet enough for you). It's super yummy!

2. MIxed Berry Greek Yogurt 

Now, you could buy the flavored kind, but it has extreme amounts of sugars and carbs. I make my own and it has lots less! I sprinkle a little xypstix in my greek yogurt and top with a few berries. It's soooooo goood, and it hits my sweet tooth every time! 

3. Lemon- Berry Slushy

My biggest summer time craving is snow cones, but I cannot allow myself to consume that much sugar! For this, I just pop a peeled lemon, a xypstix mixed with the proper amount of water, and some ice into a blender until slushy consistency! So yummy!!! 

I have pictures some store bought options.

4. Cocoa rosted almonds... if you would like to make your own, my friend Emily at Louisiana Bride Blog has posted a recipe. You can find that here. 

5. Sugar Free Jello! 

6. Sugar Free Popsicles!

7. Nature Valley Protein Bars!

Now I will share a few ideas I have found on pinterest. I have made the chia pudding, and I LOVE it!!! It's a favorite for sure!!! I've also made the PB cookies, and they were nice... not my favorite, but they are good if you want a cookie!

Meal Planning Monday

Linking up with Emily again for Meal Planning Monday!

I am doing another 8 day challenge this week, so my week will be a little strange. Instead of an actual 8 day challenge, I plan to a 4 day one. 

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday will be shake days. I'll probably have a lot of coffee shakes this week for meals. Maybe do a lemon shake for dinner! They are pretty good!

For protein snacks, I plan on doing a few things I found on pinterest in the afternoon and protein bars or omelets for breakfast. 

Here are a few of my snacks I plan on making this week.... 

Wednesday

I have been wanting pizza like everyday, so I am giving into the cravings this week!!!
I am making the quinoa pizza bites today even though the link isn't showing here.


Friday

I have a bacon wrapped chicken breast in the fridge that I need to use! I am going to stuff it with this yummy goodness :)


Saturday

I'll be at a wedding, so I'll try to keep my day full of low carb options!

Sunday

Last pizza day!!! I have been trying one new thing a week since I started really running out of foods i like! This week is cauliflower in a cooked way. Last week, I tried Zucchini, and I really liked it!

Weight Loss Wednesday.... Grocery List

I have a lot of people asking me what I eat and what I buy at the grocery store while I am losing weight. so this week, I will be sharing some of my favorites that end up in my cart every time I am at the store! I probably have about 20 staples, but today, I'm just going to share my top 9!

1. Greek Goddess Plain Greek Yogurt! 

This stuff is WONDERFUL with a little xypstick and strawberries. I eat this at least 4 times a week! Good source of protein! I have tried and looked at every label of almost every plain greek yogurt, and this wins hands down!

2. Eggs!

I eat these boiled, poached, scrambled, in an omelet, in my salad.... Quick and Easy Protein!

3. Pre- Cooked Bacon

I eat this alone, with eggs, on my salad, on my sandwich.... It's super thin and crispy, so it has fewer calories and sodium content! Not as fatty as other brands, so it's more protein!

4. Laughing Cow Cheese!

This is seriously my favorite! Easiest way to add flavor with out a bunch of added calories and sodium! 30 calories per wedge! Perfect with almost anything! I even like their sweet flavors!

5. Weight Watchers Cheese Sticks

These are actually cheeper than the other versions, and they have fewer calories, sodium, and other things. Other brands probably taste a little better, but I can't justify the price over how cheep these are!

6. Jif Natural Peanut Butter To- Go

I LOVE peanut butter, and I have a hard time stopping at the suggested serving size, so these are good for watching the servings (because pb is high in calories!). I also like that I can keep these with me if I get hungry!

7. 100 Calorie Pack Cocoa Roasted Almonds

These are just perfect. They cure my sweet tooth every time! No, they are not as healthy as regular almonds, but they are a lot healthier than chocolate covered almonds!!!

8. Bacon wrapped Pork Loin

These are like $1.50 at Walmart, and they are sooooooooo good! They come in individual portions, so you can decide how many you want to cook. Yes, pork and bacon is high in sodium, so I try to eat this for lunch or earlier in the evening. They are just soooo goood- especially for the price!!! 

9. Frozen Chicken Breast

Thanks to pinterest, there are a million recipes I like to try with chicken. These bags of chicken are easy for me as a single girl to cook up each night. Just remove the amount I like from the bag and cook! And, the price isn't too bad either!

So, now you have my top 9 staples! What are some of your staples?

Weight Loss Wednesday.... Goals Met, Rewards, and Low Carb Pancakes!

Before I share the recipe for low carb pancakes that I promised in Meal Planning Monday,  I have an announcement to make!!!

Sunday was the end of my 20th week with Xyngular, and I can proudly say that in 20 weeks, I lost 50.4 pounds and a total of 58 inches!!!!! Below you will see the most recent transformation picture... I plan on doing a really good one at 60 pounds lost, as that will be my halfway point.

Let's talk about rewards for a moment. I have a reward system set up for myself because, lets face it, we are encouraged and motivated by rewards!

For -25 lbs, I gave myself a mani/pedi

For -35 lbs, I gave myself a subscription to birchbox.

For -42 lbs (it was a personal goal), I gave myself a diamond candle :)

For -60 lbs, I will give myself a hair makeover ( which is when I will do an official transformation picture)

For -75 lbs, I haven't decided... I will either buy myself something nice or maybe a roadtrip

For -90 lbs, I plan on another diamond candle, mani/pedi, new make-up

For -100 lbs, it will time for new hair again!

For -120 lbs (which is ultimate goal), I plan on buying myself an iPad!!

Do you set goals for yourself? If so, what are some of your ideas?

Low Carb/ Ricotta Pancakes will have to be delayed... decided to eat Zaxby's yesterday (fyi one meal is an entire day's worth of calories) and I wasn't hungry last night, so i skipped dinner.

Chips and Dip (low carb style)

Part of my Xyngular diet is eating low carb. I usually drink a protein shake for breakfast, a 500-600 calorie meal for lunch, and endless protein and green veggies for dinner. On shake days (when I drink 3 shakes instead of meals), I get two 6 oz. protein snacks. I always struggle with snacks because I get tired of eggs, cheese, nuts, and chicken. There are also days when I desperately want a snack like chips and dip, but that's obviously not a good protein snack. Therefore, it was time to find an alternative!

Today's Snack is...... Pepperoni Chips with Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip

Ingredients

Pepperoni Slices (I use Turkey)

Greek Yogurt

Ranch Season Mix

Chips

line a baking sheet with aluminum foil

lay out pepperonis on the sheet 

Bake on 425 for 10 minutes

pat pepperonis to remove excess fat

Dip 

Mix greek yogurt with a ranch season packet

*i normally just make enough for one serving, so i sprinkle the season mix until it has the taste I want

Nutrition Facts (for 20 chips and 1 oz of dip)

Calories.....82

Fat.... 4G

Sodium... 726MG

Carbs... 4G

Fiber... 1G

Sugar... 2G

Protein... 9G

Meal Planning Monday

Monday- Last day of the 8 day challenge, so today is a shake day!

Shake Recipe for the day (PB&J shake)

8 oz. almond milk

1 scoop of lean

1 oz. global superblend fruit juice

1 tbsp. PB2

Tuesday- Breakfast for dinner

Low carb/ Protein waffles (recipe will be on weight loss wednesday)

Scrambled Eggs

Breakfast Sausage

Wednesday- Leftover chili with Quinoa from Sunday

Thursday- BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and Brussel Sprout Skillet from Words & Whisks Blog... I found this recipe under the Low Carb section on The Tasty Kitchen Blog!! I'm pretty excited about this recipe. I recently tried brussel sprouts and the aren't that bad... this should make them AMAZING!!

Friday- Either Leftover chili or Brussel Sprout Skillet

Saturday- Paleo Tilapia from last week because I never cooked it, or hibachi with the family for my dad's birthday/father's day!

Sunday- Crock Pot Honey Mustard Whole Chicken

I am seriously sooooooooo excited about this! I am sooooo obsessed with honey mustard. I bought a whole chicken a few weeks ago, and it's been in my freezer. I plan on eating this for Sunday lunch with  a strawberry spinach salad and some corn!! Then, I plan on using the leftover chicken during the week for salads, chicken pizza, a maybe a past dish! 

Weight Loss Wednesday :)

I feel like I am getting good at coming up with these little slogans for each day! Of course, I live by the mantra that teachers beg, borrow, and steal, so I suppose I do that a lot in all aspects of life ;)

Anyways, today is WEIGHT LOSS WEDNESDAY! Each Wednesday, I plan to share something about my weight loss journey whether it be a picture, a recipe, a sales pitch, or a shout out to some one else on this crazy journey with me.

Today, I am going to give a little overview of my journey to this point.

On January 21, 2013, a little red box by the name of IGNITE entered my life. Ignite is program powered by Xyngular! If you click on the word Xyngular, it will bring you the website to check it out!!! Since January 21, 2013, I have lost 47.6 lbs! I understand that Xyngular isn't for everyone, and I am not trying to convince you that it's the best, but it has worked for me and my family! I drink some protein shakes, I take supplements, I count calories, I live a low carb lifestyle, I read boxes religiously, and I exercise lightly. Those things may not be for you, but I can tell you this.... if you aren't willing to change your lifestyle, you're not going to see results. I am not trying to sell you this, but if you are interested in what I am doing, I would love to answer questions and talk more about Xyngular with you! I can sell the products! The videos on the website linked above really explain the products! Everyone should at least check them out just to see what it is that has changed my life!!!

While I am thrilled to have lost 47.6 lbs, I have a long ways to go. This is why I am putting it out here. If everyone knows my business, then maybe I will keep going as planned!! My next goal is 60 lbs, but I will probably celebrate when I hit -50 just because that seems so surreal!!!

I will leave everyone with my first transformation picture!

The left side was taken last summer, and I probably weight 5-10 lbs less than I did when I started Xyngular. The picture on the right was taken in April when I had lost 40 lbs.  

If you're on a weight loss journey, please share your story with me! Let's keep each other encouraged!

Find me on My Fitness Pal at amaree5595 :)

Peace, Love, and Geaux Tigers :)