The Movie in Review

The Movie: IronMan

The results on the movie: Good

The results on the ending: Dumb

The results on the actors: Very good

2 Steps Forward...

1 Step Back. You're going in the right direction, so it's all good.

I decided to go to weigh-in last night at the Dartmouth location. I'm up 1.4 from last week to 145.2. I'm still 4.8 less than goal so it's all good. Could be I ate more food yesterday than last Wednesday, pants were heavier, whatever. I don't stress - Just re-commit.

The message this week was Weight Loss Bargain. What did we spend on exercise equipments, foods, fad diets or other programs before joining WW. What have we spent as members? Why do we freak over the cost of lettuce, but don't question the cost of a round of drinks, often tipping more than the lettuce would have cost. What is the cost of not buying healthy foods?

I never really spent a lot on trying to lose weight before joining WW. I bought books and can list them here: "Fit for Life", "A New Way of Eating", and Dr. Phil's book on weight loss. I actually like the idea of Natural Hygein (Fit for Life and A New Way of Eating) and find it co-incides in a lot of ways with Core - I just wish the recipes were less time-consuming (if you read me regularly you'll know how much I love cooking - not). I didn't make it very far into Dr. Phil's book, but made lots of notes about my psychological issues;0)

I think I've spent more money on health items after starting this journey. Still, I bought my weights second hand, my elliptical was free and my yoga mat and ankle weights were from Winners. Maybe $100 in total. Plus the gym I joined this winter. The joiners fee was quite low and I only joined for 2 months - another $140 or so.

Do I spend more on groceries than before? I don't think so. If you plan right healthy eating doesn't have to cost a fortune. I also look at the cost of food in more than 1 way now as well. Usually I try to buy lean ground beef, but last week I hesitated because it was expensive. Turns out ground chicken was on sale so I picked up 4 packages. I swing by the fish section every time I'm in the store to see if there are any marked for 50% quick sale. I then freeze it as soon as I get home. Last night I enjoyed Tilapia that was purchased as a result of a quick sale sometime last month. Sweet:)

So - why can I relax and not get excited about a 1.4 lb gain. Is it because I'm already under goal? No - I'd still like to get to 140. Moreover it's because I've been here before. In October I charted a 3.8 lb gain one week. I know this isn't a race. It's a lifetime. And that's what last nights message was all about. I'm glad I made the time to go to the meeting. Can you believe I felt more rejeuvinated after than 1.4 gain than last weeks loss? It's true.

YUMMMMMMY!

What is the protocol for sharing recipes that you paid for? I'm never sure about that. Anyway, I suppose it's OK as long as you made the recipe, tell people where you got it, and encourage them to buy the publication. So, I'm going to share.

First off, if you haven't picked up a copy of the recent Clean Eating Magazine, do it now. Wow, I am so impressed with this. I've tried 2 recipes so far and heard the term 'gourmet' coming from the hubby over chicken soup and 'delicious' coming from the picky eater 9yo over lasagna (although this recipe did put dairy in her system, I figured it was OK for a single serving every few weeks as long as she stays away from sneaking her sisters cheese strings).

Adendum: The 9yo dislikes ground beef and will not eat pasta with tomatoe sauce - yucky, she says. She does, however, like tomatoes and tomatoe juice - hmmm. So, for this to be a delicious choice is huge.

So, without further ado, a sample from the current publication. I think I'll be tempted to subscribe to this magazine...

Pasta with Turkey and Spinach:

1tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1lb extra-lean ground white turkey breast (I used ground chicken 'cause it was on sale last week)
3/4tsp ground cinnamon
1/4tsp ground nutmeg
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes in juice
1tsp sea salt
8 sheets dried high-protein or whole-wheat lasagna noodles (I used PC whole wheat noodles)
1 10-oz box frozen spinach, thawed
1 15-oz container low-fat ricotta cheese (I bought a tub in the deli but couldn't find low-fat - think 500 ml)
1 egg
3/4C shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (no name, low-fat)

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over med heat. Add onion and cook until softened (about 5 mins). Add garlic and cood another minute. Turn heat to med-high and add ground turkey, breaking it up. Cook until meat shows no sign of pink. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, then add tomatoes with juice and the salt. Reduce heat to med-low, stir, cover and let simmer for 20 mins, occasionally stirring and breaking up with tomatoes with a wooden spoon.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse and allow to cool in colander.

3. Preheat oven to 400 deg. Squeeze all remaining moisture from thawed spinach and place in a large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, egg and 1/4C mozzarella to bowl. Stir until combined.

4. Spread 1C of cooked tomatoe sauce into bottom of a 9x10" casserole dish. Lay a cooked lasagna noodle flat in front of you. Use your fingers to spread 1/8 of ricotta mixture across the noodle and roll it up (a little over 1/4C of mixture per noodle). Place rolled pasta, seam side down, into the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. Spread remaining tomatoe sauce over roll-ups, then top with remaining 1/2C mozzerella.

5. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 mins. Remove foil and broil for 5 mins or until roll-ups are browned and bubbly.

NI/serving: 234 calories, Fat 3g, Sat. fat 0g, Carbs 27g, Fibre 5g, Sugars 7g, Protein 28g, Sodium 508mg, cholesterol 76mg.

So, be you a calorie counter, weight watcher, or clean eater, this should be everything you need. As a Weight Watcher, I love whole foods. To me, clean eating just gives me another focus on what I'm already trying to do - eat healthy. The fact that this was easy to make, freezes great for lunches later in the week, and is family approved makes this recipe a perfect fit for my meal plan. 2 thumbs up.