Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Trying Some New Recipes


Since I've recently become engaged, I've been happily buying many many bridal magazines. There's actually a new bridal magazine out on the market. It's Shape Brides (a special quarterly issue of Shape magazine). The magazine is basically Shape with bridal advertisements. There are also some slim down quickly types targeted specially for brides as well as "bridal advice" columns.

In the latest issue, it had some tips to cut calories so that you could slim down before the big day. I have no expectations that I will miraculously become a size 2 before my wedding day. I'm pretty sure my skeleton would not even be a size 2 - I'm just not built that way. But, that doesn't mean that I cannot try something new. Plus, I've been really stressed out so that leads me to wanting to eat a diet of pure M&Ms - not so healthy.

In the last couple of weeks, I've tried a few of the recipes from Shape Brides. The article's concept is to always eat protein, fiber, fat, and carbs in combination. You should never have one without the other three. This makes sense to me and it's advice I've read in other places. However, usually that advice is not accompanied by easy recipes of things I'd actually want to eat. Luckily, the recipes I've found so far are really good. I've listed a few of them below in case you are in the mood to try them. I did make some minor adjustments based on my personal tastes, but I kept the concept and calorie amount the same.


Yogurt Parfait

- 3/4 c plain Greek fat free yogurt
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp nuts (I used sliced almonds)
- 1/2 c Kashi Go Lean Crunch
- 3/4 c blueberries

Mix together yogurt, honey, and cinnamon. Top with nuts, kashi, and blueberries.

Chicken Salad (you can also use tuna in this recipe but it will probably make 2-3 sandwiches instead of 3-4)

- 1 can chicken breast packed in water
- 2 tbsp light mayo
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (or more to taste)
- 1 cup shredded carrots (you can add more to increase bulk and stretch the recipe further)
- 1/4 c. chopped celery
- 2 Tbsp sliced almonds
- 2 Tbsp raisins

Mix all ingredients together. Makes 3-4 sandwiches worth of filling. Serve in a medium whole wheat pita or a whole wheat sandwich thin (the more fiber the better)

Snack Mix (under 200 calories)

- 4 cups 94% fat free popcorn
- 2 tbsp peanuts
- 1 tbsp chocolate chips

Yum.

Anyway, it's been good to mix up my breakfast and lunch options. I've been getting bored lately so it's nice to have something new and healthy to try.

There are many more recipes to try. I'll post the ones here that I think are worthwhile.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Whataya What from Me

I should preface this post by saying that I have not watched American Idol in 5+ years. Also, I am not a huge fan of Adam Lambert.

But I cannot get his song OUT OF MY HEAD. I have been singing Whataya What from Me ALL WEEKEND. I swear it drove Mike crazy yesterday. Mainly because I really only know the refrain so that's what I just kept singing over and over again. I started to annoy myself. . .

Anyway, I posted the video below. Now you can get it stuck in your head too. Enjoy. :)

Friday, May 14, 2010

The Countdown Begins

The countdown begins!

In exactly one year it will be my wedding day. This is both equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. The exhilarating part is that I'll be married and then Mike and I will finally be living together. The terrifying part is the amount that needs to happen in the next year - planning a wedding, working out the logistics of living together, etc. It'll be fine I know, but there's a lot that's going to happen in the next year. It will fly by!

365 days to go!