First Breakfast!

Ahhh, eggs! Finally!  I thought I would miss sweets the most, but I was surprised that my most desired food turned out to be EGGS!  I think my body wanted more protein.  

My first meal after finishing these 6 week food plan:

A spinach and mushroom omelet, with celery, carrots, cantaloupe, and blueberries.  Very healthy, and filling! 

So glad I can eat eggs again! 

Week 6 Weight Results

Starting weight: 214.8

Week 1 weight: 207.2

Weight lost: 7.6 lbs

Week 2 weight: 204.2
Weight lost: 3 lbs

Week 3 weight: 199.6
Weight lost: 4.6 lbs

Week 4 weight: 197.6
Weight lost: 2 lbs

Week 5 weight: 193.0
Weight lost: 4.6 lbs

Week 6 weight: 188.8
Weight lost: 4.2 lbs

Total weight lost: 26.0 lbs

Wow, 26 pounds in 6 weeks?!?! I never thought I would lose this much in such a short amount of time.  I didn't have to starve myself, or spend hours working out.  This was definitely worth dealing with those restrictions for 6 weeks!!!!  And I can officially say that all the baby weight from baby #3 is GONE!

Now, on to the rest of it! This was just the thing I needed to get me motivated.  :)

Week 6 Thoughts.

Wow, I can't believe I'm sitting here at the end of week 6.

This week was kind of blah-ish, honestly.  I wasn't excited to try new things like in previous weeks, I just wanted to get through to the end.

But I do feel proud, I can't believe I actually made it through!

My favorite food this past week: Chunky Sweet Potato Stew

My least favorite food this past week: Quinoa Mango Salad

Now all that's left, is the weigh in.  I'm excited to see what the final number will be!

Final Dinner.

This was the Too-Busy-To-Cook Vegetable Bean Soup, and the last dinner option I had left.  

And no, it didn't taste any better after being frozen.  ;)

Soon.

Soon, my pretties.

Soon.

Quinoa Mango Salad

Quinoa Mango Salad

I was excited to try this because the other mango recipe I tried (three bean mango salad) was delicious.  Mango isn't my favorite thing, but it's growing on me. 

I think I added too much basil, however, because that's all I tasted with this. 

The first time I tried it, I had to choke it down.  The second time, I added some lemon, and still had to choke it down.  The third time, I added strawberries, and it was OK, but still not good.

I'm embarrassed to say that I threw it away :/  I won't be trying this again.

It's About Time!

Hey, look what I started reading today! ;)

Week 6, Day 4, DONE!  Only THREE DAYS LEFT!!!!!

Antioxidant-Rich Breakfast Bars

Antioxidant-Rich Breakfast Bars

I like to have some grains in the morning with my smoothie, because it helps keep me full until lunch.  Since my muffins didn't turn out well the secomd time I made them, I needed something different. 

I found a recipe for breakfast bars in the ETL cookbook, and thought they might work.  These breakfast bars are easy to make, and are a nice addition to my smoothie in the morning! 

Spicy Thai Braised Kale and Tofu

Spicy Thai and Braised Kale and Tofu

This was my first dish with tofu.  I was anxious for something different, and this was definitely... different.  

Honestly, I can't say that I liked it very much.

I topped my salad with it, which didn't make it any better. 

It made for a pretty meal, at least!

But no... I don't plan on making it again.  :)

Week 6, Day 2 - Review

Ahhhhhhh!!! The last week!!!!!

I had my food ideas for this week well in advance.  I am so ready to be done! I'm glad I'm doing this, but ready to be off the restrictions.

Nothing new for breakfast this week.  I'm just going for easy here, and holding out for some EGGS ;)

Breakfast

-Smoothies
-Oatmeal
-Antioxidant-Rich Breakfast Bars

Lunch/Dinner

-Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili
-Chunky Sweet Potato Stew
-Quinoa Mango Salad
-Quinoa and Black Beans

Looks similar to last week, but only because I was a slacker and didn't make all the things I wanted to, haha.   If I don't have enough, I also saved some stuff in the freezer from the previous weeks.  I need to make another batch of the breakfast bars, but other than that, I am totally covered for this week.

I hope the rest of this week flies by!

Fridge Space! (or lack thereof)

This is what my fridge has looked like for the majority of the past 5 weeks:

With all the fruits and vegetable I need, and then add to that cooking additional meals for 4 other people... yes, it takes up a TON of space.  If our entire family were eating this way, I'd either have to shop every other day, or get a second fridge!

Craziness. 

Week 5 Weight Results

Starting weight: 214.8 

Week 1 weight: 207.2

Weight lost: 7.6 lbs

Week 2 weight: 204.2

Weight lost: 3 lbs

Week 3 weight: 199.6

Weight lost: 4.6 lbs

Week 4 weight: 197.6

Weight lost: 2 lbs

Week 5 weight: 193.0

Weight lost: 4.6 lbs

Total weight lost: 21.8 lbs

Dr. Fuhrman says you'll lose at least 20 pounds in 6 weeks, and that was true for me! :)

Excited to see what this last week brings! (and to eat eggs again ;) )

(AND, I haven't seen 200.anything for over a week! Hope to never see a 2 in front of my weight again.)

Week 5 Thoughts.

Woohoo, Week 5 is DONE!!!!  I am relieved that I only have ONE WEEK left!  If you ever want time to slow down, do this 6 week food plan.  This has been the longest 5 weeks ever, and I've waited through a 15 month deployment.

All the dishes ETL produces really irritated me this week.  I guess spending all this time in the kitchen is getting to me.  Since I make separate meals for my family, I end up with a lot of dishes.  And I don't like washing dishes. (To add to that, our dishwasher is acting up, and someone is coming to look at it tomorrow.  I hope I don't lose my dishwasher!!)

I'm so proud of myself for making it this far.  This whole time I've been thinking "What if I don't finish??" and I've been hesitant to share this blog with many people because of it.  Whenever I tell people that I'm on this diet, people can't believe it.  But honestly, anyone can do this, if they want to.

My favorite food this past week: Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili

My least favorite food this past week: Spicy Thai Braised Kale and Tofu (never again)

Alright, Week 6...

Quinoa and Black Beans

Quinoa and Black Beans

I made this recipe long before I ever started this 6 week plan.  It was my first venture into quinoa! :)

I left the oil out to keep it ETL compliant.  But you won't miss it, it's sooooo good.  Even my husband likes it.

I've probably made this 3 times during the 6 weeks. Mixed with some greens, it makes a simple, and tasty, lunch!

Dinner on the Go.

I had an odd dinner tonight, but when you're gone from 5-8 in the evening, it makes eating dinner difficult.  I didn't feel like dealing with heating up chili, so I kept it simple.

Not the best meal, but I didn't indulge in the tacos, pizza, or sweets we had at small group for dinner.
So I'll call that a win.

Single Digits!!!!

9 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!!

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili

I loved the mushroom chili I made a few weeks ago, so I was eager to try this one. 

I think I like the mushroom chili better, but this chili is really good, too.  I don't care for butternut squash by itself, and I blended this chili to get rid of the huge chunks. 

Another great, and healthy, recipe! :) 

One Month's Progress...

Pretty cool!!!!

Creamy Tomato Soup

Creamy Tomato Soup

The blog I got this from boasts that this soup is 41 calories per serving.  However, I think it is more like 70, but hey, it's low in calories either way.

It's easy and quick to make, and you can eat a huge bowl (or the entire pot!) without doing much damage.

I didn't feel the need to blend this soup, and topped my salad with it a few times.

Yum!

Week 5, Day 3 - Review

I'm a little late on my game plan this week.  Not sure what's wrong, except maybe I'm just over all this food preparation.

Adding a new item to breakfast this week, besides smoothies and oatmeal.

Breakfast

-Antioxidant-Rich Breakfast Bars

Lunch/Dinner

-Spicy Thai Braised Kale and Tofu
-Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili
-Quinoa Mango Salad
-Chunky Sweet Potato Stew

Thankfully, I already made the tofu dish (not a fan, but I'm eating it), and I had some mushroom chili left from last week.  However, I REALLY need to do some cooking tomorrow!

Berry Explosion Muffins

Berry Explosion Muffins

These muffins were one of the first things I made at the beginning of this 6 week plan.  I hadn't found almond flour (my Walmart actually carries it, and I'm sure natural stores do as well), and I ended up using whole wheat flour instead. 

They were OK, but my kids didn't like them.  They froze well, and heated up in the microwave nicely.  They made a nice addition to my smoothie and raw veggies in the morning.

I made them again last week, with the almond flour, but I didn't like them much.  I think I should have froze them soon after, because they soured in the bag I had them in, and I had to throw them out.  :(  It hurts a lot more to throw stuff out when it's expensive, and time-consuming, to make!  

I would make these again, but I'm not sure I'd use the almond flour.  And I'd definitely put them in the freezer that first day!

Week 4 Weight Results

Starting weight: 214.8

Week 1 weight: 207.2
Weight lost: 7.6 lbs

Week 2 weight: 204.2
Weight lost: 3 lbs

Week 3 weight: 199.6
Weight lost: 4.6 lbs

Week 4 weight: 197.6 lbs

Weight lost: 2 lbs

Total weight lost: 17.2 lbs

Can't believe I'm down 17.2 pounds!!! Woohoo!!! :)

Temptations All Around!

Like I said in my cauliflower pizza crust post, J requested pizza on Superbowl Sunday.  He also wanted cupcakes.  And cookies.  (I felt bad because I wanted him to stay home, and he said he missed out on all these treats by staying home, haha!)

I decided to be nice, and made the requests. 

mmmm, pizza...

sweet yummy cupcakes...

ahhhhh, cookies...

(for the record, making all of these sweets with some frozen pizza is not the norm in our house!)

I'm surprised by how little I was tempted by all these goodies in my house.  Actually, I've been surprised by my commitment this entire time.  So many people say "Oh, I couldn't do that."  That was me before I started this. 

And I'm more than happy to be proving myself wrong. 

Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I love pizza.  So when J requested pizza for Superbowl Sunday (even though we don't want the Superbowl), I wanted some pizza, too!  

I found this cauliflower crust recipe that looked promising, and decided to try it:

Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Needless to say, my crust did not turn out well.

It still tasted good, and I didn't want to waste it, so I threw it in a dish.

I sauteed some mushrooms, onions, garlic, and spinach...

Covered the crust with some organic tomato paste...

Put on my toppings, and popped it in the oven.

And it was delicious!!!!  I ate that entire dish by myself!  I plan on trying it again soon.  Maybe I'll get it right next time.

Week 4 Thoughts.

Yes! Week 4 is over, which means I am on the other side of this thing!  I'm glad I'm doing it, but I will not be sad to be done in 2 weeks.

Besides being tired of salad, this week went really well.  Honestly, it's been easy.  Sure, I wanted some REAL pizza, with cheese and meat today.  And a cookie would have been nice, but eh... not worth losing all that I've accomplished in 4 weeks. 

Excited to weigh in tomorrow, woohoo!!!

My favorite food this week: Vegan Pizza

My least favorite food this week: Too-Busy-To-Cook Vegetable Bean Soup

The Ugly Side of Eat to Live.

Every day, I make 2 things for each meal;  One for me, that is ETL compliant, and then something for everyone else.  Obviously, this makes a ton of dishes.

Today was a ridiculously busy day.  I try to stay caught up through out the day, but today, there wasn't any time for it. 

My kitchen was spotless this morning, save for the clean dishes on the right side of the sink.  At the end of the day, my kitchen looked like this:

AHHHHHHHH!!!!

45 minutes later...

Man, I have a ton of dishes to put away in the morning.