Progress.

Hey bloggers! I have decided I will not be working on weekends, unless something really important comes up. Everyone needs time to relax and collect their thoughts, yes? But let’s just talk about my weekend for a minute.

I am super soar from working out. I have been doing some free weight workouts in my home, along with squats and lunges. My thighs are soooo tight! Ouchies 😦 Also, my sister has been working out with me, showing me things she does with her personal trainer–that helped a lot!

My eating has been on point. I have been prepping all my meals and eating them on time. Sometimes I cannot even finish because I feel like its always “time to eat.” This is where I am struggling. Because of my lapland, Once I eat I am full for hours, so it can be difficult trying to force down another 6oz piece of meat with veggies and rice. However, this is where I listen to my body and stop when I cannot eat anymore. That is why the first two weeks are crucial, so I can note anything that does/does not work for my lifestyle and I can alter it depending on my needs.

The good news is that I am 4lbs down since Friday when I started using SSP Nutrition products and eating clean. Also, I’ve been to the grocery store 2 times! If you are going to eat clean and prep food you must be committed– that means going food shopping almost every other day!

I have been trying to mix up the foods I am prepping because I have tendencies to get bored of the same ol’ same ol’. Some of the meals I am prepping are baked salmon with garlic and cilantro and lime, shrimp, grilled steak with black pepper and cayenne, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, brown rice, quinoa pasta, and mushrooms. Not going to lie–cutting things like salt, butter, oil and cheese out of my diet have been pretty uneventful. I do not miss these things physically, but I do mentally.

Here is a typical breakfast: its what I look forward! It’s the meal with the most flavor and the one that is the most mentally satisfying. 1/2 cup of plain oatmeal with a handful of blueberries, 3 egg whites with 1 full egg and two slices of turkey bacon.

Breakfast usually keeps me full for a while, and once I take my SSP fat burner “Thermo-9” I am GOOD for hours, which is why I struggle through my second meal everyday. I still cannot believe the progress I am having! I feel like my goal weight is a few days away 🙂

2 Weeks.

So today is the day that I am going to devote myself to two weeks of clean eating and SSP Nutrition supplements. These two weeks are a “trial period” to see how I do. Without a doubt, I know I will see results, however, I like to take things slow and this sort of commitment scares me, so I will be doing two weeks at a time.

Let me rewind for you. Almost three years ago I received the Lap Band bariatric surgery, resulting in a 70lbs weight loss. Awesome, right? I know. I went from a size 20 in jeans (even had a pair of 22s at one point) to a nice fitting 14. I have not been a size 14 since I was in like… I don’t know, elementary school?

Within these past few years I still have been unable to reach my goal weight of 199lbs. I just want to be under 200. I am currently 219–20lbs away from that initial goal. Twenty pounds does not seem like a lot, but it can be when you are not eating right or working out. So in order to help kick these stubborn pounds, I am turning a new leaf.

Why have I not eaten right or worked out before you say? Well, it is a mind game, and for the 30 years of my life I have had the same eating habits. I have tried dieting like everyone else and it’s all about commitment and will power–both of which I do not have.

But this time I have REAL help, from REAL people, like you and I, but have devoted themselves to this lifestyle.  I will be posting before and after pictures, tracking my eating and journey.

With the SSP Nutritional System I have purchased Lean Muscle Meal, which is a natural protein powder that contains Whey and Casein proteins. Also, I bought Thermo-9 supplements that will give me energy, endurance and boost my metabolism to burn fat. Both of these products contain vitamins and minerals and are easily digestible.

This is me this morning meal prepping for… um, one day.  I also took my before pictures (not happy in the least bit–yikes!) and my messurements (another yikes!) But, I am not going to swell, I mean, DWELL– on these negative thoughts. It’s just the beginning of what I hope to be a long, healthy road ahead.

 

 

 

A protein brunch with SSP

Today I recieced a very special brunch from a good friend of mine, Mike.

He is the ultimate CLEAN eater and body builder with SSP Nutrition (speed strength and performance) which he is trying to convince me to do so as well. I have vowed to eat clean for two weeks. I will write all about that tomorrow when I start day 1.

Today after grocery shopping with him for all my new diet plan items, he brought me back to his apartment for a taste of what is to come.

Sirloin steak, turkey bacon, eggs with hot sauce and sauteed mushrooms. He added a light honey glaze on the steak…. This is so crazy good I dont even realize there are no carbs. Hey, everyone loves a guy that can cook, right? Did I mention hes playing Backstreet Boys while he cooks? 😉

Country Omelet

Wow! What a late start I am having to my day. First off, I woke up late (9:30 EST) which is late for me. I am used to being up by 6:15 normally… I guess I am getting used to this unemployment thing.

I was pretty busy this morning because I decided to sell some of my unused or preowned items on Ebay, mostly older purses, shoes, sunglasses etc… I have been up in a frenzy taking pictures and posting them. I hope they sell!

Finally, my hunger came roaring in. What to eat? Don’t you love that feeling when your fridge is chock-full of items and you have your choice? Do I want breakfast or lunch? Well, after about 3 cups of coffee and some Ebay business, I decided to stick to some eggs.

One of my all-time favorite omelets is from IHop. Now, I am not a fan of the establishment, however I learned a few things from there. Did you know they add some pancake batter to their omelet mix? Its amazing how fluffy YOUR eggs can be with that tip. I usually add a table spoon of “complete” pancake mix to mine. The texture is awesome.

Today I used egg whites that I saved from making french toast last week– you will learn that I do not throw away ANYTHING. So with that being said, I am making my version of IHop’s “Country Omelet”, which is egg, ham, onion, potato and sour cream.

I sautéed the onion, some diced ham (from the deli section), and a few diced up frozen potato wedges. Once all that was browned enough, I added my egg white mixture. Once slightly solid, I spread some sour cream and shredded cheddar on top before i flipped it over.

I have to let my eggs settle before I serve them. I hate runny eggs, and besides, giving it a few minutes to rest ensures that your cheese will be nice and melty. Yummmmm.

 

 

 

 

National Grilled Cheese Burger

I almost forgot it was national grilled cheese day! It’s never too late to make a warm, gooey, buttery sandwich! So…

I ditched my crock-pot chicken (Left overs!) and decided to do a quick grilled cheese burger. I have been craving a homemade burger for a while, so I figured why not stick one between toasted bread perfection.

On this grilled cheese burger is grilled onions, garlic, cheddar and blue cheese. The cheeses blended so wonderfully with crustiness of the buttery bread. Talk about comfort food.  #ChowDown

Heaven, really.

As you know, I am all about customizing the foods I love to make them even better (in my opinion at least.) Recently I have discovered cheese spreads.. And let me tell you, they are not just for crackers.

The idea came to me while I was making an eggplant parmesan hero one night. I wanted to make the roll garlic bread, but my stick of butter was not soft enough. As I looked through my fridge, I realized I had a garlic and herb cheese spread. Aha!

So today I decided to do a chicken parmesan hero for lunch. Last night I made a huge tray of chicken parmesan for my nephews and house guest, so this works well with left overs. (They always taste better the next day, doncha think?)

So this is how I built this loving sandwich: I spread the garlic and herb cheese on a long roll (BOTH sides) and put it in the oven (350) until it was a little melted and toasty. I cut up the left over chicken parmesan into small bite sized pieces and microwaved them a bit to get the chill out. Once the roll was ready to build, I layered the chicken pieces and extra shredded mozz cheese. I put that back into the oven to get nice and hot!

While it was baking, in a small bowl I made a simple salad with spring mix, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Once I took the sandwich out of the oven, I put the salad onto the sandwich, closed it up and voila! 

 

It’s so perfect and I’ll tell you why: it’s creamy from the cheese spread, crunchy from the toasted roll and fresh from the balsamic salad. It’s heaven, really.

 

Rainy Days=Crock Pot Love

Hey friends,

Today (here in rainy NJ) its a crock-pot type of day. I took some frozen chicken legs out of my freezer two days ago and I was considering making a pot of chicken noodle soup, however I do not have celery 😦 And although I technically could make soup without it, I prefer not to. Whether you like celery or not its a soup stable and even though its all in my head, it just wouldn’t taste the same without it.

So anyway, I switched gears and decided to get creative with that I have handy. I put the chicken in the crock pot with chopped garlic, lemon herb liquid marinade and lime juice. Of course I sprinkled salt, pepper, garlic powder, ginger and some other random spices I had in my cabinets. Set it on low, and will let it do its thing until dinner time. 

With it I am going to make brown rice with chopped carrots, spinach and garlic. This is my favorite because I learned that when you boil rice you can do so with chicken broth instead of water–and omg. The difference is astounding. Switching from water to chicken broth makes a world of difference and if you have not tried it, please do so now!

I have become slightly obsessed with chicken broth since I started making homemade soups last winter. “I put that shit on everything”, and I’m not talking about Franks.

I’ll be honest, I sat down this morning with my coffee and laptop and tried to begin working on a novel. Now, I have a background in writing and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, and until now I have not written a thing for a couple years. I dabbled in the idea of children’s books but I only managed to bang out one until I gave up.

At my kitchen table, I was met with some writers block, so I decided to come write about the dinner I am preparing for tonight instead. Also, I dug up a few writers books from my basement that my sister so generously bought me for Christmas a few years ago. Maybe they will help with my creative writing.

Later I will post what I intended to write about today– a chicken parmesan hero with a balsamic spring mix. So tasty, so good.

Now that I have warmed up my fingers here at brunchburgersbitscom, I am going to head back to Google drive to see if I can come up with something worthwhile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the love of brunch.

Remember earlier when I said my boyfriend says I only smile at restaurants? Well, with that being said, let’s talk about where that conversation took place. The Brownstone Pancake Factory. There are two locations in New Jersey, one is Jersey City and the other, in which I spent most of my money, Edgewater. This place is a breakfast lovers paradise. They were featured on an episode of “Diners, Drive-inns and Dives”, and believe me when I tell you, they deserve all the credibility.

Can we just talk about this chicken and waffle dish for a second? Traditionally, they serve this with a bone-in breast. But I am going to tell you all about how I customized this beauty. First off, like my mother, I do not like to “fight with my food”, so I requested tenders instead, smart, right? Who wants to deal with a bone. Not this girl. I then told my server to lay two over easy eggs right on top of the dish. And what breakfast isn’t complete without bacon?  Duh.

A problem of mine when I dine out is that I always need a little bit of everything. People tell me I always over order, which may be so, but I cannot help it. I came to spend money. With that being said, I love chicken and waffles because its sweet and savory, a brunch must-have. Because the Brownstone is my absolute favorite breakfast place, I vowed to always try different things when I go there, however this is by far my favorite. The love affair of all love affairs. In fact, I think my boyfriend gets a little embarrassed every time we go there because before they even serve us our coffee I’m clapping like a fool.

 

Introduction.

First off, I want to say that I do not measure anything. I am self-taught when it comes to cooking. Well, actually that’s a lie. I have spent a significant amount of my high-school years watching “30 Minute Meals” with Rachel Ray and other programs on FoodNetwork. That, and a combination of growing up watching my mother cook for me, my two sisters and father, I have learned a lot. My mother was a traditional cook. She always stuck to her “grandmother’s” recipes, which I so reluctantly learned but secretly enjoyed. I come from an Italian-American background so everything was BIG. Big servings, big bread, big bowls of salad and pastas. The list goes on. So naturally, I took a liking to food. However, because my mother was such a simple cook, who turned her nose up to the thought of using table salt, I was left with the taste of curiosity in my mouth.

I’ve always had a knack for cooking, probably because I am obsessed with food. In fact, sometimes its all I can think about. Many of you probably relate. My thoughts would be consumed with “What am I eating for dinner?”, “What can I cook tonight?”, “When are we going grocery shopping?” My boyfriend tells me I only smile at restaurants. My closest friends tell me they love to watch me eat because it makes me happy. My family tells me I’m not satisfied unless I have a 5-course meal in front of me. Touch`e my friends, touch`e.

Over the years I have become the friend who my other friends turn to for food ideas, recipes and hosting parties. A good friend of mine calls me whenever he needs help, even for the simplest pot of chicken noodle soup. I am proud to be that girl. I live for it.

Anyway, my life will unfold for you as I continue to blog daily. However, I do want to note that I am recently unemployed. So prior to now, I was unable to have time to blog. Now, time is all I have (win). I will be cooking and dining out from here on in (another win). I will be posting photos, recipes, reviews and more. So, if you love food as much as I do, and find it just as important to be able to cook and feed yourself, family and friends, then follow this blog. You won’t be disappointed.