I hadn’t jumped on the scale in about a week and a half until this morning–and I am happy to report I am now 17 lbs down total since New Year!  I can almost “taste” my goal!  And, I can start including some wine in my diet again next weekend.  Hooray!

I haven’t changed much with my diet.  I have been eating fruit sparingly (only one serving per day) and been sticking close to the salads and proteins. Today, I decided that I am going to start including some whole grains every few days to feed those brain cells a bit. Not eating carbs at all is not something you can or should keep up for a long time, and two months is about my threshold.  So, this morning, I ate a whole grain toaster waffle (you have to make sure that NO white flour is included in any of your whole grain items) with Smart Balance butter and sugar-free jam.  It was a nice change from hard boiled eggs.

This week I made a great turkey meatloaf, which also includes a small amount of whole grain oats.  This is a great recipe if you want to try it!

Nosh Maven Meatloaf

• 1 can 6 oz tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry red wine, or cooking wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbs dried basil leaves
• 1 tbs oregano
• dash of sea salt
• 1 pound ground turkey (or chicken)
• 1/2 cup whole grain oats
• 1 egg
• 1 small/med zucchini, shredded or finely chopped

You should set your oven to 350 and preheat while mixing ingredients.  First, you start with your sauce (this is WAY better than using ketchup or marinara sauce).  Combine all the ingredients listed before “turkey” into a small sauce pan and let simmer while you combine the rest of the ingredients for your meatloaf. After the turkey, zucchini, egg, and oats are mixed together, add in half of the tomato sauce mixture.  Shape the loaf and cook for about 40 – 45 minutes.  Then, remove the meatloaf and add the rest of the tomato sauce to the top of the meatloaf and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes.  You can also add some Parmesan cheese at this time, which is a nice addition.

For a side dish, I made an arugula salad with tomatoes, avocado, and parmesan.  I also made the dressing homemade (you avoid a lot of sugar by doing this) with equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar with garlic salt and sea salt.  It was a great pop of flavor to the side of the meatloaf.

The other food item that is SAVING MY LIFE right now is that coconut flour I made the peanut butter cookies with in the last post.  This week, I had a mad crazy craving for pancakes.  I don’t even normally make or order pancakes, but I wanted some.  So, we found this great recipe for coconut flour pancakes, where each pancake had about 3 total carbs.  We also added some blueberries.  They were AWESOME.

Here are a few other things from the past few days that have been getting me by.

Almond Milk, much fewer carbs than regular milk!

Salads with pepperoncinis, olives, and cheddar cheese

Deviled Eggs with Dill instead of Paprika

I am hoping that once I start adding some carbohydrates back into my diet, I can kick up the pace with working out.  Everyone who knows me know that I LOATHE working out–well, until I am finished and feel good about it.   However, it is really hard to do intense work outs when your body doesn’t have the extra energy from carbs.  So, we shall see how that progresses…ha!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and that noshing on delicious things is a highlight.  I hope you are all ready for a wine post–because I am!! 8 more days until this little Nosh Maven is THIRTY TWO and toasting with a glass of vino!

]]> http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/meatloaf-and-blueberry-pancakes/feed/ 0 chelseaspoem WP_000576 WP_000575 WP_000577 WP_000619 WP_000620 WP_000596 WP_000597 WP_000642 http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/is-it-too-early-to-plateau-2/ http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/is-it-too-early-to-plateau-2/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:05:11 +0000 Chelsea Nelson http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/?p=998 Continue reading →]]> I haven’t lost any more weight this week, despite keeping up with the diet.  And for all of you who love TMI, it was that time of the month, so I am blaming it on the terrible-ness of shark week. 

I didn’t cheat this week–so getting on the scale with no reward was lame.  However, all I can do is plug along and remember all my clothes fit better and that I am back to waring clothes from a few years ago–which was sort of the goal.  I am going to try to not let the scale depress me too much.  5 weeks in and 3 to go, I should be very happy with 15 lbs.  Hopefully, by summer, it will be twice that…it is just slow going now.  And let me reiterate–this is not just a 5 week diet that will end with me going back to eating pizza every weekend.  This is a life change, that just gets a little less strict over time.

So, here is some food from the recent past.  Highlight:  I made cookies!  Peanut butter cookies!  Thank the food gods for coconut flour–which has about 9 carbs for a whole cup!  Meaning, these beautiful babies have about 2 carbs per cookie (or less!!).  You can find the recipe here, along with some other great ones with coconut flour, almond flour, and peanut flour!

This was also another recipe that was sort of to die for.  Grilled Chicken Brushetta.  Super easy and very fresh and full of flavor.  It was even good the second day for lunch.  A must try!

I have still been on the sparkling water and berry kick.  That hasn’t gone anywhere.  The blueberries right now are soooo amazing.  I have no idea why, in the middle of February, the blueberries are so plump and flavorful.  Makes me wonder about my carbon footprint…but not enough to stop buying them.

Zucchini has still been my best friend.  This is some delicious zucchini noodles with marinara and ricotta cheese.

The best few meals I had out and about where brunch at the wonderful Finn’s Cafe and actually, if you can believe it, the Chicken Caesar Salad (minus the croutons) at Noodles and Company.  It is true.

So, here is to hoping that this week the scale is nice to me!  In the meantime, I am going to make more cookies.

-Nosh

]]> http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/is-it-too-early-to-plateau-2/feed/ 0 chelseaspoem WP_000494 WP_000481 WP_000482 WP_000492 WP_000515 WP_000488 WP_000496 WP_000490 http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/what-i-have-been-eating-lately/ http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/what-i-have-been-eating-lately/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:41:54 +0000 Chelsea Nelson http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/?p=978 Continue reading →]]> Tomorrow is the one month mark!  Hurray!  Things are still going pretty well.  The weight loss has slowed down, but I have met the 15 lb mark–which is awesome. I figure if I can knock out another 10 in the next two months, I will feel super happy.  I am really looking forward to incorporating some vino back into my diet.  Really.

BUT–I thought I would share some of the things I have been eating the past few days.  Please note:  my camera phone is NOT a professional device.   Most of these were taken with my HTC and not intended for super great results.  At this point, I am not doing reviews, per sae’, but just documenting for those who want to see some low-carb, low-sugar eating happening.

Blueberries. LOTS of them. They are really delicious right now for some reason. Very plump and juicy!

Eggs and cottage cheese. I am addicted lately. Add some lime Cholula and you are set!

Taco Salad: ground turkey with taco seasoning, lettuce, sour cream, and some homemade guac. YUM!

Steak marinated in olive oil, red wine vinegar, and red onion with zucchini noodles, artichoke marinara, and ricotta cheese

New favorite dessert: 1 large container of plain greek yogurt with one packet of sugar-free jello (this was cherry). Mix together, heat in the micro for about 2 minutes, stir WELL, and then let sit for an hour. Add berries or fat-free whipped cream!

Eggplant with parmesan, mozzarella, and marinara. Cook on 350 for about 20 minutes.

Also, we went to dinner at the lovely Silver Fork Lodge in Brighton, Utah this weekend.  I had THE BEST golden beet salad.  It was probably one of the most amazing, flavorful, wonderful salads I have had in a long time–if not ever.  It is on special right now and I highly suggest going to try it out. We also had their amazing tomatoes and warm mozzarella–the roasted garlic was delish!  I was getting sort of tired of the same old cold tomato, cold mozzarella, olive oil, basil dish.  This was nice, hot, and so flavorful.  The pesto was such a good substitution for simple basil.  A very well thought out dish, certainly.

Also, I have been drinking too much coffee and a lot of sparkling water (still).  I will be honest, this week was kind of rough.  It is easy to get bored with the food you can eat and staying home because you don’t want to ruin your diet or go somewhere where people are drinking and you aren’t. I feel great, but haven’t quite felt like…myself.  Which is an odd feeling.  I am keeping up with it though.  But yes, quite looking forward to adding some “normal” things back into the routine.  Blueberries are giving me way too much happiness at this point.

-Nosh

Just wanted to give a quick update. 

As of Sunday, I am down a total of 13 pounds…and people are starting to notice.  That is the best part–when other people besides you can tell that you are getting thinner.  Clothes are fitting better–and having to buy new jeans isn’t too far off.  It is a really good feeling.

I have become a bit more flexible with my diet as well.  Including fruit has been great.  Last night I had a few friends over for dinner and we even got a delicious dessert – fat free whip cream, mixed with fresh berries and lemon, and then left in the freezer for about an hour.  It was awesome.  A very low-fat, low-sugar treat.  Who needs ice cream?

Other than adding some berries into my diet, nothing much has changed.  I have incorporated plain Greek yogurt–but for the most part, have kept to the veggies and low fat proteins.  We didn’t eat out as much over the weekend, but managed to get in a great brunch at Market Street Grill.  I ordered the Crab Cake Benedict, minus the english muffin and with sliced tomatoes on the side.  The crab cake had a very mild amount of breading–so I wasn’t too concerned about that.  Everything was amazing and it is such a welcoming realization that you really don’t need that english muffin at all. 

Another new meal for this week?  Some awesome bratwurst, saurkraut and pickles!  Brats are certainly something you don’t want to eat in the first 2 weeks of the diet, as they are higher in fat than you should be eating.  However, they are still carb free and I find that adding meats like sausage and bacon after that intial cleanse are ok in moderation.  Yum.

I am officially 3 weeks and 2 days into the diet.  The thoughts of a glass of wine have subsided immensely.  Even with a small dinner party last night, no alcohol was present–and we all still had a great time.  Whoda thunk?  (And thanks to some awesome girlfriends who were ok with lemon/strawberry water!)  I am really enjoying how amazing I feel, watching the pounds drop, and getting up in the morning with no problem.  I haven’t slept this well or been so ready to wake up early in years.  The change in how my body is functioning is almost surprising.  This is definitely a change in my way of life that I don’t want to give up–and “getting back into the groove” of week day drinking or bad snacking just simply won’t happen.  I feel resolved, and that is a good feeling.

Enjoy the rest of your week!  We have a packed weekend of fireworks at Brighton Resort and dinner with friends ahead of us.  It will be nice to get out of the house–my hermit days are starting to get to me.

-Nosh

]]> http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/quick-update-almost-to-the-15-lb-mark/feed/ 2 chelseaspoem WP_000266 WP_000366 http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/plugging-along/ http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/plugging-along/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:13:39 +0000 Chelsea Nelson http://noshmaven.wordpress.com/?p=962 Continue reading →]]> You know what is fun on a Friday morning?  Putting on a pair of jeans that were tight in December, that are now LOOSE!  That is a feeling I would give up sugar and carbs for any day!

This week was also a little frustrating.  On Wednesday I had gained back a few pounds and I wanted to scream.  I am not sure why exactly, as I hadn’t cheated on the diet at all.  I think maybe it was water weight or something like that. But, instead of screaming, I chilled out and ate super well the past few days.  Russ and I celebrated our one year anniversary on Wednesday as well, so we were going to the Copper Onion for dinner.  I really wanted to enjoy myself, but at the same time, didn’t want to add to the 3 lbs I had gained back.  I didn’t drink.  I didn’t eat bread.  I didn’t have dessert.  But, I still had amazing food…which I forgot to take a photo of.  (You know, sometimes I just want to enjoy my food without having to document it all the time.)  We enjoyed some cured meats and cheeses as well as their homemade pickles, which are so amazing. Then, for my meal, I ordered the pan-seared trout, which came with nuts, lemon, and butternut squash.  Perfect.

Also, this week, I made a version of Chicken Parmesan that was pretty good.  Instead of using bread crumbs to bread the chicken, I crushed up sunflower seeds and used that as the crust.  Take the chicken breast, dip in both sides in butter (while on this diet, I use Smart Balance butter) and then cover both sides in the sunflower seed mixture.  Bake the chicken on 350 for about 25 minutes.  Then add marinara sauce and cheese on top and bake for another 15 minutes or so.  Then, for the side dish, I made zucchini noodles and added more marinara sauce and cheese.  Tasty dish–and very filling.

Also, today I added some fruit for the first time in over two weeks!  Blueberries with plain greek low-fat yogurt.  I also added a little bit of spelnda brown sugar on top.  It is amazing how sweet fruit tastes after not having it for so long.  It was a welcome treat!

I want to note how obsessed I have become with sparkling water.  It is a little out of control.  But, it makes me feel like I am ordering something fancy when I am out and about and also, it keeps me full.  There is nothing quite like bubbles!

I am not getting on the scale until Sunday, but I will definitely update you all then!

Happy eating!  –Nosh

For breakfast, you can pretty much gather by now I have some kind of egg and a sugar-free jello or pudding…so unless I have something special, I am going to start leaving those out.  Today I made a delicious quiche, however–so I wanted to mention that.  Making a quiche on the weekend is great (I had today off work for the holiday) because you can eat it the rest of the week…just pop it in the microwave for a minute or so and you have a great breakfast before work.  My quiche is pretty simple.  6 eggs, 2/3 cup of milk and then any ingredients you want.  Today I used artichokes, sausage, tomatoes and goat cheese.  Cook on 350 for about 30 – 40 minutes or until you can stick a knife in it without anything on it when you remove it.  Quiche, or mini quiches made in muffin tins, can get you through the week.  Also, this weekend I went to brunch at Eggs in the City with a great friend and ate huevos rancheros–minus the tortillas.  YUM!

Lunches consisted mostly of leftovers….boring, but necessary.

Dinner was where the fun was this weekend.  Friday we went to see a movie at Brewvies, which also has pretty great food.  I ordered the Spinach Salad without the cranberries and it was tasty–and left me pretty full.  And even though I was at Brewvies, no beer was had!

On Saturday, we decided to go to the Pizza Factory because they have these amazing zucchini noodles.  I swear, sometimes veggie noodles are better than the real thing.  I have the zucchini noodles with alfredo (probably not the best choice) and artichokes.  Ok, yes, I have an obsession with artichokes.  They are God’s nectar, I tell you!    Another great meal, out on the town, that stuck to my diet–but maybe with some added fat I could have done without.  But hey, I didn’t see it on the scale and the important thing here was to avoid carbs and sugar.

Sunday night I made chicken tortilla soup.  I made enough to give me lunch 3 times over.   This is pretty basic, and you can add in a lot of things according to your taste.  I start with one can of fire roasted tomatoes, 1 can of regular diced tomatoes, 2 cans of “tri-bean blend” beans, 1 anaheim pepper, 1 can of mild green chilies, about 1 cup of fresh chopped cilantro, 1 can chicken stock, 2 chopped tomatoes.  You can cook your own chicken breast, but a great short cut is to purchase a rotisserie chicken already cooked from the grocery store and shred the chicken off of that.  It is already moist and tender, and you don’t have to cook anything separate (just don’t get a flavored one–a BBQ chicken might not taste awesome in tortilla soup).  I always remove the skin and only take the best meat–and it takes a lot of time off the soup.  Bring to a boil for at least 20 minutes.  Then add whatever else you like!  We garnished with fat free sour cream, low fat cheese, and some diced avocado.  Yum.

So, if anything, let this post help you to realize that YOU CAN eat tasty food on a diet.  Once you figure out the ingredients that are allowed, you can be creative to make or alter many recipes.  And, seeing that scale steadily decline is quite the motivation.

This week, I can add a little fruit.  So, I purchased some blueberries and also some plain fat free yogurt.  It will be nice to have some sweetness.  Still no carbs or alcohol at this point however!  Let’s hope to see another 10 shed off in the next 3 weeks or so!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

-Nosh

Here is the food from the past few days.

Day 8

Breakfast: sugar-free jello, hard boiled egg

Lunch:  shredded chicken with buffalo hot sauce (Franks and also some low sugar bleu cheese dressing) in lettuce wraps, sugar free caramel pudding

Snack: celery with sharp cheddar cheese spread

Dinner: chicken breast stuffed with pesto & goat cheese with tomatoes and zucchini (super easy, stuff the chicken, add one can of diced tomatoes on top, and then add zucchini on the sides–cook for about 30 – 40 minutes on 375).  I also put some parmesan cheese on top as well.  Pretty tasty.

Day 9

Breakfast: cauliflower with low fat ranch

Lunch: celery sticks and 1/2 a caprese salad from Toasters!

Dinner: black beans, pico, 2 over-medium eggs, and low fat sour cream.  This is one of my favorites….(sorry, I was bad at taking photos yesterday).

I am getting sick of chicken.  I think I could up the eggs though–and veggies.  Last night I wanted a chocolate chip cookie so bad I almost didn’t want to eat anything else.  Oh well!  Eventually, sugar-free chocolate chip cookies will be added (and yes, I have found some that are tasty enough to actually eat!).

Now, I have a 4 day weekend!  Hope you all eat yummy things!

-Nosh

Day 6

breakfast: 1 hard boiled egg, 1 string cheese

snack: sugar-free jello

Lunch: Leftover taco salad

Dinner:  Zucchini Pizza Boats (get the recipe here!)

Day 7

breakfast: 1 hard boiled egg

lunch:  salmon salad from Z’Tejas (pretty nummy!)

Snack: string cheeese

Dinner:  Eggplant “Parmesan” –Layered eggplant with cheese mixture (goat cheese, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, ricotta (all low fat) and a homemade sauce (diced tomatoes, artichokes, fresh basil, oregano, sea salt). Layer the ingrediants and cook on 350 for about 20 minutes or until the cheese on top turns golden brown.  Tasty and carb free!

The cravings are getting much much better–and it is funny how when you really set your mind to something–cheating just isn’t an option.  However, i have had dreams that I forget I am not eating carbs or sugar and eat something on accident.  HA!  And let’s be honest, I still want a glass of wine. 

Hope everyone is having a great week!

-Nosh

PS–If anyone would like more info on what I have been cooking as far as recipes, just ask!  Posting almost daily means I don’t get into as much detail, but would love to share if people have questions.

Friday

Breakfast: 1 string cheese, celery with cheddar cheese spread

Lunch: leftover chili (even better the second day!)

Dinner:  We tried a new place!  Omar’s Rawtopia!  I have heard from a few people that this place is great–but have never checked it out.  We decided that this would be a perfect place to try while carbs and sugar are out of the question.  And, it was delicious. Omar’s has a great philosophy about living food increasing the amount of nutrition one can get from eating raw.  Click HERE to read more about their story.

We ordered Seaweed a Noodles for an appetizer ($8), which had awesome flavor.  Seaweed marinated with nama shoyu and ginger served on
zucchini noodles, topped with avocado, tomatoes, celery,
red bell peppers, cucumbers, and onion.

For our meals: Raw Pasta ($14)–Tomato sauce, basil garlic pesto, and alfredo nut sauce mixed in with zucchini noodles, tomatoes, red bell peppers, onions, olives, topped with avocados, our famous seed/nut cheese.  THIS WAS SO GOOD!  The sauce was rich and it was very filling.  Tabouli Salad ($12)–A mix of parsley, tomatoes, red onions, scallions, hemp seeds, and mint. Marinated in
olive oil, lemon juice, and Celtic sea salt. Served with cabbage, lettuce, or a bed of greens, topped with avocados.

Seaweed and Noodles

Tabouli Salad

Raw Pasta

Delicious Raw Pata Sauce!

Tabouli Salad

Omar’s was great.  The pricing is a little high, but for the preparation and high quality ingredients, it is worth it.  Also, enjoy their fresh juices!  I couldn’t just yet due to the fruit, but can’t wait to go back and try some.

Omar’s Rawtopia

2148 Highland Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Phone: 801-486-0332

Saturday

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with fat free cheese

Lunch:  Delicious smoked tofu (grilled with some worchestire sauce and sea salt) and cauliflower with cheese sauce.

Dinner:  Fiddler’s Elbow Black and Bleu Salad with half the dressing served.  The steak was delicious!  And, skipped all the ice cream at the wedding reception. 

Sunday:

Breakfast:  Celery with cheddar cheese spread

Lunch:  Homemade stuffed mushrooms (mushrooms stuffed with low-fat sausage, fat-free cream cheese, and some fresh garlic).

Dinner:  making taco salads! 

And, weighed myself today, 6 days in, and have lost 5 lbs!  No carbs and no sugar works.  Looking forward to adding some fruit back in though…

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

–Nosh

Lunch:  Green Giant frozen cauliflower with cheese sauce (50 calories per serving and is seriously almost as good as eating mac and cheese), fat free cottage cheese with tomato, balsamic, and sea salt

Snack: string cheese, sugar free chocolate pudding

Dinner:  Chili made by my amazing boyfriend with fat free sour cream and fat free cheddar cheese.  This is a great carb free item because it is hearty and you will have leftovers for lunch the next day!

Dessert: 1 sugar free fudge pop (40 calories)

FEELING GREAT!  And, I have to say, the no drinking thing was hard today.  I had a long day at work and really could have used a glass of wine.  However, I am not tempted enough to even consider it….even when Russ had a beer.  That is steadfastness!

Some photos from today’s food:

Side note:  Russ’s chili is an amazing concoction of turkey, white beans, chili beans, kidney beans, celery, white onion, and a myriad of spices including one chili seasoning packet.  I know everyone is really picky about their chili recipes and you can always cut fat by using turkey or chicken or wheat meat.  Really, most chili is a great carb-free meal!

–Nosh