Wednesday October 26th, 2011


Here's the meal and exercise plan:


7:15 am   Brekky: 1/2 cup all bran, coffee, and 2/3 cup skim milk/ Luna bar
9:45          Snack: Yogurt and blueberries
11:15        Lunch: salmon, salad greens, tomatoes, green onions, carrots and 
                  my favourite dressing - Little Creek, about 2 tablespoons
3:00          Leftover veggie soup and goat cheese crumble on top
6:30          Apple and cheese


Exercise:


30 min walk broken up into two parts, 20 min walk to Pilates (taking the long way) and 10 min walk returning home from Pilates


Pilates: reformers level 3/4 for 50 minutes.

Salad...salad...and more salad.  I eat salads all the time--at least one a day.  My plan is to eat up to two  salads or veggie soups a day everyday as I know I will lost weight.  I lost my first ten pounds this way and now I plan to lose my last ten pounds the same way!


On Sundays, my wonderful husband, barbecues sockeye salmon, enough that we can have leftovers to Wednesday.  Yes, salmon does last three days; unlike other fish.  Next Sunday, I'll give you a recipe for marinade for the salmon that is incredible.


Here is my eating plan for Monday, with exercise in blue


6:30am Brekky: 1/2 cup bran buds, 2 tsp. maple flax sprinkles, and 1 cup of milk
                              (I use probably 1/3 cup milk in my coffee)
8:15     Snack: Luna Chocolate Caramel bar (very yummy!)
10:00  Another Snack: 1/2 cup blueberries
11:30  Lunch:  Leftover Roasted Veggie soup from Sunday
 3:00 pm   Dinner (I eat now because I need an empty stomach for Pilates at 5 pm)
            Salmon Salad: 4oz. salmon salad, 4 cups salad greens, 1/2 red bell pepper
            chopped, 2 green onions chopped, and one tomato sliced. Two tablespoons
            Little Creek Salad Dressing (at Choice and Save On Foods)
4:35  Walk to Pilates, long way (20 min)
5:00  Mat Pilates(level 3/4)
5:55  Walk home (10 min)
6:15  Snack: Vanilla greek yogurt and more blueberries




          

Hi again, 
New post. Same day.  New look.  


How many times have we read that people don't keep up an exercise program unless they enjoy what they're doing. 
I have found Pilates and I love it!  I attend mat Pilates on Mondays, and Reformer on Wednesdays and Fridays.  I keep it up because I enjoy it so much.  I recommend trying a beginner class.  A friend started last year and now she tells me she has had so much success, she's starting a second class (I go to Okanagan Pilates and Health on Pandosy.)


My cardio at times is lacking, though.  So my focus for losing that last 10 lbs. is to include cardio for a minimum of half an hour each weekday and an hour each Sat. and Sun.

Well, it's Sunday and sunny so it was quite easy to commit to 60 minutes of exercise today.  I walked along the waterfront in Kelowna.  This pic was taken last summer but it shows part of my route.  I mainly walked, but I did do several 2 min. run intervals.  

Best part of my walk-- I saw a heron at the Rotary Wildlife Sanctuary. It was perched on the osprey platform--quite relaxed, enjoying the sun and preening.  I've posted a pic my husband took of a heron this past summer.  His wing looks a little injured.  Today I am sure I saw the same heron, quite healthy and I suppose healed.
With sightings such as these, I should have no reason not to get out and walk (and run a little too!)
Goal #2 accomplished: cardio for 60 min!

Sunday October 23rd --first goal accomplished!

This blog is to help me lose that last 10 lbs. It was also created to help others especially friends who are also trying to lose weight and get fit.  


  My first goal was accomplished--create a healthy vegetarian soup for lunch and freeze the remainder for lunches during the week.  The soup is so tasty, and healthy too, that even my husband wants to take some to work this week.

Roasted Vegetable Soup With Cannelini Beans

 I made  this soup in my "6 quart Hamilton Beach 6 quart set and forget programmable slow cooker". I highly recommend it, check Amazon for details.

  I started the soup early in the morning after my coffee and  it was ready by lunch.  Leftovers are frozen to take to work for the week.  The recipe is quite forgiving, roast whatever veggies you wish, making sure you have some root veggies included.  

Yield: makes at least six generous servings

Canola oil spray

3 medium carrots, sliced about ½ inch

2 large tomatoes (I used yellow heirloom, and scraped out

some of the seeds)

1 large onion, sliced about ¼ inch

Half of a large butternut squash, cut in ½ cubes

2 Japanese eggplant, sliced about ½ inch

1 zucchini, sliced about ½ inch (I used baby zucchini and

 Pattypan squash)

4 large or six regular cloves of garlic, unpeeled

4 cups or more low sodium chicken or veggie broth

  ( I like to use Imagine in the tetrapak)

3 large fresh sprigs of thyme (from my garden J)

2 bay leaves (from the store, wish I could grow it L)

1 15 oz. can Utopia organic diced tomatoes—low salt

1 Tablespoon of Herbes de Provence (Costco)

About 2 teaspoons Malabar pepper (Costco)

Finally,

1 15 ounce can of cannellini beans, drained

Preheat oven to 400°,  or  375° convect.  Line two rimmed cookie sheets with foil and spray with canola oil spray.  

Arrange carrots, squash and garlic on one sheet drizzle lightly with olive oil and place in the preheated oven.  (Diet tip: if watching calorie intake only drizzle the eggplant sheet with oil.) 

Next,  arrange tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and onions on the other sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil and put in the oven, once the other veggies have cooked for 15 min.  Cook for another 15 min. and then check both cookie sheets, if veggies are browned and onions are soft then take them out.  If not leave one or both sheets in until there is some browning.  

Meanwhile, turn on the slow cooker to high and add all the stock, the tomatoes, the bay leaves, the thyme stalks, herbes de Provence and pepper.

Once veggies are browned add all, except  the garlic to the slow cooker.  Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the cloves and stir into the veggies.  Cook on high for at least 2 hours.

After, 2 hours, the veggies should be fully cooked and the flavours melded.

Add the beans and bring back to a simmer, about 15– 20 min. At this point taste the stew and adjust seasonings, here are the options:  add more pepper, add some salt (we watch our salt intake and thus, you may find the stew lacking in sodium.)

Or, this is what I did:

Add  fresh herbs, just to the bowl of soup that you intend to increase flavour.  I added torn up basil leaves, then more thyme.

If you wish, add a poached egg for more protein,  A really cool way to do it, is to heat up your soup portion in a small saucepan until simmering, then crack an egg in the middle and poach until you reach your desired doneness. Carefully, pour/slide out the stew into the bowl.

So tasty and so healthy! 

Once cooled, freeze the rest of the soup in portions ready for the week ahead.

 This is a great start to my weight loss endeavours.