Thank You. And My New Plan

First of all, I want to say "THANK YOU" for all of your comments, and emails on my last post.
I've been doing a lot of thinking over these past few days, as well as a lot of research on how PCOS, diets, and fertility, all tie together.

I've been having a feeling deep inside of me for a while now, telling me that I needed to eat clean. I got the sense that eating clean, would somehow help me to get pregnant. It was easy for me to laugh it off thinking the idea was ludicrous, because I didn't want to eat clean. So I've been ignoring this little voice in my head, hoping it would go away. But it's only getting louder. It's practically yelling at me now.... And what do you know, all the research I've been doing this weekend pretty much supports this voice in my head, telling me to eat clean. Nerds.

Here's a little bit of what I've learned:

A big part of the problem with PCOS is the high insulin resistance (you can read more about insulin resistance HERE). Resistance to insulin increases the body's insulin levels which effects normal ovulation, by preventing the body from ovulating or limiting the development process of the released egg. This has a direct affect on your fertility and ability to conceive. Many women with PCOS have difficulty losing weight, most likely due to high insulin levels promoting fat storage. The standard weight loss diet may not be the best approach for women with PCOS. High intakes of carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates (sweets, white bread, white rice...) will quickly turn to sugar and cause elevated levels of insulin. Since high levels of insulin can cause a number of problems for women with PCOS, a better diet would be a low glycemic index diet. This is a diet that includes foods or combinations of foods that do not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar. Eating a low glycemic diet will help to keep your insulin at a balanced level, thus increasing your fertility.

Here's what I gathered on the low glycemic index diet:

• Avoid white processed carbohydrates which cause a spike in your insulin levels and provide little fiber, or nutrients. Eat breads, grains and cereals that are as unprocessed as possible.
• Eat carbohydrates that are rich in fiber. The lower glycemic carbohydrates tend to have more fiber than the higher glycemic foods.
• Couple a protein with your carbohydrates. When you eat equal amounts of proteins and carbohydrates, it helps to keep your insulin at a balanced level.
• Get lots of fiber. Fiber helps by slowing down the digestion of sugars in the body, so there is no spike in insulin. It also helps by removing excess estrogen from the body, which may also help to reduce fibroids.
• Exercise! Exercise helps PCOS by improving your insulin sensitivity, and increasing your metabolism.

Every single article I've read, stresses the importance of staying away from processed foods if you have PCOS. So that's what I'm going to do. In moderation, lol. You know how I love my baking, and I'm going to have to squeeze that in there. I'm thinking twice a month I'm going to allow myself to bake up a deliciously healthy treat. I have an appointment scheduled to see my fertility specialist, to discuss my new plan with her.

I am going to carry my Deliciously Healthy motto into this low glycemic diet. I'm determined to make eating clean(er) DELICIOUS!

I've also realized that I'm not just on this weight loss journey so that I can get pregnant. I'm on it to improve my health, as I have PCOS, lupus, RA, and low thyroid. I want to live a
healthy life, and be the healthiest me I can be. And lets face it, I want to be a size 8 again.
Thank you again for all your support!
xoxo

Satisfying My Cravings, in a Deliciously Healthy Way

TOM has arrived.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that it's a personal triumph every time TOM comes on it's own, because with my PCOS, it never used to. I hadn't seen it since June, so I was definitely happy, and proud of the fact that my body did what it was supposed to this month.

It reminds me that I'm not only losing weight, I'm on the road towards becoming :Deliciously Healthy also!

BUT, PMS will always be PMS. And I am
craving chocolate!

I could try to ignore this urge for chocolate, but sometimes that does more harm then good. Like sending me straight to a carton of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream for instance.

I find it better to give in. I just have to do it in moderation, and follow my deliciously healthy motto.

Remember these
Naturally Peanut Butter Cookies I made a while back? You know, the ones that had 75% less PB and 50% less butter then the original, yet they tasted better?
Yeah, those.Today I made them again (they are so, so good!), but this time, I spread a little Nutella on them!I'm pretty sure I was in heaven while I was eating that cookie.Pretty. Darn. Sure.

An Old Favorite Recipe, With A Deliciously Healthy Twist!

I am in love with Shepperd's Pie.
It gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling every time sink my teeth into a fork full of this yummy comfort food! Yes, food has the ability to give me warm and fuzzy feelings, and that's never going to change.

I. Love. Food.

And in order for me to be successful on this journey to lose weight, and become healthier, I need to embrace that. I can't, and will not break up with delicious food, and I will
never stop loving the food I eat.

I hadn't had Shepperd's Pie since January, before I started this Deliciously Healthy Journey of mine (on a side note: Gosh I've grown so much since then!). Why hadn't I had my beloved Shepperd's Pie? Well, let's start with the fact that the potato layer had 1 stick of butter, and 1 cup of cream. Yes, straight up cream. On top of that, I would have veggies mixed in with greasy ground beef. On top of that went biscuit batter topped with 3/4 of a stick of melted butter. Yes, more butter. I had gotten the recipe from Paula Deen. You know how she loves her butter!

So, I had shied away from Shepperd's Pie.
Why? I freakin LOVE it!

As I said before, I will never stop loving food, and there is no reason I can't have Shepperd's Pie while on a diet. All I have to do, is make a few healthy tweaks. Sure, it's probably not the healthiest recipe I could make, but it's almost half the calories as the original, and I'm getting to enjoy something I LOVE while being on a diet.
And that folks, is priceless.

I wasn't sure if it was going to come out the same, but it is seriously DELISH! It tasted just like the recipe I used to make, with all the butter and cream! My husband, and our house guest LOVED it as well!

Deliciously Healthy Shepperd's Pie:

This is what you need:

• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 stick of smart balance butter blend or 1/2 cup regular smart balance
  
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
• salt and black pepper
• 8 to 10 medium red potatoes
• 2 cups low fat milk. Divided
• 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
• 2 cups of instant biscuit mix
  
• 2 cups mixed vegetables

This is what you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Ground Turkey Layer:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add chopped onion, and ground turkey. When the turkey is cooked, add the veggies, and turn to low heat. Cover with a lid for about 5 min, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Potato Layer:

Slice potatoes 1/4-inch thick. Place in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain potatoes and transfer to a mixing bowl. Mash potatoes with 1/2 cup heated milk, 1 stick smart balance butter blend, and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Mix until it's the consistency you like.

Biscuit Layer:

Combine biscuit mix and 1 1/2 cups of milk. The mix should be thinner than that of normal biscuit mix but not runny.

Spray a 9 by 9 by 2-inch pan (or any similar casserole dish) with cooking spray. Layer mashed potatoes halfway up the sides of the dish. Next, spread a layer of turkey and mixed veggies on top of the potatoes. Then pour the biscuit batter over the turkey/veggies. Bake for about 35 to 45 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Here's what I'm thinking:

• Serves 10 and the servings are nice and big!
• Calories per serving: 425

Enjoy!

(this is less then a serving!)

It's really good with ketchup!

Besides looking a tad evil! ;D

Psst...
I posted my recipe on Smart Balance.com.
I would appreciate your vote to all those who try this yummy recipe!
Rate it HERE
Thanks!

It's Ice Cream Season...

Every time I hear the jingle of the ice cream truck coming down my street, I'm reminded of it.
I swear Mr. Ice Cream Man drives extra slow when driving by my house.
He's saying to himself, "Hmm, wasn't there some chunky girl who would always run out of this house, waving money in the air, as she chased me down the street?"
Yes Mr. Ice cream man, that was me. But "WAS" is the key word there.

The new (and slimmer) me, comes up with Deliciously Healthy ways to enjoy the summer. Like fruit parfaits, in ice cream cones:

Here's what you'll need:

• All natural, low fat vanilla yogurt
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Waffle ice cream cones

This is what you do:

• Wash, and slice strawberries
  
• Wash blueberries
• In waffle cone, add a spoon full of vanilla yogurt, then fruit, another spoonful of yogurt, and top it off with fruit. I wouldn't recommend doing more then 2 layers. It gets kinda messy if you do... trust me ;)
• Put cones in the freezer, just until they're chilled..right before they start to freeze (about an hour) **or you could just eat em' up, and skip the freezer :)
  

Here's What I'm Thinking:

• Calories: About 110 for one cone

Or you can add almonds to the mix:

(Calories: 190)

Or some dark chocolate chips!(Calories: 190)

Or you could buy those little tiny waffle cones, fill them with yogurt and fruit, and serve them as little appetizers at a party!
You with me?! :D

Take that Mr. Ice Cream Man!
I no longer need you, or your fudgesicles!
These are way better!

Celebrating Some Sweet Victories, With Cupcakes!

Tomorrow, I'm going to have lunch with some friends, and I'm in charge of the dessert!

I've been trying to come up with the perfect Deliciously Healthy dessert to bring, that will be delicious for them, and low cal for me!

In the process, I ended up making my husbands "new favorite dessert". As we both tried it for the first time tonight, he was seriously raving about it! So much so that I had to tell him to stop, because it was getting kinda annoying! ;)

So what is my husbands new favorite dessert?

Strawberry Cream Cupcakes:
Here's What You Need:

For the Cupcakes:

~ I box of white cake mix

~1/2 a cup of low-fat sour cream
~1 egg
~1 tablespoon of water
~1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the strawberry cream mixture:
~2 tsp of sugar
~1 cup of sliced strawberries
~1 1/2 cups of low-fat whipped topping

For the strawberry topping:
~1 cup of sliced strawberries

Final topping:
~1/2 cup low-fat whipped topping

This is What You Do:

For cupcakes:
~Pre-heat oven to 350
~Whisk together all the ingredients until blended
~Dived into 12 paper cups.
~Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

For strawberry whipped cream mixture:
~In a sauce pan, combine 1 cup of sliced strawberries, and 2 tsp of sugar. Cook over medium/low heat, until soft.
~Place cooked strawberries in a blender and blend until it's a thick puree. Pour mixture into a bowl, and put into the fridge or freezer until it's cooled COMPLETELY.
~When the strawberry mixture is cooled completely, gently mix it into 1 1/2 cups of low-fat whipped cream.
**Note: You could place the sliced strawberries with the 2 tsp of sugar in a bowl, and let sit for 30min. Then blend it in the blender.

Assembly:
~Take cupcakes out of their paper cups, and cut the tops off of the cupcakes
~Layer the toppings evenly among all 12 cupcakes. Starting with the strawberry cream mixture, sliced strawberries, lid (cupcake top), and a small dollop of low-fat whipped cream.
**Note: If you put the strawberry cream mixture, and the whipped cream in piping bags (or a ziplock bag with corner snipped off), it makes it a little quicker and easier to assemble. Plus, it makes everything a little prettier in the end :)

Here's what I'm Thinking:

Servings: 12
Serving size: 1 cupcake with toppings
Calories per serving: 220MMM!

***

These past couple days, I've celebrated some fun victories! :

#1. Today's weigh in had me at 169! I've lost 3 pounds this week, and I'm FINALLY in the 160's!! Yay! I'm only 3 pounds away from losing 40 pounds! :D

#2. Feeling all excited over my good weigh in, I decided to go into my closet, to see if I could fit into anything that I haven't been able to. Guess what?! I totally did!
I fit back into one of my favorite button down shirts! I haven't been able to wear it in years!
TaDa!Of course when I'm finally able to wear it, it's too dang hot outside... but maybe I'll be able to on a cold/rainy summer day...

#3. On Saturday, the hubs took me out to lunch, to the Cheesecake Factory.
I had decided that would be my off meal for the week. (I don't have scheduled in off meals, but when something like this pops up, I use it as my one off meal for the week). I got the chicken and biscuits (my fav), and of course I could only eat half. Then I broke one of my rules: I brought the leftovers home with me! For the rest of the day, my yummy leftovers were calling me from the fridge. I could barley think of anything else! To eat them, or not to eat them? That was the question! Finally, I made my decision! I opened the fridge, grabbed my leftovers, opened the pantry, and tossed them into the trash! Yes, I know, there are starving people in China, but my yummy leftovers were either going to my hips, or in the trash. I decided they'd be better in the trash!
#4. Today I had a doctors appointment with my rheumatologist/lupus specialist. I hadn't seen her since before I started losing weight (which was bad on my part, since I'm supposed to see her every 2-4 months. Whoops). I'll never get over her reaction to my weight loss! She practically jumped for joy, for me! I heart her. I seriously do. She's the most compassionate, wonderful doctor I've ever met! Her husband is my orthopedic surgeon, and he's the exact same way (match made in heaven right there;)! They're both simply amazing! Any who, back to what I was saying. She pointed out that when I started seeing her almost 5 years ago, I was 185, and that
I was the lowest she had ever seen me!
That felt pretty darn good!

I'm pretty much on cloud nine right about now ;D

Deliciously Healthy Raspberry Shake

Why???
Doesn't the whole world know I'm on a diet?
Why do they send me pizza ads, restaurant ads, and coupons for Jack in The Box??!

Don't they know those are my weaknesses? Do they know their adds make my mouth water, and a tear well up in my eye?

Sigh...

I guess the world isn't revolved around me, and my struggles.
(But seriously. They should stop that)

But you know what? They're not going to bring me down!

Nope.

Because I am not on a depriving diet. I simply live a Deliciously Healthy lifestyle.

Deliciously Healthy = I can eat food that is yummy and delicious. I can still enjoy what I eat, and continue my (healthy) love affair with food, even while being on a diet. I can eat the things I want and crave, I just have to make a few healthy tweaks. (And keep an eye on my portions of course.)

So, that's exactly what I'm going to do!

The raspberry shake in this add is what made my mouth water, and even made me a little misty eyed ;)

Deliciously Healthy Raspberry Shake:
Here's What You Need:

~2 cups of frozen raspberries

~1 cup of strawberry ice cream (I was going to buy the low-fat ice cream, but after reading the label, it seemed like it had more crap in it, so I went with the regular kind)
~1 cup of low-fat milk
*For an additional 20 calories, you can add some low-fat whipped topping.
**Makes 2 servings

This is What You Do:

~In a blender, blend all the ingredients until smooth. Divide into two glasses, and enjoy!

My shake Vs. Jack in the Boxes shake:

(I couldn't find the nutritional information on their raspberry shake,
but I did find the info on their strawberry shake.)

Deliciously Healthy Raspberry Shake: 300 calories

Jack in the Boxes Strawberry Shake: 880 calories.

You save 580 calories!

Yes, 3o0 calories on dessert is a bit of a splurge, but this is how I see it:

Before the idea to simply eat Deliciously Healthy clicked in my head, I'd go on a diet, and deprive myself of everything yummy. I'd live on "diet food." Then, when an ad like this came in the mail, it would simply be too much. I couldn't resist the yummy temptation. Why? Because I hadn't eaten anything with real taste in days!
So, I'd grab the keys, and make a mad dash for Jack in The Box. And you know once I was there, I wasn't going to just get a shake! Nope, I was going to get the burger and fries to go with. It would probably total out to over 1,000 calories, if not over 2,000 calories!... And I'd be off my diet, and who knows when I'd go back on it.

Now, with my Deliciously Healthy lifestyle, I realize I can have the shake. Yes, I might be a tiny bit over my calories that day because of my 300 calorie dessert, but the point is, I'd still be on my diet. Because I gave into my Deliciously Healthy craving, I saved myself a trip to Jack in The Box, and probably 2,000 calories.

300 calories is way better then 2,000!
Take that Jack In The Box!
And whoever sends me these ads! ;)

The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookie Showdown!

My friend and I got together, to come up with the ultimate, Deliciously Healthy, peanut butter cookies!

After some trial and error, a lot of math, and creative thinking, we got it!

Naturally Peanut Butter Cookies!If you can believe it, I've never actually had peanut butter cookies...or at least not that I can remember. I was loyal to the classic, chocolate chip cookie.

So, after we had made the winning batch of low-fat peanut butter cookies, my friend told me that I couldn't really know if our recipe compared to the original, until I actually tried the original (fattening) version.

Now, what you have to know about my friend, is that she is like, the peanut butter cookie queen! She LOVES them!

Her point made sense, so with a nod of my head, she went into her kitchen, and pulled out all the ingredients to make HER recipe. The recipe that she loved (That's key to remember;)

She got kinda giddy as she pulled out the ingredients. I could tell she was excited to make/dig into her favorite peanut butter cookies!

Her recipe, called for 1/2 a cup of butter, and 1/2 a cup of peanut butter. Along with some other changes.

When they were done baking, we sat down to do our taste test.

My friend went back and forth, between the original peanut butter cookie, and our naturally PB cookie. Finally she looked up, with an almost confused look on her face, and said "You know, there really isn't that big of a difference"
The fact that the naturally PB cookie, satisfied her just as much as her favorite peanut butter cookie recipe, was a sweet victory for me!

Another thing she said, that was music to my ears, was that she felt she could serve these cookies to guests, and they totally wouldn't know that they were low-fat!

After our taste test, we put a naturally peanut butter cookie, and her original peanut butter cookie, on a napkin, and let them sit for a little while:Can you see the difference between the grease mark left by the original peanut butter cookie, and our naturally peanut butter cookie?
That's insane. And kinda gross.

When I came home, I had my husband do a taste test, not telling him that one was healthy, and one wasn't. He took a bite of the the original, took a sip of milk, and then took a bite of the healthy peanut butter cookie. No joke, he lifted up the hand with the unhealthy cookie in it, and said, "This one's gross!" He then proceeded to eat almost all the naturally peanut butter cookies! I only have one left!
Guess I'm going to have to make another batch!

So the verdict? Our recipe has 75% less peanut butter, and 50% less butter, and it's pretty much the same yummy, peanut buttery cookie!!
And in mine, and my husband's opinion, it's the better cookie!

Don't believe me?
Try it for yourself!

Naturally Peanut Butter Cookies:
This is What you Need:

• 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup oatmeal flour (Pour oatmeal into a blender, and pulse until it's a fine consistency)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 large egg
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of Skippy Natural peanut butter. (My friend introduced me to this PB, and it's seriously good! The only ingredients are: Roasted peanuts, sugar, palm oil, and salt!)
• 1/4 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts chopped coarse

**Note: I think the natural PB is what makes this recipe taste so... good! I definitely recommend using an all natural PB.

This is What You Do:

• Pre-heat to 350.
• Whisk flour, oatmeal flour, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl and set aside.
• Whisk butter, egg, and vanilla extract into large bowl. Then stir in brown sugar, peanut butter, and chopped peanuts. Stir until smooth.
  
• Stir in flour mixture and combine.
• Roll level tablespoons of dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 1/2 inches apart on sheet.
• Bake cookies one cookie sheet at a time for 11-13 minutes or until edges are golden brown and centers are set.
• Cool for 5 minutes

Enjoy!!

Here's what I'm thinking:
Calories: 90
for 1 yummy cookie

***

On a side note, My weigh in was yesterday. My lack of a post yesterday, pretty much explains how I feel about it. I was 180, which means I didn't lose any weight this week.

When I've gone on a diet in the past, I always stopped at the 180 mark. For some reason, whenever I'd get to this point, I'd choose the cheese pizza, over the salad....

So, this leads me to believe that I've hit a plateau. My body is used to me giving up at this point, and it hasn't been past this point in a while.

The nice thing about this is, I know that this is going to be the time I get past the 180 mark!! I'm going to make a few changes to shake things up a bit, and I will get into the 170's! I just have to get past this little plateau first ;D