Oh yes, I was so very excited. So the next day, I decide to try a pair of capris that hadn't fit in over TWO YEARS! And they fit perfectly fine, even with a little wiggle room. (Sorry, no pictures of these pants) So I knew I might be trying my luck, but yesterday I decided to try on a pair of capris that I bought a couple of years ago. This was a pair of capris that I purchased with the attitude of "I'll be able to wear these next summer", but next summer never came. I knew that they weren't going to fit - they hadn't fit since I purchased them, and I knew that it would be another summer before I could really get in to them. BUT OH NO, I proved myself wrong. They fit perfectly fine - not tight, not loose - just right! These pants were TWO SIZES SMALLER than I normally wear. I'm getting closer to the non-plus size clothing selections by the day! Although, I know it will take a while before I actually reach that goal.
Last night, I decided that I was going to measure my waist and compare it to my Transform Your Body Challenge waist measurement. So I gather up my tape measure and wrap it around. WAIT, what is that?!? A three inch deficit in just one week?!? I just couldn't believe this, so I ask for expert advice - a consult with the hubby. YES, it's confirmed - 3 inches LOST! Oh what a small victory so far!
Exciting, I know! So now I'm going to share two recipes that I created out of one meat purchase. We are meat-a-vores, so this recipe uses beef. However, you could recreate the same recipe with chicken or pork.
I started out by making a pot roast in the crock pot. I cut off all the outside fat pieces and seasoned it up using Salt-Free Mrs. Dash, fresh minced garlic, and fresh cracked black pepper. I cut up onions, celery, and carrots to place below and on the sides of the roast. I sprinkled the vegetables with fresh minced garlic and fresh cracked black pepper. I added half a cup of water to the bottom just to ensure moistness of the meat. The pot roast will cook low and slow for 10 hours - with a check halfway through. At the halfway point, the roast had created a lot of juices around the meat and veggies. I cut up 2 red potatoes and placed it around the meat. The potatoes will soak up some of those juices, so add a half/whole cup of water to ensure the meal stays moist for the remainder of the cooking process. I think I should have taken a picture of the hubby's plate, since he eats the veggies from the roast. At the end of the cooking process, this is what my plate looked like:
So, the old me would have had that plate loaded up. But the new me knows about portion control, and I was actually quite full after this meal. So there was some pot roast leftover, so I saved it for a tasty leftover recipe - Beef enchiladas! Basically this meal contains several leftover ingredients.
In a pan, I added some olive oil to start sauteeing black beans and leftover brown rice. I chopped up the leftover pot roast and added it to the bean and rice mixture. Once the contents were warmed through, I added 1 packed of reduced sodium taco seasoning and the recommended water. One the seasoning and water were cooked in to the mixture, I took it off the heat to cool down. (This was a meal I prepped before we went to the gym, and heated up once we got home). So the meat mixture looks like this:
So after the meat mixture cools, I spoon it in to whole wheat tortilla shells. I made 6 beef enchiladas, because we are usually very hungry after a workout - but I knew we would have leftovers for lunch the next day. There was enough of the meat mixture left for probably 2 or 3 more enchiladas, so you could always save the leftovers for another quick lunch. So this is what the meal looked like before I put it in the fridge - fully prepped! (The enchiladas with toothpicks have some leftover onions - from the roast - for the hubby)
Once we returned from the gym, starved as always, I put the sauce and cheese on top of the enchiladas and put them in the oven - 400 degrees for 20 minutes just to heat through. Just enough time to shower and prepare for bed! So this is the finished product:
This meal was very filling - one enchilada is a very satisfying serving. I couldn't eat any more after that. The leftovers were great for lunch the next day too!
Until next time, I leave you with a quote from an unknown author: "If hunger is not the problem, then eating is not the solution." Man, I wish I would have found this years ago! It really gives you a new take on the term "comfort food".
Good job, I told you that I could tell you had lost weight, and yesterday when we went shopping, I could tell that you had lost even more weight plus inches also. KEEP UP THE GOOD JOB! It will be gone before you know it.
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog through another weight loss blog. I like you! Enjoyed your posts so far. Best of luck! You are going to do great I can tell.
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