Weigh In Wednesday

Well this was my first week on Weight Watchers and I'm guessing everyone knows how WW works...you get a daily amount of points you can consume and every food has a point value, you also get a certain amount of weekly overage points which allow you to splurge a little bit.  I get 29 daily points and 49 weekly points.  (I don't know if that is the same for everyone or if everyone gets different point allowances based on their weight, height, etc.)  I was surprised to see how much food I actually get to eat with 29 points a day.  Although on Sunday we went to Red Robin for lunch and my meal was my whole daily allotment of points!!  Good thing I had about 39 of my weekly overage points because I needed those!  It's nice not having to count calories, and basically I can decide how I want to eat any given day.  Some days I have an 11 point breakfast, but only an 8 point dinner and some days I have an 18 point dinner and only a 4 point breakfast.  I guess what I'm saying is that I'm enjoying Weight Watchers so far and it's a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.  My kind of "dieting".

This was one of my 10 point lunches.  A roast beef sandwich with tomatoes, spinach, mayo, muenster cheese along with 25 Special K Cracker Chips and a medium orange.  I mean, that's a good size lunch, right?

This was an 18 point dinner.  I didn't get the recipe from a healthy cookbook, so I knew it was going to be up there in points.  But it was so worth it!  The recipe is at the very end of the blog.

As for exercise, I pointed out in last weeks blog that I have gotten really sick of doing the normal work out routines.  Ya know, lifting weights, cardio bursts, crunches and planks.  So I decided to mix it up a little bit and I started doing the dance workouts.  Our Exercise TV OnDemand has a whole section of Crunch Gym workouts and they have a month long workout plan that utilizes all of them, so naturally, I downloaded it.  The plan mixes together the 3 different series of workouts that Crunch has to offer (Dance Rhythms, Action Sports and Eroticise).  I was a little skeptical about the Eroticise series at first because the work outs include burlesque dancing, sexy stretches, and stiletto strength.  Now I've yet to do the stiletto strength, but I have down the other 2 and they aren't too bad.  I thought I was going to be writhing about and flipping my hair around in my bonus room, but it wasn't like that (too much).  But I guess this week we'll see what the stiletto strength has to offer :/  The Action Sports workouts are like normal workouts (weights, crunches, lunges, etc.) so I'm still getting a little bit of that in every so often, but I've really enjoyed the Dance Rhythms exercises because you learn different steps and then form those steps into little routines.  So it's like taking a dance class, but I'm in my own house and I don't have to feel like an idiot or make a fool of myself in public. Yaaaaay!

So I know you've all been waiting to hear how I did this week.  Well the wait is over.  I lost....

2 pounds.

I'm not gonna lie...I was expecting more like 3 pounds, but maybe my over indulgences on Sunday kept that from happening.  BUT I can officially say that I have now lost ALL of my baby weight!  YAAAAAY!!!!  I have dropped down below where I was at my initial OB appointment for Ryleigh.  Now it's time to get rid of the next 15 pounds.  The 15 pounds I've been carrying around with me since December of 2009!  There are 6 1/2 weeks until we head to California, so if I can lost 2 pounds a week, that will be 12 pounds and I will be a happy camper : )

Now...since some people have been asking for pictures of my progress, I figured I would put one up now that I can officially say I have lost my baby weight.  So without further adieu....

4 1/2 months ago

Today...48 pounds smaller.

Baked Pork Cutlets with Sauteed Spinach and Shiitakes

makes 4 servings

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

salt and ground black pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced thinly

1 pack (10 oz.) baby spinach

1-2 tsp. white-wine vinegar

3 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 shallot, minced

3/4 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth if you prefer)

2 tbsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350.  Toast panko on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden, 10-12 minutes.  Transfer to a plate and raise oven temp. to 450.

Cut pork crosswise into 4 equal pieces.  Split each piece in half horizontally (do not cut all the way through); open up like a book.  Using a meat mallet, pound one piece of pork at a time between large pieces of plastic wrap until 1/4 inch thick.

Place flour, eggs, and panko on separate plates; season each with salt and pepper.  Dredge pork in flour, turning to coat; shake off excess.  Dip in eggs, allowing excess to drip back on plate.  Coat with panko, pressing gently to adhere.  Bake on baking sheet until browned and cooked through, 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium.  Add mushrooms; season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally until browned, 8-10 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.  Heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil.  Add spinach in batches, tossing to wilt; season with salt and pepper.  Cook, tossing until tender, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat; pour off excess liquid, and toss with vinegar to taste.  Top with mushrooms.

In a small saucepan, melt 1 tbsp. butter over medium.  Cook shallot, stirring frequently, until softened, 3-4 minutes.  Add wine (or chicken broth); simmer until almost evaporated.  Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and remaining 2 tbsp. butter; season with salt and pepper.  Serve pork and spinach mixture with lemon-butter sauce on the side.

Recipe from Everyday Food, Fresh Flavor Fast

I'm not sure the nutritional information since this isn't a "healthy" recipe.  But with all that butter and oil, who cares : )