Mmmm, everything sounds so yummy!! But what is couscous? I've heard of it before but have no idea what it is. Please enlighten me!
So far today...
Breakfast: 1c. Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal w/ 3/4 c. skim milk.
Snack: 1/2 of a chocolate mint Zone Perfect bar.
Lunch: Same as yesterday, a big bowl of salad with mixed greens, baby spinach, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, green onions, chopped up pieces of General Tsao's chicken, f.f. zesty Italian dressing and some crispy rice noodles for crunch! And a Blue Bunny Lite 85 Black Cherry yogurt.
Snack: Baby carrots and chopped celery sticks. Not sure how much, just happily crunched away until I was satisfied.
Dinner: Broiled, spicy catfish, big salad with all the same stuff as above except the chicken, and another yogurt, YUM! Gosh, I love that stuff!
Snack: 1 c. sliced strawberries (slightly frozen), 1/2 med. chopped banana (also frozen), 2 tbsp. Go Lean Crunch, 2 tbsp. F.F. cool whip, and 0 cal. sweetener.
Beverages: Water & coffee
Exercise: 40 min. on Gazelle this morning. Weights and crunches this afternoon. I usually alternate between crunches and my Pilates For Dummies tape but I got it mixed up today, oops! Then another 30 min. on the Gazelle set at resistance level #1 in the evening.
OK I need to jump into this thread for my last 13 weeks of pregnancy. The weight is starting to creep up and I'm not happy about it. I just went to the grocery store and got my weekend planned out. I would list what I had today but I can't even remember half the stuff so I will start tomorrow!
Well, I had a challenging time tonight. We had a farewell dinner for one of our lawyers which presented many temptations (I won't go into food porn). It was a buffet and I think I did very well. My first plate was heaped with green pepper, red pepper, cucumber and carrot wedges, a few cherry tomatoes and some radishes. I skipped the dip and put some salsa on my plate. For my next plate I filled half of it with romaine lettuce and put a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on and a couple of spoonfulls of oil and vinegar dressing. For the remaining half of the plate I put one quarter pasta shells in tomato sauce with parsley and chicken and the other quarter a salad made up of diced red apples (peel on), raisins and celery very lightly tossed in a sour cream type dressing.
My beverages consisted of two small bottles of Perrier water.
Since I just got home now, I figure my eating's done for the day.
Not much exercise today, but taking the pup out for a walk now (if the kids haven't totally exhausted her already)
Couscous is yummy! It is the national dish of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria - so adds a bit of exoticism to the day.....It is, apparently, a type of fine semolina made from wheat grain. Traditionally, you steam it over a stew or broth......the kind you buy in Europe is precooked, and you just moisten it with water and heat.....I steam or soak mine, and then add all kinds of interesting things.....veggies, herbs, spicy sauce. As a good friend of mine says, it is the fastest prepared carbohydrate know to man....takes about 5 mins.....
Jill- Excellent choices!! That could very well have been a total food porn extravaganza! I am soooooo proud of you!
Claire- Thanks for the description, it sounds a little like tofu, right? But one other thing, I don't know what semolina is either. Would you mind explaining that to me as well??
Its Saturday morning and "Daddy" is the master chef. He's downstairs busily cooking breakfast for himself and the girls while I'm upstairs with my Kashi Go Lean cereal, low-fat milk and calcium enriched orange juice - trying not to smell the hash browns, eggs and sausages!
Today is my "baby's" 26th and we'll be heading over to visit her and then hitting the trails (doggie and all) for a nice long hike. The weather here is supposed to be glorious (could get as high as 20c) Wheeeeee!
P.S. - Semolina is very much like Cream of Wheat, Beverly. As Claire indicates, it can be the basis of delicious savoury and spicy dishes. Here's a very quick and easy recipe that I often make and take to work for lunches. A minute or two in the microwave and the aroma draws crowds.
Garlic Tomato Couscous
1/2 onion, diced
1 c veggie broth
1 tsp dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 c uncooked couscous
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 medium ripe tomato, diced
Using a medium saucepan, saute onion in a small amout of broth until slightly browned and fragrant, but still crunchy. Slowly add remaining broth and bring to a boil. Add basil and garlic. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Gently toss in tomato and pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings, with lunch leftovers! Sometimes I top this with fat-free parmesan cheese.
Keep up the good work folks (glad I didn't have to nag you TOO much, Sandi ). Looking forward to seeing you on Monday, Celina!
20c is around 72f, Sheila, which I think you'll agree is luverrrly and we're taking full advantage of it cuz its only April and could snow next week! We hit the trails for 1-1/2hrs. (quite a few hills to huff and puff over). I drank two 500ml bottles of water afterwards and got cramps
Lunch: 2 slices Weight Watchers 60% whole wheat bread with 1 Kraft cheese slice (low-fat), 2 thin slices of summer sausage and mustard. 1 cup of sweet and crunchy little seedless red grapes. 1/2 cup Jello fat-free chocolate pudding.
See you after dinner. We're taking the kids to our favourite Vietnamese restaurant, but it won't be a problem because there's plenty of "on plan" choices.
Beverley - here's everything you ever wanted to know about semolina!!!! ....and now you have to tell me what Cream of Wheat is.....
This word comes from the Italian, meaning semi-milled, and it's not ground to fine flour. Semolina is what is used for traditionally made pasta – milled from hard wheat grain to a texture specified by the pasta maker, so that the finished product will be rough-textured to enable the sauce to cling sufficiently. Semolina, from softer wheat, has also played a part in British cuisine, where it has been used in puddings and cakes, and durum semolina gives a lovely texture to shortbread but is now, sadly, not widely available
Jill - thanks for couscous recipe..looks great, I am going to give it a try...
I have had a very relaxing, good healthy living day...
Porridge with banana and pear
Greek omelette, with onions, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese
Salad plate: beetroot, carrot and green beans, cabbage, carrot and raisins
Roast chicken (no skin), sweet potato, roast onions and red peppers
Green salad, with tomatoes and beetroot
Strawberries, raspberries, pear with low fat natural yoghurt
Thanks Claire! Now I have an excellent idea of what you are talking about. And Jill, that couscous recipe sounds scrumptious! I imagine it smells just heavenly!
Here's my log for the day:
Breakfast: 1c. Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal w/ 3/4 c. skim milk.
Snack: 1/2 of a chocolate mint Zone Perfect bar.
Lunch: 1 small low carb tortilla filled with lettuce, spinach, green onion, red bell pepper, celery, turkey deli meat and spicy mustard. A salad with mixed greens, spinach, carrots, celery, green onion, red bell pepper, f.f. Italian dressing and 1 tbsp. rice noodles. And a frozen Blue Bunny Lite 85 black cherry yogurt.
Snack: 1 c. sliced strawberries (slightly frozen) w/ 2 tbsp. Go Lean Crunch, 2 tbsp. F.F. cool whip, and 0 cal. sweetener. I also had one hard boiled egg white (no, they weren't mixed together, you goofballs!! ) I also crunched some sticks of celery between this snack and dinner.
Dinner: 6 oz. broiled, spicy Tilapia filet, 1 small (5-6 oz.) baked potato w/ 1 tbsp. f.f. sour cream, and a nice big salad with mixed greens, spinach, carrots, celery, green onion, f.f. Italian dressing, and a sprinkling of rice noodles.
Snack: 1 frozen Blue Bunny Lite 85 black cherry yogurt.
Beverages: Water, coffee
Exercise: Morning- 40 min. on Gazelle, Afternoon- weights and Pilates For Dummies tape, Evening- 30 min. on Gazelle at #1 resistance.
Claire, when I was a child in England we'd have "wheat hearts pudding" for "afters", which was semolina cooked in milk and sugar and often topped with a little golden syrup. If you're familiar with that, then you'll understand what "Cream of Wheat" is (although I believe Americans have it for breakfast - like porridge or oatmeal).
Quite the variety of exercise going on here today - good going, guys. By the way, Sheila, when you're finished painting I have a few rooms you can do here.
Tonight's restaurant dinner consisted of steamed rice and chicken, with vietnamese egg, all in a soy and hot sauce with a side of tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions and water grass. Coffee (with milk), Diet Coke and 500ml spring water when we got home.
Time for the dog's nightly walk. Have a great night all!
I've heard of it before but have no idea what it is. Please enlighten me!
Then another 30 min. on the Gazelle set at resistance level #1 in the evening.
and we'll be heading over to visit her and then hitting the trails (doggie and all) for a nice long hike. The weather here is supposed to be glorious (could get as high as 20c) Wheeeeee!
). Looking forward to seeing you on Monday, Celina!
We hit the trails for 1-1/2hrs. (quite a few hills to huff and puff over). I drank two 500ml bottles of water afterwards and got cramps 
) I also crunched some sticks of celery between this snack and dinner.
