As I go through this weight loss journey, I am documenting certain things. Weigh ins, recipes, tips, struggles and such. I can't do it on both blogs, so I am opening my blog to you. If you don't already read, My Journey as a Woman blog, please do. I make jokes, cry, and share food. (cyber food) I love to read, and I love to be the one being read...... so come on over
www.heididurant.blogspot.com

Where oh where have the bloggers gone

I ask myself each and everytime I look at my blog lists. I LOVE blogs, but I love them even more when they are actually updated from time to time. It is a good thing we are not paying for these. On a lighter note, and I hope you readers can sense my sarcasm in the above statement. I know we all lead busy lives, and not everyone loves blogs as much as I do, but come on, let's get some new stuff on here.
Nick and I joined The Biggest Loser Club online. You pay $30 for 3 months, and you get three of their books for free, just for joining. We started Saturday night after a long, pity party week for me. I was not myself, and I knew a lot of it was because of my weight. So, this is a program, similar to weight watchers, but just online. They give you a weekly food log, caloric intake and outake. They tell you what you should and shouldn't do via exercise, give you recipes, tips, success stories, and much more. We joined individually, which has been tricky when it comes to meal time, but we are all adjusting. I can feel my will power and determination getting stronger. I have my own personal "journey" blog, that I have dedicated as a place to put up my stats, feeling and rants. Feel free to read, just let me know, and I can send the link.
I want to be successful, and with success of my own, I want to help others too. So, let's keep on posting, reading, researching and working towards our own family goals.

post script: I am not trying to recruit others to the club, I just wanted to let everyone know what we were doing. Also, I find humor in most everything, and I hope that everyone can sense that in the above post. I mean no hard feelings.... Heidi

Quinoa Meatballs

I've been looking for a good recipe to use quinoa in and found this one on Dr. Oz. I tried it tonight and the whole family liked it (even Blake and Maddy). I used lean ground turkey instead of hamburger, but pretty much followed the recipe here. The sauce was OK, nothing special. You could always use ready made sauce too to make it easier.

Linguine and quinoa meatballs with tangy tomato sauce

Ingredients

Serves 6

The Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 large carrot, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 tsp hot red pepper flakes

1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, chopped, with juices

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

The Meatballs

3 tbsp canola oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 lb lean ground beef

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

3 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, very finely chopped

1/2 tbsp salt

3/4 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

1 lb linguine

1 large handful fresh basil leaves

Directions

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and red pepper flakes, and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic and vinegar and simmer for 20 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to keep warm.

To make the meatballs, preheat the oven to 425˚F. Heat the canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, partially covered, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, quinoa, Parmesan, egg, parsley, salt, pepper and cooled onions. Stir until a smooth, homogenous mixture has formed. Roll the meat mixture into 2-inch balls and set them on an aluminum foil–lined baking sheet in neat rows. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until nicely browned but still soft to the touch.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the linguine al dente. Serve the pasta with some meatballs and sauce. Top with a sprinkling of torn basil leaves.

Sweet Temptations

My biggest downfall is eating sweets. Every night around 9:00 something in my head tells me I need to eat something sweet and sure enough my body listens. Ice cream, cookies, cake.. doughnuts. ANYTHING! Does anyone have any ideas of how to get past this or any recipes for some healthy sweet stuff?? Thanks!!
Ashleigh

Sugars & Fats

I am reading the book "The Eat-Clean Diet" by Tosca Reno and I came across something that was thought provoking. The sooner North Americans learn to recognize simple sugars and saturated and trans fats as Public Enemies Number One and Two in the same way they recognize germs in the bathroom as being vile, the sooner health will improve and waistlines will decrease. Ridiculous? Think about it! We sanitize, wash, and disinfect germs we can't see without hesitation but we consume, indulge, snack, wolf down and lick at sugars and fats without a second thought.

Hmmmmmmmm!

Beef & Broccoli Orange Stir-Fry

We had Kristin over for dinner last night and I wanted to make something healthy but also something Kristin would like. From the picture of this recipe, I could tell it was something she would like. We all enjoyed it!

Ingredients:

12 oz. soba noodles

Olive oil cooking spray

1 lb. lean round steak, pounded to 1/4" thickness & sliced into strips (I couldn't pound it very thin, so I just cut in in thin slices)

1/2 cup white onion, diced

2 cups fresh broccoli florets, separated into bite-size pieces

1/2 red bell pepper, julienne cut

3 tbsp. low-sodium tamari soy sauce (I just used regular low-sodium)

Juice of 1 medium orange

1 tbsp. orange zest

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. raw organic honey (not sure what raw honey is, I used regular organic)

2 tsp. whole-wheat flour

Instructions:

One: Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Two: Heat large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-high, mist pan with cooking spray and saute steak for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove steak, leaving juices in the pan.

Three: Mist same pan again with cooking spray. Add onion, broccoli and pepper and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until cooked through.

Four: In medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, orange juice and zest, garlic and honey.

Five: Add steak back to vegetables in pan and pour in soy sauce mixture. Saute steak and vegetables over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, then whisk in flour to thicken, about 2-3 minutes. Add noodles to pan and cook until warmed, about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Nutrients per 1-cup serving: Calories: 270, Total Fat: 2 g., Sat. Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 51 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 6 g, Protein: 14 g, Sodium: 520 mg, Cholesterol: 10 mg

Tuscan Minestrone Soup

I'm really trying to eat healthier and looking for new recipes. I tried this new soup recipe for dinner tonight and it was actually pretty good. When we sat down to eat I thought it looked too healthy and wouldn't taste good. With a little cheese melted on top, it was good. Here's the recipe:

Tuscan Minestrone Soup

This classic calls for a classic topping: a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. But if you want to reduce the soup's already low calorie count even more, leave off the cheese - the soup will still taste rich and satisfying.

Serves 6

2 T. olive oil

1 med. zucchini, cut into 1/2" slices, about 2 cups

1 med. summer squash, cut into 1/2" slices, about 2 cups

1 large carrot, finely diced, about 3/4 cup

1 small onion, finely diced, about 3/4 cup

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

4 cups all-natural reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes

1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup whole wheat Barilla PLUS or elbow pasta

3 fresh thyme sprigs

salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil, cut into strips

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over med-high heat. Add the zucchini, summer squash, carrot, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in the broth and diced tomatoes, cover the mixture, and bring it to a boil. Add the beans, pasta, and thyme, and cook, uncovered, at a low boil until the pasta is done, about 10 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs, and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Serve in individual bowls and top each serving with the Parmesan cheese and basil.

This was taken from the Bob Greene The Best Life Diet book.