The Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie MAKEOVER

Hello All! Well it has been a while since I blogged as I have been insanely busy with getting my classroom ready and then starting the school year! I am so blessed with my own classroom, but these 29 Grade 1/2's are a challenge :) As for HCG, the first round went great, then I did it again in September and I only lost 15lbs, which didn't feel awesome considering I gained almost 5 lbs during loading. It was pretty disappointing, but I am happy because now I am roughly 12lbs from my first goal that my doctor gave me...woot woot!! (It's been a while since I used woot...but it felt like a good time to bring it out again.) In some ways I am SO DONE with trying to lose weight, I would love to just eat healthy and maintain for a while. However, I want a baby, good health, and a fit body more...so I continue the weight loss journey. In light of this, and my ever-present sweet tooth, I decided to have a makeover day! I really wanted chocolate chip cookies so I experimented and tested two new recipes today.

The first is not gluten-free, but has a mixture of whole wheat and white flours. It also has coconut sugar instead of white or brown. Coconut sugar is low on the glycemic index, and can be helpful for people who struggle with diabetes and other health issues. It is also loaded with minerals, vitamins and amino acids!!! On a side note...I am obsessed with COCONUT products. It is an amazing substitute for so many things with great health benefits! Have you tried coconut oil yet??
 

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie 2.0

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup coconut sugar

1 large egg

1-2 tsp vanilla

3/4 white flour

3/4 whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar, then add the egg and vanilla. Mix together the dry ingredients and then add to the butter mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips. Drop onto a tray and CHILL for 10-15 min in the freezer. This is an important step so that they bake just right! Bake for 15 min, or until they are golden brown around the edges. Place on a cooling rack to cool. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

My other cookie is a classic chocolate chip cookie that I turned into a gluten-free chocolate chip peanut butter oatmeal cookie! They are so delicious and use my favourite substitute...coconut!!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup coconut sugar

1 large egg

1-2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup quick oats (use gluten-free if you have it)

1 cup dark chocolate chips  
1/4 cup natural, organic chunky peanut butter

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar, then add the egg and vanilla. Mix together the dry ingredients and then add to the butter mixture. Mix in the oats, chocolate chips and peanut butter. Drop onto a tray, FLATEN and then CHILL for 10-15 min in the freezer. This is an important step so that they bake just right! Bake for 12-14 min, or until they are golden brown around the edges. Place on a cooling rack to cool. Makes just over 2 dozen cookies.

 

Well, there you have it...two recipes that show a healthier spin on the classic chocolate chip cookie. Now I am not saying that I can sit around and eat ten of these, but when a craving hits I can feel A LOT better about eating one or two of them with a big mug of tea! In fact, that is what I am going to do right now :)

Phase 2 Day 30 and 31

Well today (really yesterday as I'm posting late!) I completed my first day without the drops. It actually went okay. I am finding that I am getting a lot hungrier in the mornings, but it does pass after an hour or so. The last couple days I found that I wasn't as turned off by the food I have been eating, which is a blessing because I didn't know what I was going to do if that continued! I have been doing this for a month now, and honestly I still feel like the absolute hardest part is the mental "game". I have always been an emotional eater...I eat when I'm stressed, celebrating, sad, happy, depressed...food is comforting in all situations for me. Sam and I have also built our marriage partially around enjoying and rewarding with food. If one of us is having a hard day, the other one would pick up a "treat", or if something wonderful happens...we go out for dinner! I do really miss our date nights at Earls, and grabbing a Starbucks together...but it is SO important that we break the habit of expecting this. Habits are so easy to form and so hard to break. In the last month I had hoped that my dependence on food would disappear into thin air...no such luck. I definitely realize that this is a lifelong struggle for me, and any progress in breaking these habits is good progress.

On Friday I will be starting a two-week holiday, first to the Okanagan for a wedding, then to Vegas for 5 days, and finished off with a week at my families trailer. It is going to be amazing, but I have been desperately trying to find a way to make my meals easier and on plan. I am so relieved that I will be on Phase 3 by then so that I can at least have a mixed salad for a meal. The funny thing about vacations is that we give ourselves license to EAT, am I right? Sam and I even have a recurring joke about this when we want to get something unhealthy (rationalization mixed with denial, I know!) In light of this, here are some of the things that I am doing to make my vacation eating easier:

In the Okanagan
- protein powder and my shaker bottle for on-the-go smoothies
- little baggies of nuts in my purse for an emergency snack attack
- eat a filling, on plan lunch before the wedding ceremony
- drink 2-3 glasses of water before going to the buffet
- stick to raw veggies with minimal dressing and scrape off sauce from the meats
- eat from the fruit platter for dessert
- get my family to keep me in check :)

In Vegas
- protein powder and my shaker bottle for on-the-go smoothies
- little baggies of nuts in my purse for an emergency snack attack
- at restaurants/buffets eat from the salad bar
- go to Walmart (there's one near our hotel, woo hoo) and buy some sugar-free candies to ward off a sweet tooth
- on anniversary night...eat what I want...but in VERY small amounts
I know that we are going to go out for our anniversary and I want to be able to eat "normal", but I plan to eat very little of the things that I shouldn't. For instance if there is sauce, it will be on the side and I will just use a bit. Or if there are carbs...I will sub a salad or mixed veggies with a little dressing.
- AVOID alcohol completely!

At the Trailer
- bring recipes for coconut flour pancakes for breakfast and coconut flour "bread" for lunch and dinner (I need to do this sparingly still...)
- the coconut flour bread can be wedged into "nacho chips" and served with cheese and salsa
- pre-bake phase 3 appropriate brownies and peanut butter cookies
- buy natural peanut butter, sugar-free jam and syrup to make breakfast more accessible
- use strong cheese (parm, blue, feta) to add lots of flavour to meat and veggies...it will feel like cheating :)
- drink A LOT of water
- gets lots of exercise by swimming and hiking
- make a no-sugar yogurt berry smoothie when the gang goes to my favorite ice cream place!!
*This will be the hardest to say no to I think!*

This is everything I have thought of, and prepared for. For me, I think this is probably the most important part, because I need to set myself up for success or else it will be way too hard to think of "on plan" things in the spur of the moment. If you have any other tips, feel free to share!!

Phase 2 Day 29...already?

These weekends definitely get away from me, and blogging just doesn't seem to happen! Okay, well let's catch up...oh wait, there is nothing to tell. I mean, don't get me wrong, I had lots of fun gatherings this long weekend, which was great. There has been no further weight loss. This morning I was 245.0, which is a total loss of 20.6lbs from my pre-loading weight. I am kind of depressed about this, but at the same time know that I have not been as strict as I could have been the past few days. A couple little tastes here and there of things could be the problem. Here is the real dilemma...I am done with this phase. I am not seeing weightloss, I am so sick of vegetables and meat that they actually make me want to throw-up a little when I see them, and I just want to eat cheese lol! Honestly, if I was still seeing weightloss, I would be fine. I seem to be stalled and it makes me want to not eat "clean" on this phase. I am going to continue tomorrow and Wednesday, then begin my two days of no drops, but still the vlcd. This will allow me to be on Phase 3 for my cousin's wedding and for VEGAS! It will be SO MUCH EASIER and honestly, as my SIL reminded me, I will do less damage to my weightloss. See, cheating on the drops can cause HUGE gains because of how they work in your body, but when you are maintaining your weight, you can eat 1500 calories...this will be such a treat!! I had such great hopes for this cycle and getting into the 230's, but you know what...I still feel great and people definitely are noticing. Today I also felt awesome because I was able to wear a shirt that I bought three years ago. It was on sale, I loved the pattern and even though it was too small, I decided to buy it! I had hopes that I would lose weight sooner, but it never happened...until now!! Just a few weeks ago I couldn't get this shirt over my hips, and today I had to wear a belt because it was a little roomy in the stomach area. HOORAY!

Today I was also reminded that since May 2010 I have lost 45lbs, a major accomplishment! Also, as I approach my 6th anniversary with my hubby I am only a few pounds away from my wedding weight, that is also very exciting. I am also 20-25lbs away (or one more cycle) from the weight my doctor wants me at for the next steps with our fertility plan. I can honestly say that I am so very pleased with my progress and the changes I have been making...and I am looking forward to many more to come!

Phase 2 Day 25

I have been so good the last couple days, so I was really hoping for a great weight loss this morning and instead I stayed the same. Perhaps this is residual stall from Monday when I cheated, but it makes me REALLY hope that I will lose tomorrow. Part of me wonders if it is worth continuing on Phase 2 of this diet if I am only going to lose a pound every few days...it doesn't seem worth it! I am SO excited to get to Phase 3...there are so many more things I am allowed to eat and make...I miss cheese A LOT!

Anyways, I love what I had to eat today: shrimp, asparagus, apples with cinnamon, chicken burger and onion rings! It was all so delicious, but I am too tired to blog in detail tonight so I will give more of an update tomorrow morning :)

Good Night!

Phase 2 Day 24

Good News, today I woke up and I wasn't having any cravings and my motivation was intact. I spent the whole day at home and wasn't tempted by anything in my house...the bread, peanut butter, jam, chocolate chips or popcorn. Hooray! Today I spent most of the day creating my "Apple" themed unit, and pinning TONS of things on pinterest...such an addiction :)

Here is what I ate today:
Breakfast: Green Tea with Lemon
Lunch: 150g Zucchini, 1/2 cup Tomato Sauce (my recipe), 100g Ground Sirloin, 1 Breadstick
Dinner: Greek Shrimp Skewers with Grilled Asparagus (this was SO incredible!!)
Snack: 150g Frozen Strawberries

The frozen fruit is going to be my secret weapon this summer. It is already something that my sister and I do year-round, but this summer it will feel like such a treat! Some of my favorite memories of summer involve grabbing a bag of frozen blueberries and sitting on the couch with my sister just devoring them. I highly recommend this as a snack anytime you feel like something sweet...I waited until the strawberries were very ripe and when they are frozen they are SO sweet!

My dinner tonight was SO incredible. I have been having a lot of chicken and beef recently and honestly am pretty sick of them. So tonight I had my hubby pick up shrimp skewers. Each skewer was about 60g, but I figured with the stick and tails it would be around 50g...in other words, I ate two! I seasoned it greek-style and had grilled asparagus with it. (I will post the detailed recipe tomorrow). I can't really express how good this was, and how nice it was to eat something different for a change. The best part is that I have two more skewers for tomorrow :)

Oh, and by the way...today I was 245.6, which means I am exactly 20 pounds down from my start weight...woo hoo!!!

Phase 2 Day 21, 22, 23

Well I took a little blogging break over the weekend, and yesterday my hubby was home sick and we went to bed early and I forgot to update! So, here is a quick run-down of what has happened in the last few days.

Sunday - 247.0 We went to church and then went to my brother-in-laws birthday party for the rest of the day. I had BBQ Chicken with cabbage slaw for lunch and then BBQ steak with broccoli for dinner. The cake looked INCREDIBLE and was made with chocolate bars and peanut butter...I really, really wanted a piece! Instead, for dessert I had strawberries and a teeny bit of melted chocolate delight. It was delicious :)

Monday - 246.6 I woke up with lots of plans for the day, but my hubby wasn't feeling well so we just relaxed all day. It was a TOUGH day for cravings for me. I just wanted food...any food that wasn't plan food. In fact, I was done with being on the diet. I resisted all day, but alas, when my hubby was sleeping, I had my first CHEAT :( I got a slice of bread and put butter and strawberry jam on it. I was honest when my hubby woke up, but I knew that I had definitely done something wrong. I am disappointed in myself, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that I wanted to be done. Don't get me wrong, the progress has been incredible but I just want to start eating a healthy, balanced diet. I know that my eating habits will be completely different when I do transition off of this diet.

Tuesday - 246.2 (19.4 pounds down) Well, today I woke up and was shocked that I was down, but I still had the same sentiment...I am tired of being on this diet. I want to eat other food and all vegetables are turning me off right now. I probably told Sam ten times today that I wanted him to order Chinese Food. That has probably been my number one craving on this diet, which is weird since I don't usually crave it. Good on my hubby, he was strong for me!! Today I ended up having one of my servings of the Curry Chicken Soup, a melba toast with a piece of cheese on it. That was a cheat as well, but I made it thin and used it in place of my one tablespoon of dairy. I think this is the last time I should have cheese though because I feel like it makes me want to have normal food again even more. For dinner I had zucchini "spaghetti" with meat sauce (100g of beef, 1/4 cup tomato sauce) and a sprinkle of parmasan. (I decided the cheese thing after dinnner.) This was actually really, really yummy and took away my craving...hooray!

 Anyways, the last few days have sucked. I have cheated, I am not losing as much weight, and I am frustrated that when I am so close to my goal (wedding weight), I am losing motivation. I just counted and I have roughly 15 more days on the drops, however I am planning to stop as soon as I am at my goal weight and switch to Phase 3. I am hoping I can do this for Vegas because it would be a lot easier to be on Phase 3 and on vacation. SO, if this is what I want then I NEED to be strict, really strict, with myself for the next two weeks. I can easily lose 8-10 lbs in that time if I follow the plan to a T. I can definitely do this...and I know that this was just a hiccup in my journey to lose weight and FINALLY get pregnant. As I write this I can't help but think PERSPECTIVE MELODY! I have wanted a baby for years and years, and have been trying to have one for over two years now...what is a few more days of eating really restricted. When I write that down and think about that, I just feel so dumb...babies and my health are WAY more important than a greasy meal or some candy. See, blogging just helps me work out all that I am thinking and feeling...I highly recommend it. For now I will get excited about the fact that tomorrow I will probably hit 20+ pounds down!!

On another note...I have decided to blog about my first year teaching in my own classroom. I created the blog, it's called Polka Dot Thoughts, which is what my theme will be in my decor this year. I am so excited to blog about my journey this coming year - and isn't that name the cutest!

Phase 2 Day 20 (HALF WAY!)

I am halfway, woo hoo!! It's funny, in some ways I look back on this and think that it feels like forever since I had sugar and carbs, and in another way I feel like I blinked and had lost over 20lbs! To update: I am 247.6, which means a loss of exactly 18lbs from my start weight, and 20.4lbs from my loading weight. What incredible results and I really can't believe how different I feel and look. Here is my starting picture, and here is my half way picture...you can see the differences, right?

I can't wait to see what I will look like in twenty more days! Today I was really feeling like celebrating and I would naturally go for a meal out with my hubby. I, however, decided to make a "semi" plan-friendly meal. What I mean by that is that I decided to try cauliflower as my vegetable. I did some research and found that lots of people use it with great results, but that it varies. I REALLY hope it works for me because I made the BEST mashed cauliflower with roasted chicken and, wait for it...gravy!! It was probably the first meal I have had that felt like I was eating like I used to...not that I want to be back there, but it was nice to feel 'normal' in some ways. Plus Sam and I were basically eating the same thing, which hasn't happened since I started. I started the meal by making my regular roast chicken recipe. I chop onion, celery and carrots and lay it down as the "bed" of the roasting pan. Place the chicken on top and sprinkle with sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Slice a lemon and lay it on top of the chicken breast pieces, then cover and cook for 40 minutes at 400.

I put 300g of cauliflower florets (not all for me, some for Sam) in a pot with about 1/2 cup of water in the bottom. Put this on low and smash with a fork as it cooks. For added flavour I roasted a head of garlic and took two of the cloves, mashed them and added them to the pot. I cooked it until soft, and then used my immersion blender to puree. It was INCREDIBLE!

I had to include a picture of one of my favorite things...liquid gold a.k.a roasted garlic...yum yum!!

Here is the cauliflower cooking. I added the roasted garlic near the end when the florets were almost ready to be blended. Now, for the gravy I took 1/2 cup of zero everything stock and the rest of the cauliflower water and put it in a saucepan. I heated it until almost boiling, and in the meantime I spice grinded my grissini down to powder. I added this to the stock/water mixture and boom, within a few seconds it looked exactly like gravy...it is an understatement to say that I was excited about this! Anyways, my dinner was awesome and the scale will be the judge of whether I am one of the lucky few who can have caulliflower and still lose the weight!

Have a good night everyone :)