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 :)