Asian Quinoa

Asian-Flavored Quinoa Allrecipes.com, 2 points as written, 3 points as I made

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped

Directions

1.Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in quinoa and allow to toast for 2 to 3 minutes, then add chicken broth, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until all liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. Fluff quinoa with fork and top with green onions before serving.

My Variation:
Add to Ingredients:

3 medium carrots, chopped/diced
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/4 bag of frozen snap peas
3 oz ham chopped (or could use other meat)

If I'd planned and prepared well ahead of time, all these would have gone in at the same time as the chicken broth, but I didn't. The carrots were added in with the quinoa and the peas were prepared according to the package directions. The quinoa was actually done before the peas, so I added the ham straight into it and warmed through, then added the peas. I also added leftover glaze from my Mango-Glazed Ham (which is the ham that I used. The flavors blended really well).

Yield: 8- 1/2 c. servings or 4- 1 c. servings

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Made March 11th. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. The recipe by itself is sound, but I figured if I was going to have an Asian flavor, I might as well make it an Asian dish. But as written, the recipe is 2 points. My final dish was 3 points.

This is my first experience using quinoa, and it went pretty well. The actual grain looks a lot like sesame seed, but as it cooks it sprouts. Pretty neat. On several sites it was highly recommended to rinse the quinoa before toasting it. I started it off in a 2qt saucepan but soon realized that was too small. I warmed up the dutch oven and moved the quinoa to it to be toasted.

I'd say this was a pretty successful dish. Aaron had a full 1 cup serving!! MIRACLE! Jared ate a full cup too, but the green onions were too strong for him. Once we added more of the mango glaze he didn't have any problem finishing it. Matthew liked the flavor but not the texture. I liked every bit of it :D

Whew!

This morning I did CardioX for the first time in at least a week and a half. Wowsers I could tell! I was still able to make it through, but I was a sweaty mess where before I'd barely break a sweat. I cannot let another week pass before I do that again! I need to find a balance between P90X and other exercise. Perhaps a rotation would work, but a lot of the schedule depends on the weather and my exercise buddies' needs/wants.

The Lettuce Eat Cake weight-loss contest is coming to a close this week. I was looking back at my weight for the last almost 2 months. I'm 10 pounds lighter. I suppose 5 pounds in a month isn't too shabby, but I find myself feeling discouraged that I didn't lose more. I try to remind myself that 'slow and steady' wins the race though. It does no good to lose a lot of weight fast because it's much more likely that it'll just come back and double. Hm, in reflecting on this just now I realized that it's taken me 2 1/2 months to lose what I gained in 2 years. I think I can live with that :)

It is hard for me to imagine actually getting down to 150. I plan to succeed but brace for failure. I don't know if this really a good thing or not, but I recognize in myself that I will most likely not be able to maintain my weight without the accountability of WW. I often tell myself that once I reach my goal, if I quit WW I will gain about 10-15 pounds in 2 years - based on the my previous experience. And I am ok with that. Is that wrong?

More diaper tales

I am constantly amazed by Aaron. CD certainly brings your child's bathroom habits a little more into the spotlight because you can't let them go all day in one diaper like you can a sposie. Last night Aaron woke up at 1:30 am again requesting his diaper to be changed. Though I was not thrilled by having to get up and do it when I felt like I had just gotten to sleep, but it's nice to have a gauge for when he is wetting at night. I changed his diaper this morning while he was sleeping to get him ready to leave for an appointment. I was curious how soaked he was, but was amazed to discover he was completely dry!! This is the second time that he's woken up dry when I've changed him at 1 am. I don't know if it is a second fluke, or if he usually doesn't go potty after 1.

Tonight the boys needed a bath after playing outside, so Jared had gone on to the bathroom to potty and get in the tub. Aaron insisted he needed to go potty too, but I refused to let him go into the bathroom because I figured he just wanted to play with Jared. Once I was able to convince him he needed to get ready for a bath, I let him go in. He got undressed and then surprised me by sitting down on his toilet and going potty. He even emptied it! The boys had fun in the tub, then got ready for bed. I put a 'night' diaper on Aaron and was laying down with him - just laid down - and he told me he went potty. I asked him if he needed his diaper changed and he told me yes. I debated telling him to just deal with it, but instead I told him that it was ok to use the toilet if he needed to go potty. He said OK and got out of bed. He dawdled getting there, but he eventually did make it to the bathroom. Surprise! He went potty again!! His diaper was dry after all. He NEEDED to go potty, he hadn't gone potty. I need to pay more attention to when he tells me he's gone potty because he may really be saying he needs to go. So, he went potty, we got him all cleaned up and headed back to bed. I told him I'd get him dressed in bed, but by the time we got back to the bedroom he told me had more. We traipsed back to the bathroom and just as he sat down he had gas. He never did go potty again, but he didn't want to leave the toilet either. I'm thinking he may need to poop, so I told him that he's been trying for awhile now and it was time to take a break. When he feels like he needs to go again, he can go. I'd leave the light on so he can go right in. I decided to be brave and put him in underwear that way if he did run to the bathroom it'd be easier to get undressed. We'll see what happens. I may have a big wet poopy mess, but at least there's already CDs that it can be washed with instead of having one pair of dirty underwear!!

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Well, that was short-lived. Aaron went to the sink and was playing in the water. I had the thought at the time that it's going to make him go potty, but I didn't do anything about it. Apparently I should have paid more attention to the warning because that's exactly what happened. Oh well.

*****
Aaron started making whiny/crying noises about 11:40 pm. I went in and changed his diaper and he immediately stopped and went back to sleep. I'm thinking that all those times he's woken up about that time of night was because he went potty in his diaper. hmm I'm interested in seeing what his diaper situation will be in the morning.

Exercise Surprise

I was on my own for exercise today, so I utelized the treadmill again. I decided to be brave and try the 5 mph/30 minute program since the 4mph/20 minute one went so well last week. It's been long enough since I've done it that I couldn't remember what to expect. I ended up getting a 10 minute warmup with most of it a 3.5mph pace, then it changes in 1 minute increments: 4, 4.5, 5, 4.5, 5, 4.5, 5, 4, 4 and ends with some more 3.5, 3, then 2.5 for the cool down. So, I ran for about 9 - 10 minutes during the 4 - 5 mph part. If the intervals had been longer than one minute, I don't think I could have done it. By the time I was done with the workout I thought I had killed all motivation for being productive around the house, but amazingly it didn't. I think one thing that helped keep me going was never sitting down (and the fact that Aaron didn't wake up until almost 11). My legs would quit working if I did that too. So, I did dishes. Then laundry. Then cleaned the bathroom. Then swept and mopped the floors. It was amazing!! My legs feel pretty good at the end of the day now too. I might just have to try that program again!

Corn N Bean Burritos

Corn n Bean Burritos, LT02, 1 pt per 1/4c. or 3 pts for 3/4c serving

Ingredients

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
1/3 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 can (16 ounces) vegetarian refried beans
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
3/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
8 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed

Directions

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first eight ingredients; add black beans and corn. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate overnight.
Drain and discard marinade. Place beans and corn in a large microwave-safe dish. Add the refried beans, cucumber, salsa, onions and cilantro. Cover and microwave on high for 5-6 minutes or until heated through.

Spoon about 3/4 cup down the center of each tortilla. Fold ends and sides over filling and roll up. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 burrito equals 305 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 825 mg sodium, 56 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 12 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 lean meat.

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Made March 8. I'm not sure what attracted me to this recipe, but I'm so glad it did! This recipe is so delicious! The flavors blend in a surprising way. I did find it had a little bite from the salsa, but once I added sour cream it took the spice out and added creamy sweetness!! Everyone enjoyed it. The best part is that it is so low in points that I can eat almost as many as I want. I preferred it in a taco shell over a flour tortilla with a tablespoon of sour cream and some shredded lettuce.

The recipe calls for a 3/4c scoop per tortilla, but I found that 1/4 c. was just right.

I also really like that this a microwave prepared dish, so once you put it all together it goes to the table quickly. The recipe says to marinade overnight, but I just put it together early in the morning and let it marinade for the day (about 8 hours).

Diapers - Eureka!

For the first time in my cloth diapering history we've exclusively used CDs day and night!! I tried using CDs at night with Jared and still ended up using sposies instead. Last night I put Aaron in the same system as the night before and ended up with the ultimate test. He didn't get up until 11 today. His diaper was absolutely soaked, but his clothes weren't and the fleece liner was dry!! YAHOO!! We have a winning ticket! :D

Diaper Report

I was excited this morning to wake up with only Matthew in bed and both boys still asleep. YAY! I should make them walk a mile and a half every day!!

For Aaron's diaper last night I used a premium prefold (tucked in the front) with a microfiber insert and a fleece liner to help him feel dry. Apparently it worked because he did not wake up requesting his diaper to be changed until this morning. Maybe it was a fluke since he was so tired, but I'll try it again!

Tonight at one of his changes I put him in a velour/knit diaper I made, and I've decided I really like the fit. If I remember right, it was challenging to find a cover that completely covered it, but my MotherEase one fit over it without any problem. Maybe one of these days when I pull my sewing machine out (and finish my other projects) I'll whip up another one.

Tomorrow is definitely CD laundry day!!

Lettuce Eat Cake - Weigh-in Day

March 7, 2010

Weigh in - 167.9. 167 was where I was 2 years ago when I quit WW. So yay for making it back down!

Oh! I didn't lose a point last week. I still have 25 points. I don't know why I didn't, but I'm ok with that :D
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Just a little peak at how far I've come:

Florida trip in January of 2007. I was 9 wks pg and about 216 pounds.


Florida trip in November of 2009. I was 4 wks pg and about 180 pounds.