Turkey Wild Rice Casserole

Turkey Wild Rice Casserole
published in Light & Tasty February/March 2006, p23

Ingredients

3 cups water
1 cup uncooked wild rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 turkey breast tenderloins (3/4 pound each)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring the water, wild rice and onion to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 55-60 minutes or until rice is tender. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, saute carrot and celery in butter and oil until tender.

Combine the flour, sage, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; stir into carrot mixture until blended. Gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in rice. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place turkey over rice mixture. Combine the parsley, paprika and remaining salt; sprinkle over turkey. Cover and bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into turkey reads 170°. Slice turkey; serve with rice. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 3 ounces cooked turkey with 2/3 cup rice mixture equals 313 calories, 5 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 87 mg cholesterol, 371 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 36 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

***
Made April 19th along side Butternut Squash Apple Bake: This was another big hit. I didn't think Aaron would like it or eat it, but he did. Jared and Matthew couldn't get enough of it. I didn't use regular turkey breasts though. I bought a jenni-o turkey breast package you get in the meat section next to the ham and just sliced off a serving for each of us.

Butternut Squash Apple Bake

Butternut Squash Apple Bake
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p8

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 medium tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced into rings
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Arrange squash in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Top with apple rings. Combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Drizzle with butter.

Cover and bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until squash and apples are tender. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 120 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 36 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 1 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fruit, 1/2 fat.
****
Made April 19th as a side dish to Turkey Wild Rice Casserole: Can we say YUM?!?! It was the perfect compliment to the casserole This was my first time with a butternut squash. It was pretty easy to peel and slice, and my apple corer/peeler made preparing the apples a snap too. We LOVED this recipe. It was pretty sweet though.

Turkey Alfredo Pizza

Turkey Alfredo Pizza
published in Light & Tasty December/January 2007, p23

Ingredients

1 prebaked 12-inch thin pizza crust
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
3/4 cup reduced-fat Alfredo sauce, divided
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded cooked turkey breast
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Place the crust on a baking sheet; rub with cut sides of garlic. Discard garlic. Spread 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce over crust.

In a small bowl, combine the spinach, lemon juice, salt and pepper; spoon evenly over sauce. Top with turkey; drizzle with remaining Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pepper flakes.

Bake at 425° for 11-13 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 slice equals 300 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 60 mg cholesterol, 823 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 25 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 starch.

***
Made April 13th: This was my first experience using a prepared pizza crust. Man does that make life easy!! The recipe was really great and everyone seemed to like it (until I pulled out my Hawaiian Chicken BBQ pizza I had hiding in the oven so everyone would this one first - lol)

Broccoli Tortellini Alfredo

Broccoli Tortellini Alfredo
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p53

Ingredients

1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
3/4 pound fresh broccoli florets
1 envelope Alfredo sauce mix
1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
2 teaspoons reduced-fat butter
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Cook tortellini according to package directions, adding broccoli during the last few minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk the sauce mix and milk. Add butter and nutmeg; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Drain tortellini and broccoli; place in a large bowl. Stir in the Alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Yield: 4 servings.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Land O'Lakes light stick butter.

Nutrition Facts: 1-1/4 cups equals 262 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 23 mg cholesterol, 919 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 16 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat, 1/2 fat-free milk.

***
Made April 8th: I don't remember much about this one, but I think we decided chicken or ham would have made a great addition to it.

The recipe does call for using an alfredo sauce mix, but I just used prepared alfredo and boy did it get done quick. It took a lot of the prep time out of the recipe.

Maple Syrup Corn Bread

Maple Syrup Corn Bread
published in Light & Tasty December/January 2007, p11

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, syrup and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Pour into a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm. Yield: 12 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 161 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 26 mg cholesterol, 307 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1/2 fat.
****************
Made April 5th: YUM!!! I told Jared to smell them and see if they reminded him of anything. After thinking a while, he finally said: Pancakes!!! Bingo!! :)

The maple syrup added a great taste to the bread. It was the perfect compliment to the anytime turkey chili.

Anytime Turkey Chili

Anytime Turkey Chili
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p41

Ingredients

2/3 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15-1/2 ounces) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cubed cooked turkey breast

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, green pepper, oregano and cumin in oil until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in the beans, pumpkin, tomatoes, broth, water, brown sugar, chili powder and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add turkey; heat through. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 241 calories, 2 g fat (trace saturated fat), 45 mg cholesterol, 478 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 25 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

********
Made April 5th: This is a recipe that I kept opening to and wanting to try but would be missing an ingredient here and there before I finally got everything together. Aside from the simmering, it was really quick to put together. I love that it had pumpkin in it. It was a really interesting soup flavor.

I served this with maple syrup corn bread and a strawberry-spinach salad.

Maple Orange Roast

Maple Orange Roast
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p26

Ingredients

1 beef rump roast or bottom round roast (3 pounds)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar-free maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds red potatoes, cut into large chunks
5 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Directions

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown roast on all sides; drain. Place in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray.

In the same skillet, combine the orange juice, syrup, wine or broth, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, orange peel, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently; pour over meat.

Place the potatoes, carrots, celery and onions around roast. Cover and bake at 325° for 3 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove meat and vegetables; keep warm. Pour pan juices into a measuring cup. Discard bay leaf and skim fat. Pour into a small saucepan.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with pot roast and vegetables. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 3 ounces cooked beef with 3/4 cup vegetables and 2 tablespoons gravy equals 335 calories, 8 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 102 mg cholesterol, 264 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 36 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1 starch.
*******
Made April 3rd: It is pretty traditional for my mom to cook a roast on Sunday - especially if she has company. I used this to my advantage to try this recipe out. She provided the roast while I prepared the entree.

The roast was so tender and sweet from the orange juice. The vegetables had a sweet flavor to them as well. It was really delicious and a nice change to the usual plain roast with ketchup. Although, ketchup wasn't bad with this one either :)

Black Bean Tortilla Pie

Black Bean Tortilla Pie
published in Light & Tasty February/March 2006, p37

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) vegetable broth
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
4 green onions, thinly sliced
4 flour tortillas (8 inches)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

In a large skillet, saute the onion, green pepper, cumin and pepper in oil until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add beans and broth. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup. Stir in corn and green onions; remove from the heat.

Place one tortilla in a 9-in. springform pan coated with cooking spray. Layer with 1-1/2 cups bean mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining tortilla. Place pan on a baking sheet.

Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Remove sides of pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cut into wedges. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 wedge equals 353 calories, 9 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 14 mg cholesterol, 842 mg sodium, 53 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 17 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

******
Made March 25th: Mine didn't come out looking nearly as nice the one in the book. It did taste ok. It was very runny though. I didn't have the right size tortillas, so I used a round casserole dish instead of the springform pan that the recipe calls for. I don't know how much of a difference it would have made though.

Wild Rice Turkey Salad

Wild Rice Turkey Salad
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p27

Ingredients

2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
2 cups cooked long grain rice
1-1/2 cups cooked wild rice
1-1/2 cups green grapes, halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped red apple
6 lettuce leaves
6 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, salt and cinnamon; stir into turkey mixture until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Just before serving, stir in apple. Serve in a lettuce-lined bowl; sprinkle with almonds. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1-1/3 cups equals 279 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 42 mg cholesterol, 494 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 19 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 very lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 fruit, 1/2 fat.

******
Made March 21st: We were all pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this dish. It had just the right amount of crunch and sweetness.

I served this strawberry leaf salad as the side:
baby greens
crumbled feta cheese
sliced strawberries
almonds
berry vinagerrete

Orange Ginger Carrots

Orange Ginger Carrots
published in Light & Tasty April/May 2006, p57

Ingredients

3 cups sliced carrots
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Place carrots and 1 in. of water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and keep warm.

In the same pan, combine the cornstarch, sugar, salt and ginger. Stir in orange juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in butter until melted. Add carrots and toss to coat. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 99 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 355 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1/2 fruit, 1/2 fat.

*****
Made March 16th: served with potstickers and eggrolls. I've made another recipe similar to this called Gingered Carrots. The orange flavoring was an interesting twist. It was very saucy, so next time I'd probably add more carrots.

Orange Strawberry Smoothie

Orange Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients

2-1/4 cups orange juice
1 package (12.3 ounces) silken reduced-fat firm tofu
3 cups halved frozen unsweetened strawberries
1-1/2 cups sliced ripe bananas

Directions

In a food processor, combine the orange juice, tofu, strawberries and bananas; cover and pulse until blended. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 120 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 51 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 5 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 fruit, 1 lean meat.

********
March 14: Since this is made with tofu, I was curious how it would turn out. It was pretty thick, but it didn't add or detract from the flavor. It seems to me we did have some ingredients missing, but I think everyone liked it.

Backlog

I have the time and disposition, so I'm going to do a massive update. I know I am way behind.

Here are my weights for the last few weeks:

May 1 - 155.9
May 8 - 154.8
May 15 - 157.6

Ouch. So I was starting a really good trend for a few weeks, but Matthew was gone with the boys and I indulged myself quite willingly. So, this week I obviously gained and regained my lack of self-control. My knees were really bothering me too, so I was hesitant about doing my exercise videos. I did do a lot of yard work though, so I am proud of that (and man was I sore!!).

This week I plan on doing better. I did my strength training yesterday and the cardio today. It was the first time I've done the cardio in at least a week/week and a half. whew!! I needed that. I hate the lunges, but I love the ballet routine at the beginning. I had the weird experience of actually feeling the cravings ooze out of me - specifically Swedish fish. Isn't that funny?!

Alright, on to my menu posts......

We have weight loss!!

Weight: 155.0 YAY!!!! I've been seeing a 2 pound loss for a few days, but I was afraid it wouldn't stick around for the official weigh in today. I'm wondering if the 3 days of strength training this week made a difference. Well, probably the fact that I didn't have a lot of indulgent opportunities helped too. A lot. We'll see how well it goes at the end of this week though b/c I have something every night and almost all of it involved food.

On another good note - we went out hiking as a family and I didn't plan my clothes well during the week to have some 'rugged' shorts to wear. I dug through my 'need to shrink into' stash and found a pair of cutoffs that I bought at a garage sale last year when I was starting into a 10. They were snug, but wearable! yay me!!

and hold......

I always weigh myself after I shower, but only the Sunday weigh in on the wii counts. I was down 2 pounds this morning. The trick is whether I can keep it down by Sunday :p Hello Easter :O

from lettuce eat cake contest update:

April 22, 2011

I suppose since I"m logged in I should update. Sunday's weight: 157.4. I think it is safe to say I am maintaining at 157 pretty well. :p I think I was down 2 pounds before the weekend, but between a Girl's Night Out Friday and Cici's Pizza on Saturday it was a lost cause. It's been really hard to control my eating this week because of the indulgence over the weekend. I haven't tracked my food at all this week - though I have thought about it in my head (at least I have that still going for me at the moment).

I've been using 4 lbs of weight during my strength training videos. I think I might be ready to up it a pound. It's so amazing to think about how heavy those weights felt a month ago when I started with them. Now when I pick them up they feel relatively light. I think I'll add my Wii weighted gloves in May. They're only a pound, so it wouldn't be quite the shock to the system, but it would still add the additional challenge.

A Step Forward!

Weigh in: 157.0 Wow! My first real pound since February!! :p I did work hard this week in the exercise department (not necessarily the food). My routine this week was:

Mon - Strength Training (SELF bikini ready)
Tues - Intense Cardio (SELF best butt)
Wed - Cardio (SELF slim, sleek, fast)
Thurs - P90X Cardio X
Fri - Strenth Training (SELF bikini ready)

I think that is what I did anyway. The past few weeks by Friday I don't do a real video but instead work in the yard or cut it short because of other obligations. So, I'm sure it helped that my workout was strong til the end of the week. We also went to Sea World Saturday so we got lots of walking in. Although, the best exercise was crawling rhrough the tunnels in the kid area. Oh man!!

As the Lettuce Eat Cake contest is drawing to a close, so is my 3 month subscription to Weight Watchers. I have not been very diligent in using it the last couple of weeks. My computer has been giving me issues and is so S-L-O-W!!! It takes so much time that I'd rather not bother trying it. So, I am in a dilemma whether I should continue to pay for the service when I'm not using it or not. I'm afraid if I don't keep it up I will lose all progress I have made. The good news is that I do have a pretty healthy exercise routine, it is just that my eating is not in check. My stress level and time constraints have doubled in the last few weeks, so I've not been cooking as much and turning to quick comfort foods. I'm afraid if I didn't have my Weight Watchers subscription in the back of my mind, all accountability will disappear and my progress will too.

Doggie Paddle

Weight - 157.9. *Sigh* Since Wed I've watched the numbers climb. I quit tracking what I ate and basically gave in to my cravings. I had a lot of special events that made it easy to indulge.

On a good note, Tues I did the double weights again and this time there was no extra soreness. I guess my body is acclimating really well. I did some research and discovered that each sandbag is roughly 2 pounds so doubling it made it 4 lbs. It's no wonder it was such a shock to my system.

Another good note, we had a little bit of a cold spell this week so I went to my jeans drawer. My jeans actually fit. yay!! They were still a little snug, but not enough to be uncomfortable. So, even though my pounds aren't going anywhere, the inches are. I'll take those over weight any day.

Weigh-in

Weigh in - 157.2. Not a big loss, but still a loss. I think my loss was actually greater than that, but I had a lot of cake and ice cream yesterday (though still most of it in my point allowance - I certainly didn't even touch my activity points) and I only got 2 hours of sleep. I think the lack of sleep is the true culprit. My body didn't get its recoup time. For the most part, my eating has been in really control.

Tuesday I added an extra sandbag to my weight lifting and boy was I feeling it! I had no idea that holding them in my hands would make my legs feel the effects too. I was so sore on Wed and was really grateful to be able to do CardioX on Thursday to stretch all of my muscles out. I didn't do an exercise video on Friday, but instead mowed and weeded the back yard.

I am way behind in posting our menus. Hopefully I'll be be able to catch up with that. I've put a calendar on the fridge so I can write down what we eat everyday. The goals is to be able to keep track of my picks so that we're more likely to get variety in a given week and know how old left-overs are.

Whew!

Today's weigh-in: 157.4 - stayed the same! I was afraid I'd gain after this week. Apparently vacations and diets don't work well together for me because by the end of it I had no self control again.

We went to Ft. Worth Tues night to try and get in the Chick-fil-a First 100 contest for their new store opening there on Thurs. Well, Matthew won which meant we camped in their parking lot for 24 hours and ate Chick-fil-a all day! Once the get everyone registered and camp set up, they serve breakfast (my favorite: chicken biscuit), then lunch (chicken strips in this case with chips), dinner (chicken sandwich or nuggets - I got the sandwich- meal: includes drink and fries), but then we were surprised with an evening snack (8 chicken nuggets) and we ended the night with an ice cream party. We were so full of chicken by the time it was over!!

There's a really great restaurant/shop called Braum's that is based in OK but Hillsboro, TX has the farthest south shop. They make their own ice cream so we *had* to stop and get some before we came on home. Ice cream for breakfast. yummmmmm. It was such a long drive home that when we stopped in South Austin at a gas station with a McDonald's I decided to treat myself (though I shared) to a shamrock shake b/c I'd heard they were yummy and wanted to try it. I think those indulgences are really what opened the flood gate and let the self-control go downhill, though I did try a little bit to exercise some discretion the rest of the week, but not as much as I should.

Anyway, long story short - I was afraid that my body hadn't picked up momentum from the work I'd done the weeks before, but apparently it had some and I didn't gain or lose. I'm satisfied with that.

A Chick-fil-a opening has the potential for great exercise though. The big game throughout the day on Wed is four-square. The first time I did the contest, I played four-square for HOURS and was sore for days afterward. I didn't play quite as much this time, but we spent time as a family playing variations of keep-a-away and four square. At the end of the day Aaron was literally running circles around the entire campground, so I was following behind. I definitely got my exercise that day.

Happy Dance

Today's weigh in: 157.3 YAY!!! Real weight loss! *happy dance*

It was a bum deal in the food department though. I was starving before church so I got my cereal breakfast. Then for lunch I made pumpkin pancakes with scrambled egg surprise (scrambled eggs with ham, cheese, and pineapple juice) and bacon. By the time I was done with that meal I had 4 points left for the day. oh boy!! With so few points left, I of course ate into my weeklies for dinner. But I'm hungry tonight! I'd love to have some toast or cereal or something even more yummy like chocolate pudding! I'm trying to be good though. I want to keep this weight loss trend - which may prove to be quite the challenge with spring break.