Shake your money-maker

[Blonde with a Rose]

That's quite the routine Christine! You are inspiring me to try some free weights. I need to add strength to my body. I'm so impressed by the weight of your, well, weights! I have 2lb and 5lb handheld.

You dinner sound delicious! How do you make your wings?

[ChristineCQ]

Thanks, Blonde! I worked up to it, believe me. I'm on workout number 557 or something like that, and I was handling the weights of that program so easily that I think I was not making the progress I needed to make. So now I switched it up to the heavier weights, and I am optimistic that this change will be a good one. I can already feel it, that's for sure!

As for the chicken dish, it's funny that you mention it: I'm eating some cold right now! Here's what I do:

Throw some chicken breasts in the crockpot
Top with 3/4 bottle of wing sauce (I use one particular brand because it's 0g carb; I can't recall what it is. Frank's wing sauce, maybe? Just check the labels carefully as there is a huge difference among brands)
Throw in 1 brick cream cheese and 1 envelope dry ranch (or make your own dry ranch mix, like I do. There are recipes online, and it's very simple)

Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred chicken with two forks. For the carb eaters in my house, I serve it on a steak roll. For me, I just dump it into a dish, and if I'm feeling particularly adventurous, I might top it with cheese .

The next day, I eat it cold, and it's like chicken salad but flavored like wings! Simple and delicious. In fact, the first time I made it, DH said it was the most exciting dinner I've ever made. He's a weirdo.

[Blonde with a Rose]

Originally Posted by ChristineCQ

Thanks, Blonde! I worked up to it, believe me. I'm on workout number 557 or something like that, and I was handling the weights of that program so easily that I think I was not making the progress I needed to make. So now I switched it up to the heavier weights, and I am optimistic that this change will be a good one. I can already feel it, that's for sure!

As for the chicken dish, it's funny that you mention it: I'm eating some cold right now! Here's what I do:

Throw some chicken breasts in the crockpot
Top with 3/4 bottle of wing sauce (I use one particular brand because it's 0g carb; I can't recall what it is. Frank's wing sauce, maybe? Just check the labels carefully as there is a huge difference among brands)
Throw in 1 brick cream cheese and 1 envelope dry ranch (or make your own dry ranch mix, like I do. There are recipes online, and it's very simple)

Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred chicken with two forks. For the carb eaters in my house, I serve it on a steak roll. For me, I just dump it into a dish, and if I'm feeling particularly adventurous, I might top it with cheese .

The next day, I eat it cold, and it's like chicken salad but flavored like wings! Simple and delicious. In fact, the first time I made it, DH said it was the most exciting dinner I've ever made. He's a weirdo.

*drooling* seriously. Thanks for the info, I'm gonna make it!

[Maximoon]

Hi Christine! Hope you're having a great day!

Wanted to thank you so much for your wise and supportive words in my journal.

Also, gonna try that yummy chicken recipe! I love anything that reminds me of wings.

Hugs to you---Jenna

[ChristineCQ]

You're welcome, Jenna. I hope things are looking up soon.

Please let me know how you like the recipe! Also, one more word of warning: In addition to checking the carb content, but sure to check the heat. The first time I made it, I accidentally bought HOT buffalo instead of regular. We could barely eat it! That's how the cream cheese ended up as part of the recipe!

[ChristineCQ]

Yesterday's workout was for the lower body:


Barbell Squat: 3 sets of 8-12 reps (12x40, 12x45, 10x50)
Stiff-Legged Deadlift: 3 sets of 8-12 reps (12x40, 12x45, 10x50)
Leg Extension: 3 sets of 8-12 reps (12x45, 10x50, 8x50)
Lying Leg Curls: 3 sets of 8-12 reps (12x45, 10x45, 8x45)
Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets of 8-12 reps (we don't have this machine, so no weight; just 3 sets of 12)
Lying Leg Raises: 3 sets of 10-15 reps (3 sets of 15)
Exercise Ball Crunches: 3 sets of 10-15 reps (3 sets of 15)

Plus 225 reps of the Callanetics stomach and two planks: 25 seconds and 15 seconds each. I can feel those deadlifts in my lower back today (muscle pain, not back pain, fortunately!). I'm glad I'll be walking this morning and that it's a rest day from lifting.

I'm proud of the plank progress. Two weeks ago I could barely hold one for ten seconds!

Diet yesterday:

B: Coffee w/ hwc
L: Wing chicken
D: Mushroom, swiss omelet, bacon, some sliced green peppers

Can't wait for some spaghetti squash casserole tonight! Here's how I make it:

Prepare baked spaghetti squash. Shred and add to a baking pan. Mix in a jar of lowest carb spaghetti sauce, a few cubes of cream cheese, and some dollops of sour cream. Mix, top with mozzarella and parm, and bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. Love it!

[Bejewelme]

Christine-lifting heavy is a good thing I think that will make real changes in your composition, I try to lift heavy enough that by the 3rd set I can barely finish it might seem OK at first but after 3 sets I am dying I try not to take a real long break in between either, or might run and do another like go from shoulders to squats then back, that kind of thing.

[Blonde with a Rose]

Wow, what a work-out! Just curious~ how long is the session?

I have a spaghetti squash on my kitchen counter as we speak! The casserole sounds yummy. I think I would add a little ground beef or ground turkey (or hot sausage) to that recipe. Mmmm-mmm.

[Maximoon]

Hi Christine,

Enjoyed reading the details of your workout. WOW. I am impressed to say the least.

Thanks for sharing another great recipe! I think you should do this everyday. I look forward to trying it out---LOVE LOVE LOVE squash.

Have a super day!

Hugs, Jenna

[ChristineCQ]

Blonde, it takes about 30-35 minutes, which is the same as my previous workout. It'll be even shorter during weeks 5-8 when it's just 8-10 reps, and then shorter in the last four weeks when it's 6-8 reps. As the day goes on, I am feeling the soreness!! I wasn't working my muscles nearly as hard in my previous workouts. I can feel this in my obliques, hamstrings, lower back, and triceps.....my poor triceps! They're shredded today. But it feels good; it feels like I might actually accomplish something.

I completely agree with adding some meat! Unfortunately, we're out at the moment, but I hope to stock up again soon.

Jenna, let me know how you make out if you make the recipe! I WISH I had a good recipe to post every day; mostly I end up making the same ol' stuff.

I will say that I've been really good about meal planning for the past three weeks, though. We sit down on Sunday nights for a "family meeting," where we discuss the menu for the week, and I post it on the refrigerator so that I don't hear the dreaded question, "What's for dinner?" (I don't know why, but that annoys me SO MUCH. ) This way, everyone knows what we're having, and if someone doesn't like it, then he can prepare to fend for himself!

Tomorrow night we'll have chicken meatball sandwiches (no bread for me, obv.), and I made those on Sunday and froze them (chicken breast that I shredded in my ninja, ground flax, and spices; I plan to bake them, so I hope it works and they don't fall apart! I have no luck with meatballs). I'll let you know how it goes!

[skyesmom2002]

Hi Christine

Glad to see you posting again. I'm also enjoying the recipes.

Good night.

[Bejewelme]

Christine- so agree about the meal planning, there is nothing worse than getting home and having no clue what to make and everyone asking what's for dinner!! Not planning is always the recipe for disaster!! Are you eating strict low carb? I am still struggling to find balance with the workouts and so on!

[ChristineCQ]

Great to see you as well, Tanya! I don't know what it is about posting here: When I'm not doing well (diet/exercise) and when I'm not focused, I have absolutely no desire to post. I completely avoid it. I guess I feel I don't really have anything to say because I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing!

Amber, I'm trying to be pretty strict with LC. Mostly, though, I'm trying to up my fats because I think that will be the key to success for me. I've been tracking online this week with these results:

Monday: 83% fat, 13% protein, 4% carb
Tuesday: 72% fat, 25% protein, 3% carb
Wednesday: 78% fat, 15% protein, 7% carb

I'm trying to keep fat in the high 70s or low 80s, so we'll see how that goes.

Workout today was tough: Dips and pull-ups, which really stink. I think I did three sets of four dips with full support from the machine. At least I'll be able to track some improvement from week to week!

[Blonde with a Rose]

I've been loving your recipe postings! When my kids were little it would annoy me so much when they ask "what's for dinner"....I think mostly because there was always one who would "yuck" or "again?" I eventually started saying "food".

I wonder if a little almond flour (meal) would help keep the meatballs together? I really like meatballs.

[ChristineCQ]

So hungry today! I think my calorie intake has not been keeping up with the demands of my workout. I wasn't planning on eating dinner, but now I'm going to need to!

B: Coffee w/ hwc
S: Bacon
L: Salad with bleu cheese dressing; leftover spaghetti squash
S: Fat bombs
D: Will be meatballs parm!

It's unusual to feel so hungry, but I guess the low calories is doing it to me. I have been well under 1000 each day this week, and now it's catching up!

I think adding almond meal to the meatballs would work, Blonde! I considered coconut flour because I have that on hand, but DH has a very sensitive palate and would taste that immediately. Almonds are easier to hide! I hope the flax I put in is enough do the job, but I don't know...

[skyesmom2002]

Hi Christine,

Ok, I know I've seen Fat Bombs posted elsewhere but what the heck are they ?

Hope the hunger went away.

[ChristineCQ]

Hi Skye! My version of fat bombs included several T of coconut oil, 1 stick of butter, 1 T or so of dark cocoa, and a handful or two of shredded unsweetened coconut, plus a splash of vanilla. Kind of like a soft candy, but remember my tolerance for weird textures. DH says it's more like chocolate butter.

I enjoyed the meatballs last night; they stayed together! DH did not enjoy them. DS ate them on a roll and seemed fine. I might cut down on the flax next time, but overall, I think they're fine.

Off to an all-day conference today, which sucks because I don't have time to workout and I am not sure of the food situation. I threw a string cheese in my purse just in case, and if there's coffee, I'll live, but I'm not thrilled at the idea of a wildcard nutritional day. I hope there's salad for lunch!

FRIDAY, finally.

[Bejewelme]

Blonde- one thing I hate is pork rinds but I use them for meatballs and meat loaf I smash them up and add them like breadcrumbs the fat makes the stuff juicy and it tastes good I used to make those scotch eggs for breakfast with them, should make some of those,

Christine when I eat so low carb that is when I cant lift, like you said with the dips and such, I bet that is why you are drained, that is what I struggle with, so I am trying to keep to about 50 carbs but I think my calories are too low as well, I am doing like 40 minutes of lifting and 20-30 of cardio after. Such a struggle!!!!!

[Blonde with a Rose]

Bejewelme~I kinda like pork rinds (sometimes) when I'm jonesing for something crunchy to dip in cream cheese. I haven't had any for a really long time. Thanks for the tip!

Christine, yikes!!! 1000 a day all week? My goodness, with all the lifting you've been doing it's no wonder you got hungry! I hope you were able to get a salad at the conference. Have a great weekend!

[Maximoon]

Hi Christine!

Boy you are just on a recipe kick lately! Thanks for sharing them with us. I'm going to have to try those fat bombs.

How did your conference go? Any good food involved? TGIF is right!!!

What's up for the weekend?

Talk to you soon,

Hugs, Jenna

[ChristineCQ]

Ah, I forgot about the pork rinds!! I should have used them instead of the flax. I use them to coat chicken for "breaded" chicken, and it's delicious!

Here's what I made last night. I call it skillet chicken cordon bleu. Remember that I'm not precise in the kitchen, so I can't give you any more specificity.

Ingredients: Chicken breasts, mushrooms, ham, swiss, cream, garlic powder, season-all (or whatever seasonings you like), butter
Slice up some chicken breasts (I used four for the three of us and have leftovers) and pan fry them however you like (I added season all)
When they're cooked, remove them from the pan, add 1-2 T butter (or CO or whatever you use) and sautee mushrooms until liquid is in the pan
Add some cream and/or chicken broth (or bouillon). In retrospect, I'd have added red wine, too, if I'd had it on hand (who ever has leftover wine???? Not me. )
Add the chicken back to the pan, along with the ham (I used precooked) and shredded swiss. Add garlic powder or whatever seasonings your family likes. Let simmer for a few minutes to heat ham; stir.

This one took about 20 minutes start to finish.

I'm using the leftovers tonight with some spaghetti squash.

As for the conference, food was PERFECT. I had coffee in the morning, then a few strawberries with cream cheese, lunch was a chicken breast with string beans (eclair for dessert, which I didn't eat) and a salad. I dodged a bullet last night because I almost took one of DS's Klondike bars out of the freezer, but I resisted.

And that makes six days in a row of clean eating. I plan to workout this afternoon, so I'll have completed a week of workouts and almost a week of clean eating!

Have a great Saturday!

[Blonde with a Rose]

Hey Christine, you're chicken recipe sounds so yummy! I never have leftover wine either! I would personally use white wine in the sauce just to keep the color nice. Congrats on a week of clean eating! Re: the klondike bar, lol, I've been there. I can see you standing in front of the freezer with the diet-devil on one shoulder and the clean-eating angel on the other...and you won!

[Maximoon]

Hi Christine,

I agree that your chicken recipe sounds, in the words of Rachael Ray, YUMMO!! I in particular like the addition of mushrooms.

Congrats on your full week of clean eating and good workouts. That's fabulous. It's something that I am striving for starting Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Jenna

[ChristineCQ]

Almost gave in to the Klondike temptation tonight, too, but I didn't! I even touched it lovingly. But I did not eat it!

Dinner tonight was anaheim fish tacos, and DH actually loved them!

Halibut (or any firm white fish; I used cod)
Anaheim pepper (or whatever you like)
Onion/garlic
Spices (cumin, garlic powder, and salt for me)
Lime juice
Whatever toppings you like: I put this over greens and served it with avocado and sour cream for me; DH ate his in a tortilla

Sautee onion, garlic, and pepper until soft (I used olive oil)
Add fish (I cut mine into chunks) and simmer until cooked through (add whatever spices you like; use cumin if you want that taco taste). Squeeze lime juice over fish.

Serve as desired! It was rather delicious.

Took DS out to play some baseball; it was such a gorgeous evening. Looking forward to another low-key day tomorrow!

[skyesmom2002]

Touching the ice cream lovingly . I think your DH needs to eat those for you. So you can stop molesting the desserts .


Have a great weekend, Christine!

[Bejewelme]

OMG Christine you crack me up!! Fondling the desserts, LOL!!! Sometimes that is enough to get you to walk away, sometimes it ends up in my belly!!! LOL It is a big accomplishment to get through a week that is for sure!!!! Here's to another good week coming!

[ChristineCQ]

OK. Terrible day of eating yesterday! TIME TO MOVE ON!

I did make this amazing salad dressing, though:

1/4 C dijon mustard
1/2 C red wine vinegar
1.5 C canola or olive oil
Whatever spices you like (oregano, garlic powder, pepper, salt, thyme here)

Mix the first two ingredients in the blender. Then slowly add the oil while blending (the key is to emulsify, so add it really slowly), then add whatever spices you like. Pretty versatile because you can use balsamic instead of RW plus change up the spices.

Off to the gym! Have a great day.

[Bejewelme]

Have a good week, my Saturday party undid everything, ughghg, so here it is MOnday again and starting over!!! Got my 5:30 workout in though so that is all I can do!!!!

[ChristineCQ]

Good for for getting that workout in so early! Just a few more weeks and it'll be a habit!

Worked out this morning as well (not quite as early, though! ). I really like how I feel after lifting heavy! It sucks while I'm doing it, but it's great afterward!

[Maximoon]

Just check'n in to see what's going on with you, Christine! Good job on the workout. Hope you have a great night!

Jenna