Fun Ideas and a New Challenge!

I've spent the past couple months pondering a new direction for Smuggling Budgies, now that the Smugglette has been unleashed into the wild.  Each week I'll dig into a new food topic, something fun and exciting (like roasted chicken!) and throw quick meal ideas out into the open.  Sound like a plan?

So, as mentioned above, this week's item:  Roasted Chicken
I absolutely friggin' love these things.  How could you not love them???  Unless of course you are cursed with that strange affliction that my friends Heath and Brittany suffer from - they can't eat anything on the bone.  That means no bone-in chicken, no bone-in steak, no wings!  Seriously, it's devastating.  But even for them these meal ideas are possibilities.  If you suffer from "I can't eat bone-in foods" syndrome, simply ask a friend or loved one to remove the chicken from the bone prior to your entering the kitchen or dining room.  You will not know it was ever actually attached to an animal.  And perfecto!

If you live in the US, my personal favorite roasted chickens are Tyson brand, which can be purchased at your local supermarket (and comes in varieties!).  If you reside in Singapore, swing by your neighborhood Cold Storage and grab either a honey or black pepper chicken from the deli.
So what do you do next?  Well, let's see...

How about a big salad of your favorite veggies, some roasted chicken, and your salad dressing of choice?  Here is my personal favorite:

Yummy Salad with Roasted Chicken Breast - 7.5 Points

This is a large salad with 3 servings of veggies.  It is incredibly filling and tasty!  Great for salad-lovers :) 

• 2 cups romaine lettuce, torn or sliced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cucumber, halved and sliced
• shredded carrots
• Pepperidge Farm Seasoned Croutons, 12 pieces
• 1 roasted chicken breast, skin removed and chopped
• 2 Tbsp Homemade Hidden Valley Ranch

Combine all ingredients on large plate.  Mix well with dressing, or dip individual bites, and enjoy!

What to do with the rest of your roasted chicken???
You could make a Roasted Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta Salad, which happens to be delicious, and will feed you for days.  Recipe = 6 Points per serving; yields 6 servings (remember to remove the skin).
Heat up a chicken breast or thigh, and serve along side veggies of your choice and steamed rice or cauliflower puree.
Slice the chicken into thin pieces and make a delicious sandwich!

All of these meals and ideas are super-quick and super-tasty (falling into the new 15-Minute Meals category) - perfect for staying on track when you're busy.

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So what's this challenge I keep referring to???
A fellow blogger has recently started a Crunch Attack challenge with her readers.  So...I'm following suit!  Click here to explore the challenge in more detail and join in on the fun!  Basically, I will do crunches (or ab workouts) and/or pushups at least 3 days each week, and then I will increase my repetitions as the weeks progress.
I will keep a log of my exercises and report back each week - and I'll even throw in some body measurements!  Week 1 started Tuesday...I will set some goals for myself next Tuesday after I've determined just what I can do!  I would love it if y'all did this challenge with me - the more support we've got, the easier this life change can be!

Good night, and go buy some chicken!

Sarah's Homemade Hidden Valley Ranch

I have an addiction to ranch dressing, and one of my favorite at-home fixes is Hidden Valley.  You can purchase the salad dressing packet from your local supermarket (if you're in Singapore, try an expat-friendly Cold Storage, such as Great World City or Tanglin Market Place).

Sarah's Homemade Hidden Valley Ranch - 2 Points

Adapted from Hidden Valley Packet Instructions

Serving Size = 2 Tbsp

1 Packet Hidden Valley Ranch mix
1 cup skim or low-fat (up to 1%) milk (I use Lactaid brand, as I'm lactose intolerant)
1/2 cup regular mayo
1/2 cup light mayo

Mix ingredients well in a medium or large bowl.  Cover and refrigerate to thicken; lasts up to three weeks in refrigerator.

15-Minute Fish and Veggies

How often do you end up working late?  You get home, hurry to the gym, have an amazing work out, and by the time you reach home again, you're exhausted and starving?  The last thing you want to do is slave in the kitchen, and you especially don't feel like cleaning dishes!

How about some 15-Minute Fish and Veggies?  My go-to fish dish happens to be Gina's Broiled Fish with Garlic.  It's simple to make for one person (with some slight adaptations because I love garlic), and takes no time at all!

Broiled Fish with Garlic for One - 4 Points

Adapted from Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes - www.skinnytaste.com

• 1 5-ounce fish fillet (I used Cream Snapper, which is similar to Tilapia - note that using different fish may alter the Points)
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Dried oregano
• Dried parsley
• Freshly ground pepper
• Kosher salt
• Lemon wedges/slices

Preheat broiler.  Line a pan with aluminum foil.
Rinse fish and pat dry; place on foil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste (I give a few good shakes).  Then sprinkle with oregano and parsley (Gina's recipe calls for a set amount, but I like to shake it on there to taste - depending on what I'm in the mood for).
Drizzle olive oil on top of fish, and top with garlic.
Broil for 7 minutes, or until cooked through; be careful not to overcook the fish.  Squeeze lemon juice over fish, and you're ready to eat dinner!

While your fish is broiling, saute some veggies on the stove for a quick and tasty side dish.  I chose to make Roni's version of Sugar Snap Peas (1 Point per cup), but you could use this technique for other vegetables, like asparagus or zucchini (these would be 0 Points).

Simply heat olive oil spray (I use Pam Olive Oil) over medium heat in a nonstick skillet.  Add sugar snap peas, sprinkle with Kosher salt, and toss regularly until cooked the way you like it!  So easy...and so good!

The Sick Diet?

I realize it's been ages since my last post, and I'm truly sorry about that.  Last weekend (like 10 days ago) I got sick.  Mega sick.  I don't come down with things often, but when I do it's like hell freezes over and all life stops.  Not to mention I get incredibly needy and I groan about everything.  I'm just lucky that my mother has to love me no matter what - otherwise she would have given me away ages ago!
I'm not sure why Brian stuck around and took such amazing care of me for those 4 days, but he did, and I'm grateful!

So...needless to say, I didn't exactly count points, track anything, cook anything, or feel like blogging.  Then from playing catch-up at work, still feeling a bit weak, attempting to get back into the gym, and also attempting to eat healthy, the last thing I wanted to do at home was turn on my lappy.  Not happening.

When I weighed in last Tuesday morning, not at all surprised to see a low number on the scale (tends to happen when one hasn't eaten in three days), it stared back at me with a beautiful 131.5!  Thank you to Brian for reminding me that it was "the sick diet".  Well, I don't love the sick diet, because that number simply means that I feel like poop, I'm dehydrated, my body needs nutrients, and if I poke around I'll feel soft and squishy.  Yes.  Soft and squishy, people.  That's what your stomach and arms and quads and butt feel like if you poke them after missing the gym for a week or two...yick!

So what was my goal for last week?  Maintain that 131.5 while regaining my strength, eating healthy, and making my way back into the gym!  And you know what?  I did it.

 

Even Fingers Can Get Skinny

I wrote this draft last week, and then forgot to post it!  A little late is better than never :)  Here goes!

A long, long time ago I used to be 12.  I know - shocking.  As I quickly approached my 13th birthday (one of extreme importance in the Jewish faith), still carrying baby fat with a bit of extra fat to go along, I thought about my Bat Mitzvah.  And, like any nearly-13 year old Jewish girl, I wasn't exactly thinking about the service, or the meaning, or my faith.  I was instead thinking about my party, and thinking about my gifts!

When my amazing cousin Melysa had her Bat Mitzvah two years before, my family had given her a birthstone ring - a beautiful sapphire and diamond setting on a gold band.  I loved it.  I wanted it.  So when I had my own special day, I was the happiest and most ecstatic little 13 year old on the planet when I received my very own birthstone ring.  My Auntie Jill, Uncle Rodger, and cousins Melysa and Jessa had given me a gorgeous emerald and diamond birthstone ring.

So what's the point of this, you may ask?  Well, until this morning, I have never worn this ring.  I have spent the past 13 years with a size 8 ring finger.  Now, I don't think that necessarily constitutes "fat fingers", as numerous women wear a size 8 ring; but this particular birthstone ring is smaller.  I'm not sure of the exact size, but I would venture to guess that it's around a 7.

So today, the 10th of June, 2010, I am officially thin enough to wear that ring.  And it feels amazing.

Still a teensy bit tight, but it fits!  Sorry for the poor quality - I took this picture on my BlackBerry :)

Getting Back on the Horse

My favorite woman in the world recently commented.  She wants more Smuggling Budgies, and asked what's in store for us next.  Well, I have no idea.  May was a month full of travel, restaurants, and fun.  But it was also a month lacking routine, tracking, and motivation.  When you spend a weekend in Thailand, the following weekend celebrating your birthday, the weekend after that showing your boyfriend's family the sights (and eats) of Singapore, and the next week trekking Beijing and The Great Wall, it's a bit tough to stick with it!

So here I am, having fallen from my horse - I'm ready to get back on.  Weigh-in is tomorrow morning, and I have no idea what's in store!  The second to last weight was 135 (up 2lbs from pre-Phuket), but last week was 134.  Considering the events of the past three weeks, I'll take 134 any day!  I am fairly certain tomorrow morning's result will be in the 135 range - this past weekend was none other than a food-fest.

And although I got back on track today, counted every single thing I ate, and am ready to start this week, I'm struggling to find a new goal.  I am a girl of goals!  I want something to work for!
On the one hand, my dad and brother will be here in just over a month.  They're flying all the way from Houston and arrive in Singapore the evening of July 14th.  We leave for Bali, Indonesia on July 19th, so I'd say that's a pretty kickass motivator.  But somehow it just doesn't do the same thing as Phuket and a tiny bikini.

So what's next?  What should I work for?  How about working to reach the goal I've always had, but never reached?  Regardless of what the scale says tomorrow morning, I am ready to commit to this (again) and stay on track through June and the first half of July.  The week my family is here will be full of good eats, but that's ok.
If at that point I've reached my goal, I'll work on maintaining.  If not, I'll keep on trucking along!

It's your comments, your phone calls, your emails, and your love that keeps me inspired.  Please continue to send me updates, and send me your own progress so that I can brag about your successes.